Ashley's 18th Birthday

We had a FANTASTIC time celebrating Ashley's 18th birthday this week. To mark the occasion, we decided to have dinner at the rotating restaurant atop the famed KL Tower (not the twin towers, but the single tower...). The food was great, and oh so plentiful. We spent three hours at our table: talking, eating, laughing, and more eating. How many families with teenagers do you know who can sit together and authentically enjoy each other's company just for the fun of it? I am so lucky to have these three women in my life. Without further delay, here are some photos:

A nice picture of the KL Tower from below. Cool....


The view from the top is breathtaking. Here is how it looked from our table:
Here, Cheryl and Ashley enjoy a mother-daughter hug right before hitting the buffet table for yet another course of awesome food.....

Can you tell just how excited Cheryl and Brooke were to be celebrating Ashley's 18th??

Then came the indulgence. Check out my dessert splurge:

The elevator back to "earth" had a cool mirror ceiling. Here we are, acting normal:

We gave Ashley her first round of cool weather clothes, for life as a Northwestern student in bitter cold Illinois. She still has to figure out how the hood works...

That's better. Ash can't wait to strut around NU in her "wildcat" jacket (yes, it's fake fur; chill...)

Since we know Ash is going to miss Alfredo, we got her a snuggly mini replica of our favorite poodle. Here Ash squeezes Alfredo and mini-Alfredo while Brooke captures the moment....

See how cute Ash looks with her fluffy companion? This pup is going to spend some well-loved days in the Northwestern dorms....
So that's about it. Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our celebration. Our Ash is no longer a just a wee little tot. She's all "growed" up, and we love her with all of the numbers and all of the letters up to the sky, and back again.

proud dad