Sweet Sixteen

Grace has hit sweet sixteen. Whenever I asked what she wanted for her birthday, she told me she wanted an eyebrow piercing. I was of the strong opinion she had enough holes in her face. Alas, she wore me down.

On her sixteenth birthday, she took a long lunch, I met her at the piercing shop, and now she has more holes in her face. She is happy.

Everyone was busy this year, so we just had a low-key celebration at home in the evening. It was a bit of a let down from her usual parties, but it was still nice.

 

I can't believe that she only has two more years as a child. It happened so fast!

Choir Concert

 I'm not usually given to tears and weeping. As my kids have gotten older, I have felt a little sad that they were growing up, but mainly I love watching my children grow and become even more independent. Graduations, award ceremonies, and putting children on planes have yet to make me cry.

Watching Sam at his last junior high concert got a me a little misty eyed, though. I have sat through so many concerts in this auditorium.  The faces keep changing. I've watched singing, plays, awards, orchestra concerts, and more here. I have seen so many teachers come and go. Some of the first people I watched on this stage are now getting married and in some cases having babies of their own. Watching Sam, my youngest, sing his last song on this stage as a junior high student gave me some big emotions. I got misty eyed knowing this was my last concert, of my last kid, in junior high. They have grown faster than I ever imagined. 

Prom

Grace is only a sophomore, but, she still had the opportunity to attend prom. Her best friend is a junior and invited Grace as her plus one. Grace and Lily have been friends since they were eight years old, and are now inseparable. 

Grace and I went to every thrift store in Boise, visited the mall, ordered a vest off of Amazon, and she still was not happy with the options. On prom night, she pulled this black vest out of her closet (where it had been the whole time) added some red buttons and a tie, put on the thrifted pants and went to prom. I managed to keep my head from exploding.  Prom shopping is my personal seventh circle of hell. So far I have taken two daughters prom clothes shopping, and I have barely survived. So.many.big.emotions.

After everyone got dressed (Lily spent $15 on her dress at a thrift store) we added a few flowers, and Michael took them out for a photo shoot. The pictures might have made the whole struggle worth it.

I love these girls!

 

Easter

Easter snuck up on me this year. I managed to buy the treats and plan for dinner, but I lost the easter baskets. The kids didn't have any objections to their half pathetic "baskets" though. They got candy and salty treats, so they were happy. This year we only had three baskets, as Libby is in Washington. I did get her treats in the mail, along with a WinCo gift card. She was very excited to have a few extra dollars for groceries.

Despite the face, Sam was happy for snacks, just not happy to be awake.

We spent the evening having dinner at Becca's house, where she hosted an egg hunt.

These kids are never to big to hunt for eggs. They are full on teenagers, but they can still enjoy acting like kids. The competition can get pretty fierce, though.

Grace ended the day practicing her handstands. Every day is spent practicing her handstands. She spends a lot of time upside down.  Sometimes that is the best way to cope with what life keeping throwing at you.