Sweet Sixteen

 My baby girl turned 16!  I still can't believe that's possible.  Here's a look at all of the ways we celebrated her!!

But first, I need to back up.  In February, Casey and Clare made a trip to Midland to meet with Casey's great aunt, Louise.  She was, very generously, gifting Clare her late husband's car.  They flew to Midland and then drove the care home.  It is such a generous gift, and one that I hope we can "pay forward" at some point in our lives.  Clare was thrilled with her new wheels, and frequently said, "It's so cute."

The weekend before her birthday, we gathered with our family to celebrate!

Everyone came over for dinner, presents and banana pudding!  Clare got gas money, Lululemon gear, pink boots, and new shoes!  She was a happy girl.

And finally, the big day arrived.  Casey got her from school and took her to take her much anticipated driving test.  She passed!  (Not by much, but we won't get into that on here......)  

There was still one more step before she was official.  The next day, I got her out of school and we went to lunch and the DMV to officially get her license.  It was a pleasant experience, and after that she was good to go.

  She drove herself back to school, and I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  Watching your kid drive off for the first time is not for the faint of heart.  Neither is teaching them to drive, might I add. 

Now, it was really time to party!  Clare wanted to have a "silent disco" with her friends.  Everyone gets headphones and can listen to one of three different music channels.  She wanted everything to be black, hot pink and silver.  Easy enough!

It was a fun night with lots of her friends there.  I could kick myself for not getting a picture of everyone together!  It was fun to celebrate Clare for her big 16th birthday, but by the end of it, I think we were all ready to be "back to normal."   

Middle School Dance

Jane and Sydney had their first (and last) middle school dance in February!  Last year's was cancelled due to Covid, so this will be their one and only.

Jane and Sydney went with a group of friends that they've had since elementary school.  

Of course, it wouldn't be a middle school event without a dramatic wardrobe issue.  Sydney decided to change dresses after we took most of the pictures. She wore the blue to the dance.  Both were cute in my opinion.

The girls had the best time!  I think they were actually surprised that they had so much fun!

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Christmas Day After!

 Christmas Eve is always at Deedee and Papaw's house!!!

The annual stocking pic!

Maybe my favorite picture from this Christmas ?!

Everyone was very spoiled.  Some of the highlights for the girls were Lululemon gift cards, a monogrammed backpack, lots of shoes, and tons of beauty products.

Graham got a Micah Parsons jersey, which he loved....and unbeknownst to him, he was going to get to wear in just a couple of days!

Christmas morning we woke up at our house.  Santa brought a dart board for Graham and a "room refresh" for the girls.  

Clare got a new comforter, some wall art, curtains, and a neon sign!

Jane got a tapestry, curtains, lights and a cozy blanket!

Sydney got a new dresser, new paint, and a wall hanging!

Santa also thought they needed some "modern manners!"

Graham was super pumped to learn that he was headed to the Cowboys game the next day!!

We had a nice morning, and then we headed over to Mom and Dad's to join them, along with Jennifer, Nathan, Megan and Brody.

We retook the family picture from a few years ago!

Brody and Graham got matching Luka jerseys!  This picture reminds me of the movie Twins from a long time ago!!

And Casey and Nathan got matching aprons since they won the chili cook-off in Colorado in September!

The next day we headed over to Emmy and Grandad's to celebrate with Morgan, Bryan, Morgan and the little boys!  I, sadly, took no pictures!!  We had a great afternoon celebrating with them.  

It was a great Christmas weekend. We were definitely spoiled by everyone!  

Christmas Festivities

We went to see The Gift of Christmas with Deedee and Papaw. This show is amazing, and I was so thankful that it was back on this year.  Such a great kick-off to the week of Christmas!

We changed up our Christmas Cookie Chaos this year by having it in the evening, and adding charcuterie boards and cocktails.  The evening time frame suits my teenage daughters much better!!

The cookies were the same, though!  And as usual....we made too many!

A couple weeks before Christmas, several moms and I took our boys to Radiance in Frisco. It was an outdoor area with tons of stuff to do....ice skating, bumper cars, snowball fights, and Santa! It was a fun night out!

The moms needed a picture with Santa!

We also did our usual Advent calendar including looking at Christmas lights, new ornaments, puzzles, field trip with the Maroccos, and lots of Christmas treats.  The time leading up to Christmas is so fun and filled with excitement. This year it also felt exceptionally busy. I might need to look at that and see how we can readjust for next year.