21

We got this gal home to celebrate for a bit!  Hoping she has a joyous year.

Filling that cake on up with candles!

 

20 1/2

 

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow.

2. What is your favorite toy?

I love the triceratops at school and the leg press. 

3. What is your favorite fruit? 

Pomegranates or strawberries.

4. What is your favorite tv show?

Welcome to Derry.

5. What is your favorite movie? 

The Amazing Spiderman.

6. What is your favorite thing to wear?

This little black lace cardigan I picked up at a thrift shop.

7. What is your favorite animal?

Cats!!

8. What is your favorite song?

The Great Divide by Noah Kahn.

9. What is your favorite book?

Currently reading Sunrise On the Reaping so it’s between that and A Heart That Hurts.

10. Who is your best friend?

My boyfriend and my roommates:)

11. What is your favorite snack?

Costcos grain free cookie bites 

12. What is your favorite drink?

Diet Coke.

13. What is your favorite breakfast?

Croissants and berries.

14. What is your favorite lunch?

Spicy chicken sandwich. 

15. What is your favorite dinner?

Steak and roasted asparagus and potatoes 

16. What is your favorite game?

Jackbox!

17. What is your favorite thing to play outside?

Drawing dinosaurs with chalk!

18. What is your favorite holiday? 

Halloween.

19. What do you sleep with at night?

An unholy amount of pillows.

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A teacher. 💛

20

Serving at our church (preparing for the move last fall) and now in the nursery

It’s been a big year for her—not all easy, but she’s worked so hard!

Glowing

A coffee and a puppy in the morning

With kitty, kitty

Ready to protect her new home

Heading off on the next grand adventure!  Excited to see you continue to learn and grow!

Happy 20th—cake to come!!

19 1/2

 

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow

2. What is your favorite toy? Camera

3. What is your favorite fruit? Lemons 

4. What is your favorite tv show? Brooklyn 99

5. What is your favorite movie? It: Chapter I

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Green flowing pants

7. What is your favorite animal? Chaoyangsaurus

8. What is your favorite song? “Cat People” -Bowie

9. What is your favorite book? The Hunger Games

10. Who is your best friend? Gretchen

11. What is your favorite snack? Mott’s fruit snacks

12. What is your favorite drink? Diet Coke

13. What is your favorite breakfast? Mocha banana smoothie

14. What is your favorite lunch? Chicken Alfredo 

15. What is your favorite dinner? Hot wings

16. What is your favorite game? Bowling

17. What is your favorite thing to play outside? Swim

18. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween 

19. What do you sleep with at night? Heated blanket

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Esthetician

18 1/2

1. What is your favorite color? black

2. What is your favorite toy? eyeliner??

3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas 

4. What is your favorite tv show? stranger things

5. What is your favorite movie? perks of being a wallflower or dead poets society 

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? band ts 

7. What is your favorite animal? cats

8. What is your favorite song? boys don’t cry-the cure 

9. What is your favorite book? perks of being a wallflower or dear even hansen

10. Who is your best friend? the dog

11. What is your favorite snack? hot chips 

12. What is your favorite drink? iced coffee 

13. What is your favorite breakfast? coffee cake 

14. What is your favorite lunch? grilled cheese and tomato soup 

15. What is your favorite dinner? chili fries? and salad.

16. What is your favorite game? ping pong 

17. What is your favorite thing to play outside? how long can i sit down before a kid gets hurt and i need to go help them.

18. What is your favorite holiday? halloween 

19. What do you sleep with at night? rain noise in the background 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? happy. 

Aesthetics Graduation

Some students formed a tunnel

Her teacher talked about her dedication

She won a prize for her final project

Officially finished with her hours

Matching sisters

Final clock out

Her cheerleading crew—Gabby was at work and Justin was home with a fever

Celebratory cupcakes

Adulthood

Happy birthday to our Katie!

She’s full of fun,

The conqueror of goals,

Joyous,

A cuddler of puppies,

Dramatic,

And creative

Welcome to adulthood!!!

Accidental Graduation

Katie has been looking at some aesthetics programs over the past nine months to a year.  Our original plan had been dual enrollment, but after sitting on a waiting list since last May for the most economical school, we toured another school in mid-December.

She loved it.  However, they did not allow dual enrollment.  You had to present a diploma or GED.  I reached out to our homeschool umbrella to ask about blocking out just the second semester English credit (the only thing she needs to graduate) in the first two months of the year and graduating early.  I also noted we had completed a full book of Lightening Literature in the fall term, averaging a couple hours a day with all the readings, comprehension questions, and papers she wrote.

I got back an email that said, in short, “Congratulations to you both, input her grade as a full credit (their rules on credits are completing a textbook or a certain number of hours—our fall accomplished not just one, but both of those), she can graduate now.”

This news came on the last day of our planned semester with one (history) final to go and a packed day at work for her.  I told her she had the option to do whichever she wants—graduate in May with her friends or wrap it up now.  In a few hours, she decided surprise graduation it is.

Cap and gown are here.  Party planning has commenced.

Surprise and Congratulations, Katie!

You did it!

Seventeen

 

Not sure how we got here, but to day this girl is seventeen.

She’s a senior.

About ready to fly the nest.

She has a job a drives.

Has a social life!

Looks for beauty, and captures it.

She does silly things—

Like making a unicorn cake,

And hard things—

Like earning her Stars & Stripes Award.

Happy Birthday to our Katie!

Stars & Stripes

Katie earned her Stars & Stripes Award through American Heritage Girls.  Her project was updating our church’s playground.  It was a big project in addition to all if the other requirements.

Today we were able to celebrate her award and all of her accomplishments along the way.  Her youth minister, troop unit leader, and the children’s minister (since she served the children’s program through this project and over the past several years), and mentor all spoke about her growth.  When the open opportunity to speak about her came, so many people came forward—adults who have seen her love their girls, her peers who spoke of how she is a wonderful friend, and younger girls who look up to her and appreciate that she sees them. I didn’t take a single picture during the ceremony, wanting to soak it all up.

Then we had our party.  In the midst of the process of getting her project approved, there were gaps of time in which we waited awhile, and as mom, I was to step back and let the project be hers anyway, so I’d been planning the party in fits and spurts for months.

I ran across the ‘build your own trail mix bar,’ and she loved it—it fit well with her troop experiences and was fun too.

The cake table—we had a chocolate sheet cake (via Sam’s), I made a vanilla cake, and Katie made the vegan cupcakes for those who needed them.

Close up of the cake I made—Captain America style, per her request

The cake we ordered

A fruit basket (with star cutout fruits) , punch, and water

Each of the tables had a centerpiece based around her favorite badge from each of the badge frontiers.  The photo board of her project and various mementoes are in the background—there are too many faces of girls whose families would prefer us not to post, so no close up of that table here.

Centerpieces in preparation—clockwise from 10 o’clock, Our Flag, cake decorating, creative writing, camping, book adventurer, and astronomy. Each had a label describing why that was her favorite.

Her favor was a SWAP

Here is the explanation of those SWAPS, since not everyone knows what they are!

Congratulations Katie-Girl!  You did it!

Love always,

Mama