Amelia's Sweet Sixteen!

Amelia turns SIXTEEN YEARS OLD today! I know I'm biased, but the is SO AMAZING! She is SO happy, optimistic, kind, cheerful and non-teenagery. For example, she came up with a hashtag for her birthday this year: #sweetsixteenandquarantied. How can you not love her? BTW, when this virus passes, I'll still be requiring a 6 foot distance between her and all prospective dates. :-) 

Sixteen years ago, at 9:11 pm, I was blessed with the most beautiful, caring, talented, loving, smart, funny, determined, and kind-hearted, 8 lb. 6 oz. girl I know. And everyone else who meets her agrees with me. :-)  She went from this:

To this:

 I can't express how much I love this young women. She still has an amazing smile, eyes that twinkle with happiness and at times mischief, and is an absolute blessing in our lives. She is dependable, kind to others, a confident little sweetheart and I'm blessed to be her mother.

Here she is over the years:

Watch out young men, Cooper has his Nerf guns locked and loaded, ready for her first date!

January, February, and March!

Here's a few things we managed to do before stupid COVID interrupted everything. 

Cooper had his January ballroom competition. He's improved so much this year! I think he's finally comfortable enough he's enjoying it. The group of kids in his class are so kind, I'm glad he's having fun. Next year he's going to try out for the lift class--that's where he'll do mostly lifts with his partner for the routine. Exciting!

Probably the MOST exciting thing in January was Amelia getting her driver's license! She studied so hard and passed her written test on the first try! The test ended early and she didn't even have to answer all the questions because she was doing so well. She was also thrilled to take her driving test with her former 4th grade teacher, Mr. Bowman. Although the car insurance is not something I'm looking forward to, I LOVE having another driver in the family! Congrats, Amelia!

Passed written test!

Passed driving test!

Licensed driver!

First solo drive!

We also had Cooper's choir concert. He's been invited to the Select Choir next year which is by invitation or audition only. It's a pretty cool honor. He enjoys singing, especially since his voice has changed. :-)

 Lastly, Cooper decided he was ready for contacts. He's done well with them, and he looks so handsome. It's crazy how much older he looks without glasses, though. He's growing up so fast!

I already posted for my kiddos birthdays, so I'm almost caught up! Stay tuned!