FIFTEEN! My Little Girl is 15!!!!

Our life moves at such a fast clip I sometimes get taken aback when there's a quiet moment and it hits me how grown up my children are. Amelia turns FIFTEEN YEARS OLD today, and I think it hit me last week when she was walking out from ballet. 

She stopped to talk to a friend and she laughed at something her friend said. The sun was going down, and her brillant $5,000 smile was flashing, her eyes twinkling. I stared at her for a moment and realized....she's a young woman. Logically I knew it, from the time she was 12, but it seemed more glaringly obvious at that moment. 

Fifteen 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 child. 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.

 LOVE YOU, AMELIA!! Happy 15th birthday! I'm so happy you're not a sullen teenager.....yet) ! 😄 

Here she is over the years:

Picking up Speed

As much as January and February drag, March, April and May seem to speed right by! March started off with our ward cake auction. After furious bidding, we were proud owners of a nice $52 chocolate panda cake. Don't worry, we had investors so I didn't have to come up with that all. Here are some pics of that night:

The next week Amelia had her winter orchestra concert. She's moved up to first violin, but she's still in the corner so it's hard to get a good picture of her. :-)  I'm so happy she's chosen to do orchestra and ballet--they are just the best group of young people and she has made such good friends. Here's a few shots of her concert...I continuously forget how tiny she is until I see her next to others. Hahaha!

Finally, I had to post this picture of the siblings in their "okayest" shirts. As soon as they saw them, they wanted to buy them. I'm so blessed and happy they are such good friends. Yes, they argue and annoy each other at times, but I'm so grateful for the love (even if they won't admit it) they have for each other. I'm a very lucky mom!

Next up: birthdays, Spring Break, and spring activities!

Gravity Factory

For as much as January drags, February flies by. Not having those two days at the end of the month really do matter. :-)  

After Valentine's Day we settled down to finish out the 2nd trimester. Only 57 more days of school! This year has just bulleted by. We all went in for eye exams and grabbed new glasses. Amelia doesn't technically need them, but she said she has a hard time seeing from the back of the classroom, so I think our eye doctor humored her. 👀

We also found time to use the Gravity Factory passes Nana and Grandpa gave us for Christmas. All our other cousins came up and we had a blast jumping and hanging out with them!

I'll try and download some of the videos.....

We have a busy March coming up with concerts, performances, and only one more short break from school. Then we'll go on to birthday celebrations!

January is OVER!!

January is always a long month, but this year it seems like it lasted forrrrrrevvvvver. Even with a snow day and two "sickness" days it seems like this month was never going to end. We had a lot of great things happen though. One:

Cooper received the Aaronic priesthood and was ordained a deacon! He's passed the sacrament twice and loves it.

Looking good in that suit, isn't he?

He also, much to Amelia's dismay, grew AGAIN. He's now a full inch taller than her. She's taking it well, asking him to reach chips on top of the fridge for her, get things off the high shelf of the closet, etc. 😆

She has on  2 1/2 inch heels in this picture...and he's still gaining on her. 

Cooper has also started a ballroom class once a week after school. So far he's really liked it, and it helps keep him active during the winter. We have had a really cold one this year, and I think everyone is feeling it. Welcome February!

Wrapping up 2018!

Here we are, the last day of 2018! It. Has. Been. A. Crazy. Year. It has had some of the best, happiest times of my life all the way to some of the most sad. It has been full of laughter, tears, frustration, challenges, triumphs, losses, gains, beginnings, and endings. It has taken me to each extreme of emotion on the scale, and most of the ones in between. It has made me more introspective, more aware, and I hope more compassionate. It has taught me new things about myself, and reminded me of things I had forgotten. As bumpy as the ride has been, I wouldn't change a thing.

Tonight is another change...Cooper and I will be ringing in the new year without Amelia. She is 14 and 3/4, so she will be going to the New Year's Eve bash at the junior high, along with every youth in the area from 14-18 years old. She will have a fabulous time, she will make wonderful memories, and she will always remember her first New Year's Eve dance. But Coop and I are gonna miss her.

Christmas 2018!

Here are a few pictures from our Call Christmas party, and Christmas morning. It was different and hard to not have my dad there this year, but I know he's in a much better place and will always be watching out for us. I'm so grateful for these wonderful kids of mine. They are the best! Merry Christmas!

December almost in one post!

I'm going to just cram almost all of December into one post, so brace yourself. First up, the Nutcracker! Both Amelia and Cooper were in it this year. Amelia ended up being in 3 dances, plus a solo because she was understudying for an older girl who hurt her ankle. I may be biased, but Amelia did an amazing job! I have never seen her dance better! She kept up with those juniors and seniors like a pro! Here are a few pictures of the performance and rehearsals:

Amelia in her maid costume:

Amelia in her Snowflake costume ( I didn't get her in the Arabian, but trust me, she looked cute):

Cooper in his costume. He was the "book boy" this year, and did a fabulous job!

THESE kids! Love them so much!

After the Nutcracker, we were thrown into Christmas concerts! Up first was Cooper's choir:

Cooper is getting really good with his guitar playing, so he was able to show off his skill during the concert:

Right after Cooper's concert, Amelia had her orchestra concert:

I also want to take this time to point out Cooper has now passed Amelia in high by 1/2 in. He was on his tiptoes in this picture, and she had on heels. It's not quite that big of difference yet. Here's a picture of the morning Amelia found out her little brother had surpassed her in height:

Next post: Christmas!