"my baby girl turns 17!"

My baby girl turned 17 years old! I'm not sure WHEN that happened! It seems like yesterday she was still in elementary school. Time flies! She wanted to have an "old school" slumber party with her girlfriends like the good old days! I was excited because I love any excuse to plan a party and decorate! I made this banner for her on my getaway weekend with the girls.It was a birthday celebration the entire weekend! Friday night we went out to dinner with grandparents to celebrate.

Saturday was her "party". The weird thing is all I had to provide was cake and candy and decor. No games or prizes or even picking anyone up! They all can drive! So weird because a lot of these girls have stayed at our house since they were in the 6th grade.

All the decor turned out fab. And the cake! Oh the gorgeous cake! My friend Teresa is an excellent cake maker and she asked what kind of cake Nicole wanted for her birthday. I had this pic in a file for a very long time and Nicole loved it and wanted it. So she made it and did an awesome job.

This is the age I last remember of my sweet daughter. Age 2!

Nicole came home from school to all her decorations. She loved it!

Of coarse she needed new birthday shoes! (I'm a bad influence. ha!) So she planned a cute outfilt because she and all the girls were going out to Corino's for dinner. ( I was invited buy stayed home so they could go out without a "mom" there).

Sweet 17...............

All of her friends are very lovely and looked so cute. I've known them all since middle school. They didn't want to take 2 cars, so they ALL (8 of them!) piled into MY car and went to dinner. Eight 17 year old girls, dressed to go out, headed to dinner. Like grown ups.

I overheard their "later" plans (TPing and forking). I told them they had to be in by curfew and I didn't want to know anything about it! Lucky for me (and them) it started pouring down rain and they came home and rented a movie and got into their jammies.

They had cake (served by the handsome younger brother!)..........

Someone lost their cell phone in the couch..............you would have thought the world came to and end!

They finally settled in to watch a movie. I visited with them for awhile and was about to retreat to my bedroom...........when they asked if I was going to stay and watch a movie with them? Really?! I can't think of anything I would rather do. Made me so happy that then let me stay. ha! Once again the times I get to hang out and be part of their teenage world........I'm a happy momma.

Lots of silly. Lots of visiting. Lots of catching up on these girls! (look at my silly son in the background. He got kicked out!)

We watched the new edition of Footloose! LOVED IT! So reminecent of my teenage years! Movie was awesome. Loved that Nicole just wanted a chill and relaxed get together where all the girls could hang out. Some of them didn't even make it thru the movie before they fell asleep. Just like the good ole days........................Happy Birthday sweets!

"she wore the dress again"

My sweet daughter was asked to another formal event.
The banquet for Santiam Christian High School.
This is a very sweet story................
Here is Nicole getting ready. No make-up, eating and clowning around. She was DONE with me taking pictures and her date hadn't even arrived yet! Mom, I'm done, no more pictures. Gotta love it.

I was so happy she wanted to wear the dress again. Different function, different boy, different crowd. Glad I got my money worth. She said she will wear it again when she is a senior if it still fits her! T.J. arrived looking dashing. Tall, dark and hansome and in a tuxedo. And it was his 15th birthday. So sweet. And his very 1st date.............................................They went to the Bentley Hotel in Salem for dinner. (His mom took some gorgeous pictures that I am patiently waiting for!) and the event was at Mission Mills in Salem. Nicole said the decor was gorgeous and they had a great time. (when they were still at Bentley's taking pics a little boy about 6-7 years old thought Nicole was a princess from Disneyland and asked if he could have a picture taken with her. so cute.)

All I can say is...........................STUNNING............................

When he arrived I answered the door and was such a proud mom to let him in. He looked so handsome and of coarse had flowers. When he stepped in and saw Nicole his eyes lit up and he got a huge smile and said "Nicole, you look beautiful".

The story of how he asked her was very sweet. She knows him thru mutual friends since he went to grade school in Albany. They have hung out at football games, he came to her Halloween party etc. When we went to Eagle Crest for Thanksgiving, like we do every year, him and his family were there too! Nicole took Cassandra and Jasmine with us and they know TJ also. So they all hung out and watched movies, played basketball, sat in the hot tub (supervised, of coarse!) and Tyler hung out with TJ's little brother who is the same age. Had a great time. I could see that they kind of liked each other (nothing gets by us moms).

So 2 days after we got back from Eagle Crest, TJ called our house and asked to speak to "Mr.Mary". He was calling to ask LeRoy his permission to invite Nicole to the Santiam Christian Banquet (their equivilant to prom). Gotta give that kids some props. Calling LeRoy and asking. Are you kidding me. Most considerate, thoughful, sweetest thing ever!

So him and Nicole were talking later that night and he still hadn't asked her. She was dying. Of coarse I had to tell her what happened. 2 more days when by and still nothing. She was dying.

So on Wednesday I was gone in the evening decorating a tree for the BGCA and she had just gotten back from basketball practice. I was just leaving and Nicole called my cell in a panic "mom, where are you? you need to come home. NOW". I asked if everything was ok and if LeRoy was home. She said "yes, come home now, I think TJ is on his way over to ask me and I want you here!". So I headed home. She called me 2-3 more times (I was 1/2 mile away!) "Mom, should I give him my address? Hurry home, what's taking you so long?" So I pull down our street and can see a car parked in front of our house. He was so sweet to come over in person and ask her (and I met his mom!)

So after all that we came inside and she had something in her hand. It was a handmade (later found out his grandma made it, cute) personalized invitation asking Nicole to go with him.

It had all the details and asked if she would accompany him and he would wear a "penguin tux" and was so fabulous and handmade. And..........he gave her a cute little penguin ornament with the invite. And I later found out that he bought the ornament at Eagle Crest before we left because he knew he wanted to ask her.

HOW. CUTE. IS. THAT?

This kid is a keeper. I told her to always use this experience as a standard of how respectful boys should always treat her.