'our' nights in rodanthe {Kylie is 15!}

Nationwide claims, "life comes at you fast..."  And I agree.  

Along those same lines, for our family, in March, "birthdays come at you fast..."

Ian and I barely get time to process one child being a step closer to adulthood when the very next day our eldest ups the game by one.   

The leader of the pack is now 15!

I can't really believe it, but it does soften the blow a little that she can't either.  Hearing her exclaim, "Hey, wait, am I really 15?" makes the growing up seem a little more tolerable.

And then she'll go and ruin that by saying something along the lines of, "I mean, that means in just three years I'll be finishing up my time at home and getting ready to go to college." 

Which gets me plotting on how to freeze time all over again...

She's at a fun mash up of sophisticated young woman, discussing ideas she's running with from her AP world history class, and carefree teenage girl, laughing at ridiculous memes and getting excited about fluffy cows and kwakas, right now and had two requests on how to be celebrated.  One was "a streamer curtain so I can make a dramatic entrance."  

So streamers on her bedroom doorway we did!

and yes, there are videos...slo-mo at her request...to document her grand entrance

The weather was perfect today, so her choice for mid-afternoon 'class location' was overlooking the beach.  One could get used to the 'school-cation' situation.

Her other request was to have her birthday dinner at Bros Sandwich Shack.  We had stumbled upon this hidden gem of a restaurant back in October on our way down to Hatteras Lighthouse.  The combo of BBQ perfection on a bun with house made pickles and crispy sweet potato waffle fries had her hooked on the first bite.  She talked about that sandwich for weeks and when we had decided we'd be taking a spring 'school-cation' back at the outer banks, making it to cover the big girls' birthday week (which has the bonus of a teacher workday) seemed like a no-brainer.  All I had to do was find a rental within reasonable distance to Bros...

we spent the afternoon down in Buxton at the Graveyard museum and then tossed a frisbee and football on the beach overlooking Diamond Shoals for an hour ~ and caught sight of the local UFO ~ before heading back toward the house.  an early dinner at Bros was perfect timing and the warm weather allowed us to eat on their picnic table instead of in the car 

After about an hour of catching up on work/assignments following an afternoon of play (even the birthday girl needed a bit of time to wrap up AP world history and honors English) it was finally time for her to open her loot.  

Like her 'spirit animal' sister, the only direct requests were books.  The Maze Runner series filled one of the slots, leaving us to figure out what else would make her day super special.  A boba tea cup with boba recipes brought smiles, but not even the book series topped her stuffed avocado.  

he's been named ferdinand

And finally, time for cake.

Carrot cake with pecan studded cream cheese frosting to be exact.

And she may have thought surprises were over with the gifts, but score with an edible confetti cannon candle for the win!

i will note that we had two of these and lit one on darcy's cake last night...unfortunately because of the lighting napkins on the oven heating element to light candles situation, the fuse went off before i got the cake to the table, so no one saw the actual explosion. 

K-Boo, I look at you blowing out the candles on your 15th birthday cake and realize just how quickly it's going to be your 18th.  Time is marching on at a rate that makes my head spin, but the comforting thing is that you are blossoming into a remarkable young woman.  You are genuine and have navigated the treacherous teenage years staying true to who you are, never feeling pressure (or at least showing that you do) to 'go along with the crowd' to fit in.  I love watching your mind work as your process complex social and historical issues and have no doubt that you will leave a mark on society through the intersection of your intellect and the action you will take because of it.  I see your faith developing as you seek to truly understand the God of the universe, not just taking my word for it.  

I love you with all my heart!

 

[We get so worried about being pretty. 
Let's be pretty kind.
Pretty funny.
Pretty smart.
Pretty strong.] 

~ Britt Nicole

honoring k-boo {principal's award & promotion}

As "pandemic life" continues to pass, Kylie has become more and more smug about not having a "moving up ceremony" to attend for finishing middle school.  I admit I'd be likely to be a hot mess over our first baby heading off to high school, so maybe it's a good thing that there aren't going to be back to back ceremonies (middle and elementary were originally scheduled for the same morning) for me to turn on the waterworks.  

But that leaves us with Kylie moving on from one chapter of life unrecognized.

Or does it...

Today just after lunch the doorbell rang.  Figuring it was yet another Amazon delivery (not that we have A LOT of those these days or anything...) I continued cleaning up from lunch and asked someone else to get the package.  

While something was being delivered, it wasn't Amazon...

Principal Mac was stopping by to deliver a yard sign, a "graduation certificate" and a Principal's Award certificate!  The Principal's Award recognizes excellent academics, citizenship and all around model students.  So proud of our girl!

And our, "I don't want to be recognized, I just want to move on," kid had to smile and take the congratulations and praise.  

Not sure if the smile was genuine over being awarded the Principal's Award or just that middle school is all but over, but at least she cooperated in smiling for Principal Mac (and therefore us as we stood behind her).  

I remember telling Kylie a while back when she complained about the drama of middle school girls that surrounded her that from my experience both as a middle schooler and as a former middle school teacher that it is literally the dumbest time in life.  She agreed and said Avicii song, Wake Me Up should be the theme song of middle school because of its lyrics, 

"So wake me up when it's all over

When I'm wiser and I'm older

All this time I was finding myself

And I didn't know I was lost."

I found myself agreeing with her.  While she's got a good head on her shoulders and with a duck and cover attitude managed to avoid most of the middle school drama, she has watched many of the kids she went to elementary with trying to figure out who in the world they are.  

And now, I guess it's time to wake her up...her middle school career is almost over!

KB is 14!

March 10.

Another day, another cake...

This time with 14 candles.

Because she is our "leader of the pack" and ready or not, she just keeps leading the way.  

In all ways, including getting older.

While she only had one specific request this year, a favorite book that she's checked out of the library several times since October, thankfully she's dropped a few hints over the last few months.  Simple jewelry, a sizable gift card to the bookstore,

...and proving that there's still a bit of "a little girl" inside, a Squishamal.  Because who doesn't love a squishy blue rabbit that can double as a pillow?

There are moments that I wish I could jump back in time about 13 1/2 years to when we first met her...when she was most content to be against my chest in the snuggli carrier.

Or a decade to revisit that chubby little toddler/funny little pre-schooler who kept me on my toes.

Or just several years to experience again that time when her self confidence blossomed during the end of her elementary career.

But then again, I am crazy about where she is/who she is today.  Despite her moods occasionally getting the best of her, she is developing into a young woman who is passionate about justice in the world.  She is interested in saving marine wildlife (attending a sea turtle camp this summer is a way for her to explore a potential career choice) and standing up for those that are marginalized in various ways in our community and the bigger world.  I found myself humbled to be the mom of a teen,  who while enjoying the blessing of a Make A Wish trip at Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, that said, "I think it's great that kids with critical illnesses like Nicholas and their families have a week to be celebrated and taken care of like they do here.  I think there should be something for kids who've been abused too!"
Watch out world, she's got some ideas, hopes to intern at Give Kids the World when she's in college and just may start a new organization to benefit a whole other group of kids.

Happy birthday my love!  We may have moments where we don't see eye to eye and I can occasionally hear your eyes rolling at me...but I am so very grateful and humbled to be the one you call Mama.  Your beauty shines from a pure heart and it creates a presence that draws others in...always use that quiet attraction to bring His kingdom to earth!

[Find it within you to love exactly who you are and to know you’re capable, you’re loved and you’re beautiful. The world is a better place, because of you. You are unique because there is only ONE of you.] 

– Shantel VanSanten

...so this happened...

Last night Kylie walked into a building with Lottie by her side.  

"So what?" you say.

"No big deal." you say.

But it was walking in behind them to attend the curriculum expo for rising freshman at the high school.

Yes.

HIGH SCHOOL.

I die.

And yet...

She's a bit nervous about the unknown, but really excited for the change.

So I can't help but be a little excited for her.  She's level headed, grounded and mature and I can't wait to see where the adventure of high school takes her.  Right now the world is at her feet...

I've got a ton of catching up to do here...finishing up about our anniversary trip to Utah back in the fall, several birthdays and Gotcha Days.  And perhaps even more fun, Nicholas's Disney/Universal dreams come true Make A Wish trip that we just got home from.

But today I've got this sucker staring me in the face...

What can I do but embrace being a Spartan/Cougar/Dragon parent?

double doughnuts

Ky and DQ.  They're close (both in their sister bond and in age) and share many things (a love for books, introverted personalities, and many birthday and half-birthday celebrations).

This week saw our eldest halfway through her first teen year...

and our middle girl halfway through her last tween year.

She spent her actual half-birthday trailing around the middle school, introducing me to some of her teachers for open house night.

And her actual evening she danced her way through her new contemporary/hip hop class.

So tonight we paused to celebrate "the big girls," who are now 13 1/2 (and one day) and 12 1/2 (and two days) together.

Because of course double doughnuts are better than just one!

Let these last six months before your birthdays shine brightly girls!  We love you!

Meanwhile back home...

I have to take a hot minute to brag on these pretty amazing teen and tween humans that just so happen to be my kids. 

(photo taken on March 9, DQ's birthday but also "triplet day")

There has been the stress of Nicholas's upcoming surgeries, but also the feeling of dread of being away from the rest of our crew for a while. When I realized I'd be missing the elementary school musical that both Daniel and Nat would be part of, this crew volunteered to walk the mile from the middle school in 90+ degree heat (instead of catching an air conditioned ride home) to be there for their little siblings.  

I  this trio more than words can say...

the first teenager in the house

It has happened.

We have a teenager in the M8 house!

One minute I'm carrying her on my hip and the next she's smiling at me over her 13th birthday cake.

Which is a self selected pecan pie cake.  (She's becoming quite the little foodie...)

I've asked her to break me into being the parent of a teen gently.

At 13 she's got an amazing work ethic, is extremely responsible and knows herself well.  Ky is perhaps the most introverted extrovert I know.  She has a small tribe of girls that are loyal, caring friends (because she doesn't have time or energy for drama) but knows her own limits on how much time she can spend around others before she is drained and needs a while to recharge with a good book.

She's quite the delightful human.

Well, mostly.  We still see a bit of saucy coming through.

And occasionally a bit ditzy.

Perhaps one of my favorite qualities about her is her ability to laugh at herself when appropriate.

Some things never change though.  There is a limit of how many pictures can be taken in a day...

"Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be" ~Abraham Lincoln

You have chosen to radiate happiness K-Boo! I'll hold you to your voluntary promise to being a "pretty awesome teen." If the first twelve years were a preview, I think the teen years are gonna be just fine. 
Happy 13th birthday my love!