Grace's 16th Birthday

Happy 16th Birthday to Grace!  I just can't believe my "baby" is already 16, and I'm sure I'll be saying this again and again as she turns 18, 21, 30, etc.  She has grown and changed so much this year, and we are incredible proud of her.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful girl!

Here is her birthday display table for this year.  I just love seeing that sweet toddler picture on the left next to her school photo.  The table also shows the program from the school play, a Hamilton playbill, colored pencils, and the latest favorite book.  

Suzette sent this darling flower cake.  It was such a surprise and made the cutest decoration!  Grace loved it (obviously.)

I just love taking pictures in the pre-dawn light before school.  It's hard to get good lighting, but we tried our best!

Breakfast was donuts!  Grace opened one gift in the morning - a one year subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited.  She loves listening to music, especially Broadway tunes.  This unlimited plan will allow her to listen to just about everything.

One of her friends gave her this fun Peppa Pig balloon during the day.  When she got home, she opened the rest of her gifts.

What's the best gift for a teen? - cash and gift cards!  Grace loved all her gifts!  Look at this cute card!  It is designed by Taylor Swift and includes real fabric.  Super fun!

When Grace was born, Michael gave me an emerald necklace and earrings.  This is Grace's birthstone, and he said to give it to her when she turned 16.  Here's the beautiful necklace.  Grace doesn't have pierced ears, so I'll keep the earrings!  We also gave her a small emerald ring from James Avery.

Friday afternoon was busy after she opened gifts.  Jack had his 8th grade dance, and Grace had to go help with the children's theater.  After she finished with the costumes and makeup, we picked her up and took her out for gelato.

Saturday had a more a leisurely pace, and we went out for lunch at Carabba's to celebrate.  That night she went to another friend's birthday party.  Even though she didn't have her own party, I think she had a great time celebrating with the group there.

 

On Sunday, we had the family over for Mother's Day.  She and Emma got to celebrate their birthday's together at our family lunch. 

It was a great 16th birthday weekend.  The driving test will probably wait for the first week of summer since things will be pretty busy here with exams and end of year stuff!