Fingerprints: May 2016

Thursday, May 26, 2016

A New Game

Lacrosse

#41

A stick and a ball.

A big field.

9 players on the field + a goalie for each team.

Minimal protective gear.

Speed is important.

Players attack.

Strategy necessary.

Throwing the ball back into play.

The rules are complex.

I was confused most of the season.

Our son figured it out and earned his varsity letter,

but what boy doesn't like a rough and tumble game?

Dawn of a New Decade

20.

Birthday breakfast.

Warm waffles. Fluffy whipped cream. Fresh sweet berries. Crisp bacon.

No pictures to assure you of the delightfulness, just adjectives.

On this birthday morning, the cousins were wide awake and ready to tackle the presents again! Ironically most of my pictures were a little blurry.

Adding the candles to the birthday girl's favorite Dairy Queen cake was a serious task for this little lady.

The decorations were still up from yesterday.

The candle lighting operation proved to be challenging, as it was hard to determine if the candles were lit with the colored flames!

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Nikela,

Happy Birthday to you!

Fare thee well teenage days.

As we celebrate the young lady you have become,

we do pause in wonder at how quickly you went from pigtails to college!

18 Strong

Birthdays are for sharing.

And birthdays are for presents, and Kiahra's youngest cousin was impatient about those gifts!

Lucky her gift crew was very proficient~though the paper had to be disposed of properly!

The curiosities unfolded bringing smiles...

and a 10 pound test of strength!

Winking for the camera.

Cousins and siblings.

She needed help with those 18 candles!

The evening lit by a warm fire surrounded by family and friends.

Happy 18th Birthday, Kiahra!

The best memories are created surrounded by the ones we love!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Milestone

"A whole new world" sang Aladdin and Jasmine as they soared on the magic carpet.

A whole new world awaits a teenage boy behind the wheel of an ol' yellow jeep.

A whole new world unfolds as he drives away~leaving me, his chauffeur, standing at the end of the driveway.

Another license to drive brings the total to five drivers in our household.

The insurance company loves us!

I, on the other hand, am not nearly as excited about my new premiums.

But I am excited for our son.

His enthusiasm is irresistible.

And I just hope he is careful,

but I suspect that will forever be my prayer.

Happy trails!

Monday, May 2, 2016

Once upon a time long ago, a little girl loved princesses. Her favorite was Princess Aurora in her beautiful pink ball gown. The little girl would play with her princess dolls for hours, and even entice her brother and sister to play with her. With creativity, she would create elaborate princess costumes for herself, her sisters, and even for our queen, Portia.

As the little girl grew older she read historical stories about princesses, recounting the historical details with surprising accuracy.

She still loves things that sparkle with style. She loves her manicures. She loves good mascara.

We affectionately refer to her as "our" princess.

So when our princess needed another dress for Prom II, we went shopping again.

After browsing the endless dress selection online, we headed out early on a Saturday morning to the formal store. Our early arrival allowed her to browse the options, and soon she was in the dressing room with an arm load of options. As she took the stage in each dress, the ball gowns quickly became favorites. And I smiled because I remember that little girl enamored with ball gowns and princesses.

Stunning ball gown.