TODAY marks the day that this little sparkle of a girl turns into a beautiful sixteen-year-old.
Oh! Has she ever been waiting for this day!!
When both Max and Elle turned 16 we had surprise birthday parties for them.
(Max’s is back
HERE, and Elle’s is back
HERE.) I mean, sixteen is a big one I tell you, and it needs to be celebrated!
I’ve always been excited for Grace’s because she’s a party girl. I figured she would LOVE it.
But a few days before we were set to throw that surprise party (in the midst of all our surgeries and anesthesia last week because that’s the only time we could do it), she told me that she did NOT want a surprise party.
Luckily her friends and I knew better and we went ahead and planned it anyway:) She was SO surprised, and also so happy.
Which made it pretty fun I have to say.
I personally cannot believe Lucy didn’t spill the beans to be honest, she was so dang excited for that thing to come around!
We did it almost a week in advance to catch her off guard, and her friend had her go with her to visit another friend at work so we could speedy quick grab everything and set this all up. No small feat especially since her friend accidentally backed into our truck on the way out (luckily only minimal damage), and all these kids started gathering.
What did we do without social media back in the day when someone wanted to throw a surprise party??
She came in wondering why there were all these streamers…somehow in her mind had the idea we were throwing a party for one of her friends (??). But she was so excited. Here’s a part of the crew I could gather for a pic:
They swam:
…and had crepes with specially marked toppings created by Lucy and her friend:
Grace was part amused and part horrified that I got a piñata to help celebrate:
But come on, that’s her birthday tradition and we haven’t done it the last few years.
The kids were excited, especially Lu and Claire and their friends who are like bees to honey when any party hoopla is going on. That thing broke on the second whack….
I think next year we better go back to our own home-made piñatas 🙂
So we are already pretty celebrated for the big day, but we have some other pretty fun things in store today that I’ll get to some time soon.
Until then, here are my sixteen things I adore about this newest 16-year-old of mine:
1) She loves beauty. She seeks it. In the sky, in pictures, in her heart, in her spirit.
2) She is the best sister. She makes everything fun for those sisters of hers with her spunk and sparkle. She will take Claire out just to sit in the car and listen to music together. She will give Lucy the kindest compliments even when Lucy only gets huffy in return. She writes long letters to Max and doesn’t get [too] mad when he responds in one word. She reaches out to tell Elle everything on her mind, and they all love her.
3) She is a chef. Not only can she bake, but she takes good recipes to heart and is willing to whip them up for me any time I ask. Her bruschetta and smoothies are exceptional and she’s my favorite person to hang with in the kitchen.
4) She is smart.
5) She knows how to set a goal and achieve it.
6) Her smile. It is a perfect one complimented so beautifully by her dimples.
7) She is good. She knows right from wrong and isn’t afraid to stand up for it.
8) Not only is she my daughter who I love, but she is my friend who I trust. I love that we talk about so much, she will tell me so much. The things she’s worried about as well as the things she is joyous about, from the nitty-gritty worries to boys she thinks are good-looking.
9) She makes things fun. She’s always got the music turned up and gets the good times rolling with a sparkle in her eye.
10) Her hair. Speaks for itself and I wish I had it.
11) She is a good driver. No, no license yet (we were out of town on that 15.5 mark when she could get it and so she was a week late, which means she can’t get her real license exactly on her birthday, dang it!), but she’s not afraid to use that learner’s permit I tell you, and practice makes all the difference. The first day she got that permit she wanted to be the one to drive to the airport to pick up her cousin who was coming to town. That’s three different freeways away and she did it like a champ. And she hasn’t stopped ever since. Oh how happy I will be to get another driver around here!
12) She gives the best back rubs.
13) She is good at making decisions. She has made a pretty momentous one this summer. She has chosen to do an internship in China for five weeks starting TOMORROW. This has not been an easy decision. There is so much she is going to miss around here. I will talk about this more asap, but for now we can’t celebrate her birthday here on the blog without acknowledging that she made a pretty tough decision that she knows is going to be pretty amazing yet tough, and she’s stepping off into quite an adventure.
14) Goes without saying after reading number 12, but she’s always up for a good adventure! And I adore that about her because our spirits match up pretty well that way 🙂
15) She has a connection with Heaven. She feels it. And she relies on it. I saw that connection in action this summer as she made those tough decisions, and I have loved to watch it strengthen to get to this point over the years. I don’t think there’s a better skill in the whole wide world than to connect your heart with Heaven, and she is pretty darn great at it.
16) She loves God and tries her best to shine His light.
Love you forever Grace Jam!
Happy 16th birthday!
Happy Birthday, Grace!!! Hope you have the very best (though hard) time in China!
Her beauty and strength is priceless, she radiates goodness.
She's brave and so are you at her driving. Here in Canada you can get your learners at 14.. 14…that's crazy young, in England we had to be 17.
So as my daughter approaches 14 I'm having a nervous breakdown.
I would love to hear if you have any rules for them as drivers. Like do they have to pay for their own gas, insurance, so they have their own cars? What happens if they get into an accident etc
They pay for their own gas but we pay for insurance until they leave home. They borrow our cars. Max and Elle both got into accidents and had to pay their portion to fix the cars…tough lessons learned and so glad no one was hurt!
Oh yes glad that no one was hurt. And a huge learning experience too.
Grace is so Brave lol..
On my mission ( london) I drove everywhere and I'm from a huge city so I grew up with traffic. However, I've lived in a rural area for years and I'm driving to salt lake next month. . I'm already palm sweating of the traffic lol…where is my 21yr old no fear self lol
Oh yes glad that no one was hurt. And a huge learning experience too.
Grace is so Brave lol..
On my mission ( london) I drove everywhere and I'm from a huge city so I grew up with traffic. However, I've lived in a rural area for years and I'm driving to salt lake next month. . I'm already palm sweating of the traffic lol…where is my 21yr old no fear self lol
Her beauty and strength is priceless, she radiates goodness.
She's brave and so are you at her driving. Here in Canada you can get your learners at 14.. 14…that's crazy young, in England we had to be 17.
So as my daughter approaches 14 I'm having a nervous breakdown.
I would love to hear if you have any rules for them as drivers. Like do they have to pay for their own gas, insurance, so they have their own cars? What happens if they get into an accident etc
HAPPY birthday Grace!! Now we need those bruschetta and smoothie recipes!!😊
She is beautiful! Happy Sweet 16!
Happy 16th Birthday to Grace. Hope she's having a brill day.
Also, hope she has a great time in China.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about that.
That girl is dazzling, astonishing, extraordinary and so fun to be around. She is headed for great things! Love you Grace!