Sweet 16 for a sweet Rachel....

 

Turning 16 is a pretty big deal in a girl's life....A milestone that deserves to be celebrated in a big (pink ) way.  Rachel turned 16 yesterday so we marked the occasion in grand style.  Well, as grand as you can when you do mostly the exact same thing you do every year for a birthday. 

We started the day with a country breakfast of eggs, bacon and biscuits.  Anyone who knows Rachel knows that she has takin' a likin' to country music and all things country, so the country biscuit breakfast was only the first in a series of country things we did throughout the day.  We usually open presents at breakfast but Rachel decided she wanted to make us wait and do it at dinner.  She did agree to open a couple of gifts though.  I managed to find a necklace that was made from local New Mexico copper and was really cute....she loved it.  She also opened a new George Straight and Alan Jackson CD.  Much to Hannah's dismay (not so much a lover of country music) Rachel played the CD's pretty much throughout the whole day.  Lunch was a trip to St Clair's with Dad for a pot roast panini.  After lunch Matt took her driving so she could continue to work her way towards a driver's licence sometime before she turns 30.  There never seems to be enough time to get the practice in so Matt took advantage of the relaxed day to get her driving. During the day Kelly and Sydney stopped by with a birthday gift for Rachel.  Rachel was thrilled with some riding boots that Sydney was passing on to Rachel....they fit perfectly. The birthday dinner was the same ole' chicken and dumplings that she has always had which luckily fit with our country day motif. Cranberry jello salad was also enjoyed by all.  Her cake this year was chocolate with Peanut Butter frosting and was as yummy as usual.  After dinner she opened the rest of her presents and we watched Monsters University.  When asked about her day Rachel was quoted as saying "this is the best birthday I have ever had!" I would call that a success.

As I said, turning16 is a big deal in a girl's life.....It was a bittersweet day for both Matt and me to see Rachel looking and acting so grown up.    Does she really have to learn to drive, start wearing makeup, and want to spend all of her time on the phone?  I have said it before but change is hard for me. I spend a lot of time trying to slow down the growing up process.  I have always wanted the girls to take things slow and enjoy each stage...not rush in to things just because every one else was doing it. I think that approach allows them to figure out who they are for themselves without peers or media telling them who they should be.  I surprised myself this year though....I took a cue from Rachel and learned to embrace the change a little.  Sitting back and watching her grow up will be hard in some ways but it also gives me such a feeling of pride and excitement and on the occasion of her 16th birthday I find myself actually ready to embrace the change and let go. Rachel makes it easy for me to do that... I am so proud of her and all that she is capable of...I am so proud of how self assured she is....I love that she has a very sarcastic and irreverent sense of humor....I am excited to sit back and watch her figure things out for herself and can't wait to see all the exciting things that are going to happen in her life. Happy Sweet 16 to my sweet Ray Ray.  I love you.

making the birthday banner

breakfast is served

a lesson in how to do the country 2 step

16 funny emails from Hannah

a birthday powerpoint from Emma

 

pink playing cards to beat my Dad at Solitaire

trying on new birthday outfit with Syd's boots