turning 16

My oldest is now of date-able age.  It's a weird feeling.  She's of drive-able age too... but we're not doing that yet.  Mostly because I can't afford (no. really. can't afford.) to insure a teen aged driver, but also because up until just a few weeks ago she was anti-driving, I don't have a car for her to drive and there really are fewer hoops to jump through if you wait until your 17 to get a license (and you're cheaper to insure too!!).  But in that her birthday was literally the last day of school, it may be a while before her first date.  (It also seems like high school kids don't "date" as much any more.  You know, the invite someone to go do something, group date kind of things.  All there seem to be are these big dances that have turned into extravagant all-day monstrosities.  And that means if your funds are limited you just don't date.  Strange.)  I'm afraid her birthday may just have gone under the radar for most of the boys **.   It doesn't help that I made the rule (way ahead of time, like beginning of the term) that she couldn't have a birthday party (like even plan and invite people) until she was passing all her classes.  And unfortunately that day didn't arrive until the day before school ended.  So I quickly helped her plan something (her 16th birthday couldn't slip past completely un-"celebrated") and reinstated her fb account so she could contact a bunch of friends quickly.  There were several friends not on fb, so she was instructed to invited them at school the next day.  Specifically "How Was It" - her mutual crush boy (yes, we given him a nickname, so we can safely discuss him in the presence of others.... several of her other friends have nicknames, mostly for the convenience of her mother, who has trouble remembering names otherwise).  But despite several conversations with him throughout the day, she forgot to mention the party ... until he'd walked out the room to go home and she couldn't catch him.  Tragedy!  No really.  This boy really likes her and what will happen to his poor male ego (and heart) when he hears she had a party and didn't invite him.  He'll be certain she doesn't like him at all and never get up the courage to ask her out.  And we want this boy to ask her out.  Trust me.  And of course, she doesn't have have his number to just call him because they've never gone out.  So I did the mommy thing and intervened.  I did some looking online (read cyber-stalking).  Figured out who his dad is and found him on fb (couldn't call dad, since he's an ob and I felt it might not be good to call his cell) and made her send him a message explaining the situation.  "How Was It" didn't come to the party and we never heard from dad... but at least she can honestly tell him she tried and hopefully that will make things ok.

Here she is opening presents in the morning.  Her "real" present is the "real" haircut I got her earlier in the month, but she also got a coloring book and a necklace (I'm not posting those pictures, since her sister, clothed only in panties and her blanket, is sitting right next to her in those).

And I couldn't take pictures during her party.  That'd be too embarrassing.  But here she is getting things ready.

And here's a peek at the yard.  We strung up some lanterns and built a fire and the kids could roast hot dogs and marshmallows and put lights on the dividers by the studio.

She has about a dozen kids come... even three boys.  I'm sure it wasn't her dream "sweet sixteen" party.  Definitely not the kind of party I read about on one friend's blog - with the church decorated, inviting practically everyone, games, treats, the works.  Hopefully she'll get over it eventually.  We could have done a little more... with a little more time, but grades had to come first.  And most importantly, she passed all her 4th term classes in the end and only has to make up two F's from 3rd term in summer school this summer.

And here she is, giving me teen-aged attitude about her birthday brownies... we waited to do "cake" until the next morning, so dad could be with us.

** The exception to the "under the radar" problem was definitely How Was It.  Turns out he'd programmed her birthday into his calendar, so his computer reminded him that morning - and he told her about it.