Sara’s Sweet Sixteen bash was a HUGE success. All of her friends, minus one- showed up and we had the best time eating, drinking & watching the fantastic “Sara Movie” that my good friend made for her. I will post that here as soon as I figure out just how to do that…
Until then, here are some great pics from the evening:
A girl has to do a bit of prepping for any big night. Sara was no exception. Mani, Pedi & hair!
This is one of my great friends, Ginger- the girl has crazy updo skills.
At the party and with her HUGE cake.
With Theresa, her best friend. They have been friends since first grade. Theresa cried during the Sara Movie, she loves Sara unconditionally and will blow off “the cool kids” just to spend some time with her. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she is just as beautiful on the inside. We love this girl!
Sara and Chris. They were so cute together! He kept wishing her a Happy Birthday and touching her nose. Awwww.
This is one 1/2 of the party table, it looped around to the other side of the room and had an extra table too. We were packed in, but had so much fun!
This is my good friend Jennifer, she was Sara’s first ever babysitter while she was still in college. She now has two beautiful boys of her own. Sara was also the flower girl in her wedding.
Sara and her friends from school. She is a lucky girl!
Sara and her partners in Special Olympics swimming. Combined these girls brought home 6 medals last year in State.
Mr.Hoppers and the boys. Scary face!!
Me and my growing up too fast son.
Looking around last night I realized how many lives Sara has affected, not to mention how profoundly she has changed my own. I credit her as being my life compass- without her I know I would not have become the person I am now…she has helped to make me someone that I can be proud of. She is an amazing kid with a great way about her….
and you know she is totally wondering what we are going to be doing next year to celebrate 17!
Sara’s official Sweet Sixteen birthday bash is this weekend, nothing outrageous…just 50 or so of her closest friends at her favourite Mexican food restaurant. Oh, and a super-sized cake compliments of Nana….
Out of any of the people invited there is only one certain someone she is looking forward to seeing there. Introducing….the boyfriend.
Sara showed this picture to my Dad who told her he was “handsome”, to which she replied, “No Papa, he’s HOT!”. G-d help us.
Up Next: Countdown to Prom 2008.
Houston, we have a dress.
Powder pink…she passed up all the brightly coloured dresses. It’s strapless, but we had small straps added to it- and has an empire waist with a small rhinestone accent. On you or I it would be cocktail length, but on her it’s almost to the floor. At 4′8 everything is long. Shoes? At a size 2- flower girl slippers, because she can’t walk in heels.
This was a tough shopping trip for a lot of reasons. The size 2 shoes being the least of them…
I am in the process of gearing up to take Sara “Prom Shopping” on Wednesday. I know styles have changed- if memory serves I wore a giant pink Tara number that involved a hoop skirt and lace gloves. The only thing missing was a staff and some sheep.
Can anyone tell me what the in colours or dress length is for formals nowadays?
Baa.
Guess who just got invited to the prom?
Go ahead guess…
Last Thursday was my final day of elementary student teaching. I knew the kids and my cooperating teacher had planned “something”, but I was in no way prepared for all of this:
A banner hanging in our hallway that all of the kids signed. 7:30 am and I was already teary-eyed.
Cake from one of the BEST bakeries in Houston. I just love me some cake!
My kids.
My kids standing up one by one to read from the book they wrote me titled, “Got Advice?”. The top three on the advice list? Smile, use my Brittish accent at ALL times, and get to know my students. (forget teary-eyed, by this point I was flat out crying)
Mom and I celebrated by going to Galveston to see an amazing dance troup perform tap and then we went to one of my favourite restaurants for dinner.
As of yesterday at 10:01 am, my certification with the state is complete.
As of today at 3:45 pm, my student teaching in elementary is complete.
As of tonight at 9:00 pm, when I go to bed I will finally feel……complete.
WOOT!!
This is my last week of student teaching-only four more days to go. I have been counting this down since January, but now that it’s here I’m a little sad. I’m really going to miss my kids. My last day is Thursday and the kids wouldn’t let me schedule anything for that day because they have already planned “something”. I’m sure that something will involve me crying and lots of kleenex. What’s really funny is the kids have no idea that I will be back on Friday as their sub since my cooperating teacher will be going out of town that weekend. I’ll probably need more kleenex for Friday.
I went to a job fair in another district and was interviewed by two schools, one for fourth grade reading/writing, and one for seventh grade reading only. Both Principals were great and very communicative, and best of all they seemed really impressed with me and the way I teach. For those of you who are teachers I am really big into Reader’s & Writer’s workshops by Lucy Calkins and Literature Circles. Those are what I have been studying since last year. The children have ownership of their learning, I have near to no discipline issues in class, and we had a 99% TAKS passing rate for our entire 5th grade. Amazing stuff.
The two schools I interviewed with in my district went with other more experienced teachers, which I totally understand. I have lots of teaching experience, but at the high school level- and elementary is a whole different ball game.
Mom and Dad are taking my team, Principal, Assistant Principal and the school secretary out for dinner at the yacht club next Saturday night to celebrate. My Mom had said nothing to me about doing anything for my certification until Dr.Sister told her that she HAD to do something. So I feel a little funny about inviting anyone since it feels forced. This is not the drama I wanted to write about earlier. That one is much bigger. My dad is not going to be at Sara’s Sweet Sixteen party in May, it seems that he is going to go to the graduation of a girl who is the daughter of a business associate of his. Seriously, he is choosing a stranger’s daughter over HIS OWN GRANDDAUGHTER. Seriously. The really sad thing is that he thinks that Sara doesn’t know and won’t really notice. He couldn’t be more mistaken, she does notice and she does care. This is all on top of not going on our vacation to Florida last month. The man in the pictures is actually my Dr.Sister’s father in law- not my dad. Dad chose to go to the middle east, conveniently enough during our one and only family vacation a year. As you can tell he is really a family guy at heart. I am so disgusted with him, but he’s 80 and I don’t ever want to feel as if we ended things badly. So instead of telling him how I feel I just swallow it and keep it inside. Dr. Sister’s father in law was just diagnosed with colon and liver cancer this past week, and it does not look good. Their relationship has been strained from the beginning, and I have a feeling that Dr. Sister is feeling badly about that. I don’t want to not tell him that he is hurting both her and I, but I don’t want to guilt him into going either. Family is just “not his thing”.
I’m so glad it’s mine.
At first it was just the two of us, and I promised that I would always give you what you needed.
Lots of “experts” said you never would, but we didn’t listen did we?
I taught you to be independent- to stand on your own two feet.
And when you were confused or unsure…
I was always there behind you…
Supporting and encouraging you in everything you did.
I taught you that birthdays were something to make a big deal over…
Now sixteen years later all those birthdays changed you from the little “Boo” I knew as this:
Into the most special and amazing 16 year old a mom could ever want!
Happy Sweet Sixteen Sara!
Love,
Mom
