today is my birthday!

and i am now 18. an adult! eek. i can’t really believe it.

i’ve grown up a bit since this:

best dressed birthday party

^ Jenny, Sarrie, Olivia, Breanna, Elicia, Emily, Sharlena, and Melissa

^ this cake (sour cream chocolate chip, i think) was so delicious. and this picture is delicious too. i’m rather proud of it.

^ dancing in the night.  this looks kind of like a painting, doesn’t it? em and jen wove christmas lights all through their backyard.

…

birthday party:16

my 16th birthday party this weekend consisted of: watching olympic figure skating online, going to old downtown carrollton, making individual pizzas for dinner, getting frozen custard at shake’s, watching the scarlet pimpernel, sleeping, church, book sale, lunch, and cake & presents.

^ in the car on the way to old downtown carrollton

^ a corner in the labyrinth

^ vintage fabric

^ dancing in the gazebo

^ browsing the vintage dresses

^ vintage martini on the old downtown square

^ we made individual pizzas for dinner

^ and went to shake’s for frozen custard

^ all of us girls

^ me and jenny

^ all sharing the frozen custard

in between these photos we watched the scarlet pimpernel, slept, ate breakfast, and went to church.

^ blowing out the birthday candles

^ red velvet cake and vanilla ice cream

…

yellow rainboots

auntie steph gave these yellow rainboots to me for my birthday.  from target.

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afternoon tea

This afternoon Sharlena took Emily, Jenny, and I out for tea at the Into My Garden Tea Room in historic downtown Plano.  And, it was a surprise birthday party for me!  My very first surprise party.  [I'm turning 16 on Sunday.]

I wore this lovely big hat.

And Emily wore a hat as well.

So did Jenny.

And so did Sharlena.

We all had pomegranate raspberry green tea, which was delicious.  There was also a lovely assortment of scones, breads, cakes, and chocolate.

All this loveliness put us in a Pride & Prejudice mood, so we went to Sharlena’s house and watched it.

Thanks for taking us out, Sharlena!  I had a wonderful time.

…

partay

^ i’m loving how the balloons look, aren’t you?  this picture was rather hard to take… just because it was into the sun and i was afraid i was like burning out my sensor or something.

^ clara’s cake.  this is what results of cake decorating skills after 9 at night.  yes, 33 candles although she’s only 14.

we roasted hot dogs and had chili for dinner, and smores and cake and ice cream for dessert.

^ i’m not sure what she was reacting to… but it’s funny.

we all smell like smoke now.

…

alexa, moustaches, and birthdays

^ judah ate his corn with forks stuck in it.  so he wouldn’t burn his fingers.

^ judah’s fabulous idea: to draw a moustache and goatee on the bottom of his cup.  and take pictures of people through the cup.

^ beautiful sunset

^ alexa, the girl who’s staying with us.  she’s an intern at gfa for 6 weeks.

^ uncle kevin’s birthday

…

audra's birthday non-sleepover.

big blue eyes!!!!!!!!

mall scavenger hunt!

neeli

suzanne!

birthday girl!

chelise

haha…

everyone gave her underwear.

food and sharpies

sharpie tattoos

people signed my feet!

listening to cinderpickle.

3 amazing friends!

birthday girl!

"she's perfect in every way…"

Your mom called me, and was telling  me about you, how you were beautiful and perfect in every way.  I came to the hospital, and I thought, “Well, they forgot to tell me about her legs.”  But I thought it was really nice that they thought you were perfect even though you didn’t have any legs.  You had big beautiful brown eyes, and no legs.

Eventually your mom asks me to change your diaper, and I’m like, “Okay, how will this work.”  And I take off your diaper, and I say, “Holy cow!  She has legs!”  And your mom and dad look at me funny and say, “What do you mean?”  I told them how I thought you didn’t have any legs, because your legs were up by your ears, and I couldn’t tell that  you had legs.  Like a chicken.

I was telling your Auntie Charlotte that story, and she never really got it, why it would look like a baby had no legs.  But when Asher was born, she told me that she finally understood why one could think that.

This story is told from the perspective of my Auntie Steph talking to me.

I laughed so hard when Auntie Steph called for my birthday and told me this story.  It’s been more than 15 times that I’ve heard it, I think.  

christina & interskate

we celebrated christina’s sweet 16 at interskate.

i think these are mine and sarrie’s feet and legs.  they give you bright orange roller blades.  you could choose skates, but i didn’t.  i like blades better.  because i know how to skate in them.

all the little kids had these things so they wouldn’t fall down.  it was kinda cute. :)

melissa and breanna dragged christina out there.  she definitely wouldn’t have gone on her own.  everybody sang happy birthday to her.

this is before doing the hokey pokey.

opening presents

the bathrooms were SO tiny!  i could barely fit.  i wonder how fat people do it.

but there were 3 stalls in what would normally be one.

i thought it was funny how these people were dressed.

i took so many pictures of melissa.

playing a game.  no one we knew won, though.

my favorite action shot.  i’m gonna turn it in for photography class.

we all signed a shirt for christina.

during the blackout.  they had cool lights.

this was so cute, the daddy helping the daughter.

i just love this one.

i love her expression.

crazy fast people.

the birthday girl :D