As Sweet As It Gets...

Where did the saying, "Sweet Sixteen" come from? In all honesty most sixteen year old's are not very "sweet"! It's right about 16 that they are feeling very independent and fully confident that the world revolves around them and their wants.  Then there is the youngest in our family...celebrating Savannah's Sweet Sixteen this month was simply that...so very sweet!!!

She wanted to celebrate with just her close friends and water-polo teammates which ended up being a crowd of about 35 who came to our house for minute-to-win-it games and capture the flag with glow stocks in the dark. The rain did not deter anyone from having a great time together inside or later outside while roasting marshmallows and eating smores.

As the party starting winding down, everyone gathered around our dining room table which was the perfect setting for our family tradition of spotlighting the birthday person and all their great qualities. It was really very magical to watch all of Savannah's close friends circle around her to share their feelings and experiences of how she has impacted each of their lives. Everyone's hearts were open, a few tears were shed and the love shown to Savannah was more valuable than any gift that was unwrapped that evening.

Savannah's personality is very unique as a sixteen year old. She seems to see the big picture of life so clearly and the confidence she has in herself exudes and spills over into the lives of everyone around her. Each of her friends were able to testify of that and as her mother, not a day goes by that I don't also see the positive effect Savannah has on her family, friends and the people she reaches out to every day of her life. Happy Sweet Sixteen Savannah... you're about as sweet as it gets!