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!

Never too late!!!

I've gone back and forth debating whether to start posting on our Family Blog after being abandoned for over 18 months... and here I am...back at it because there are too many moments that pass without being recorded that unfortunately get lost and forgotten about if not captured in a paragraph or two. As our family grows and changes, I suppose this is more important than ever. If only for my own benefit to reflect back on life.

We were able to end 2016 and bring in the new year of 2017 all together which hasn't happened in 2 years. It felt so good to sit back and watch a house full of almost all adults interact. Some things never change...the youngest always seem to be the target of verbal and physical banter but the playing field has leveled a bit. Relationships are evolving as everyone lives, learning life lessons and maturing along the way. This is a pretty great phase of life to be living right now!

Devin's wisdom and wittiness continues to lighten the room while Trevor's ability to play, make fun and love all in the same sentence keeps everyone shaking their heads and laughing. Natalie surprises us all with her quick matter of fact responses in group texts and chats. She is so smart and quick in her thinking and rationalizing everything. Savannah is small but mighty in absolutely everything she does! She may be the youngest, the caboose, the tail end of this family, but she is making a name for herself and leaves her mark wherever she goes.

2016 was a year of growth for each of us in all aspects of life. I think Trevor might finally be slowing down in his growth spurt as he has reached 6'4. If it is possible for Gerald's heart to get any bigger, I would say it has doubled in size as he loves and serves the members in the Borrego Springs Branch as their High Counsel representative.  There is no doubt leaps and bounds of growth have occurred in Natalie's life while living on her own in Costa Mesa having just completed aesthetics school and will take her State Boards soon. Devin fears nothing as he tries everything that interests him and lives life to the fullest while going to school at BYU-Hawaii. Savannah leads and is paving a very clear path for many to follow as she stands up for who she is and includes everyone who wants to follow. I am learning to love in ways I never dreamed of as I watch our family live life, succeed, fail, learn, and get better. I grow and am inspired to be a better person everyday by my husband and children who grab life by the reigns and charge forward!