We Have a Driver!

 Kayla passed her driving test this week. Driver's test covid style is much different.  I had to stay in the car with her, but I couldn't talk.  She basically had to back up straight for 30 feet, do a U-turn, parallel park, and back into a parking space.  That was it. She was able to watch 2 other drivers before her, and she felt confident going in. She did great!

 

Brooke was watching from the pantry waiting for us to come home.

Then she moved to the dining room.

A couple of days later Marc and I had a date night with friends, so we let Kayla take the girls out to dinner and ice-cream.  We gave her exact instructions on how she was to get around.  We wanted her to avoid certain roads her first time out on her own.

 

There is no shortage of drama from these two.

We tracked the girls the whole time to make sure they got everywhere safely.  I'm sure the nerves will settle down one day. Maybe...

Kayla took her sisters to clogging the next week.  You can see that the drama is still there, and Marc and I still tracked her the whole way there and back home, but she is loving the freedom.  (And I'm loving the extra free time.)

April Adventures

 April has been keeping us busy.  Brooke participated in Battle of the Books again this year.

They did some clogging at a local festival.

An occasional nap was taken.

The fort was worked on a little more.

Creative places were found to work on school work.

School projects were completed.

The pool was officially opened.

And it was freezing cold!

Sweet 16 Birthday Party

 We had fun celebrating Kayla with her friends! She chose to do an escape room, and they managed to get out with a few minutes to spare!

We walked over to Tin Lizzy's for dinner.  Marc and I got a table a couple spots away, and we just let the girls do their thing.  It was a sweet time for Kayla.

The girls just chatted on the sidewalk while waiting for one of the girls to be picked up. The also did some racing and had fun goofing off.  It was a perfect night to celebrate our girl.

Sweet 16

The one who made me a mama is now sixteen.  That blows my mind, but I am so enjoying this young lady.  She is a blessing to me in so many ways. 

Macy thought it was pretty funny that she gave her a rock as part of her gift.  These two have quite the bond, and sometimes I just don't understand it. ha!

Of course Newk's was the lunch choice.  It's definitely her favorite casual restaurant.

She got her car a couple of months ago, but Marc and the girls had to decorate it up to celebrate her on her birthday.

And of course when you are 16 and have a new car you get car accessories as gifts.

Grilled chicken and fresh vegetables will always be her favorite home-cooked meal. 

We had a couple of gifts shipped to my mom's house because of timing on when they would arrive.  She thought this box was something we ordered, so she wrapped it and brought it.  No one seemed to have any idea what was inside, so it was a surprise to all of us.  Kayla opened it to find a luggage rack that Nini had bought for her brother. We all got a good laugh out of that one.

Kayla, 

You are truly a delight. You are smart, thoughtful, and have such a sweet spirit. Your sisters adore you, and while you can push their buttons with ease, I know you love them deeply.  You are fiercely loyal to those you love. You are always willing to help me out.  You often see a need and you just take care of it.  Dishes get removed from the table, leftovers get put away, and laundry on the couch magically gets folded. I cherish the time I have with you.

Love forever, 

Mama

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

Spring Break - Gainesville Part 4

 Our time in Clearwater was over, but we made a stop on the way home at La Segunda. This is a Cuban bakery that was established in 1915.  We saw someone walking out with a gigantic loaf, so we had to grab one for ourselves. It was super yummy.

We made a stop in Gainesville for the night to visit family.  We hadn't seen them since before covid, and we were excited that it worked out for us to stay for a night.

When Aunt Amanda found out it was Kayla's birthday the next day, she bought her a cake.  Kayla was so surprised!

Ruby didn't know what to think of all of the new faces that invaded her home.  She definitely wanted to stay close to her mom and dad, but she eventually warmed up quite a bit to Macy.  Macy has always had this special touch when it comes to little ones.

The girls enjoyed playing with their cousins, and Lily was so happy to have them to play with.

Before we left Chris and Amanda loaded us up with oranges, grapefruits, and kumkuats to take home with us. My mom was excited that we passed off almost all of the kumkuats to her.

We had such a lovely visit with them, and we hope we can make the trip back down again once things settle back down a little.