Homecoming 2022!

Sofia was super excited to go to Homecoming this year and planned to go with her crew of friends, but wanted to have a date, so she asked her good friend Carson and he said yes!  The Tuesday before Homecoming Sofia said she had something to tell me and that I wouldn't be happy about it.  She told me Carson's mom had made her a mum!  I've always thought the mum exchange that is a tradition in Texas is weird and have been vocal about it, apparently.  She was so super excited she'd have a mum and I agreed! So, the next day, which was my birthday, I headed to Hobby Lobby to figure out how to make a mum for Carson!  Thankfully, another mom was also looking for supplies and I asked her some questions and she was a fountain of knowledge!  She was actually there to make the mum for her daughter for NEXT year and had made at least 12 already for friends, etc.  She gave me all the information I needed, helped me pick out supplies and off I went to warm up my hot glue gun!   It ended up being very fun and did't take very long.  Plus, I think it turned out pretty cute.

Sofia really wanted to wear her mum to school on Friday, but the kids had an away tennis match on Thursday and weren't back until around 8:30pm, so Carson's mom Jody and I decided that we should just meet at the tennis court parking lot and the kids could exchange their mums then.  There wasn't really another option.  The kids got off the bus, collected their backpacks and met us by our cars.  They were obviously a little embarrassed because all of their tennis friends were watching!  They nervously exchanged their mums and actually posed for a few photos together before saying goodbye and heading home after a long day!

Sofia was super excited to wear her mum to school and looked so great as she headed out the door.  I was even lucky enough to get a few pictures of her!  She and her friends had no interest in going to the homecoming football game that night, so instead we hung out and got ready to host her friends the next night for dinner before homecoming.  I made a crockpot pulled pork recipe so the kids could have BBQ pulled pork sliders, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and fruit.  There were a few vegetarians, so the mac and cheese was for them.  

The girls and I spend Saturday looking for a homecoming dress for that night!  I wanted to start at a new shop I'd heard about called Niko Blu and then we could go into Southlake Town Square for other options.  However, we ended up finding a dress Sofia LOVED immediately!  The saleswoman helped us pick out a few options and she found the perfect dress immediately!  It was great!  From there, we headed to buy Sofia some nice shoes.  She picked out some great low heals that she could wear with other outfits.  Or I might even borrow them - they are so cute! 

Sofia's friends arrived around 5pm so they would have time to hang out, take pictures, eat and get to the homecoming dance at 7pm.  The dance was set for 7-9pm in the GHS gym and then Colin's mom offered to host the kids at their house until whenever we wanted to pick them up.  The kids had a fun time at our house, talking, joking and eating.  We also took a few group pictures and Jody and I were able to get a picture of Carson and Sofia together before the whole group showed up. Mikaela and I drove and dropped the kids off at high school and it was fun to watch all the other kids as they headed into the school all dressed up!

Sofia went to Colin's house until about 11:30pm, when I couldn't stay awake any longer and told her that I would be picking her up, but I would be in my pjs, so she would need to say her thank you and head out to the car by herself.  She said she'd had the best time, even if the music they played wasn't that great.  She said they played a lot of rap and music that no one could dance to.  Plus, it got really hot inside the gym, so the kids spend about half of the dance outside, where it was more comfortable and they could hear each other talk!  She had so much fun!  

My supplies for Carson's mum. 

The mum made for Carson.  So cute. 

Carson and Sofia exchange mums after their tennis match. 

So cute and they are going to have a great time together. 

Sweet girl is ready to wear her mum to school!

A close up of Sofia's mum!  

Sofia and Olivia ready for her friends to arrive. 

Olivia and me. 

Sofia and me. 

All dressed up and ready for some fun!

Carson and Sofia - so sweet!

Sofia and her friends!  Such a great group of kids.

Dinner!  Kids helping themselves to food.

Dinner together before the dance. 

Sofia and her friend Emily at the dance. 

At Colin's house after the dance.  Still having fun together. 

Sofia at 15 Years Old!

Sofia is now 15 years old and is growing up into a wonderful young woman! She is now 5' 71/2" and trying to get taller than I am.  She already wears all my clothes sizes and wears a size 10 shoe, a full size bigger than me.  Everyday she wears what we call her "uniform" which includes a t-shirt and a skort or longer tennis skirt.  She wears that every single day! She has terrific hair, which she now wears down most of the time. She likes when I flat-iron it, but she doesn't want me to straighten it very often.  She looks great wavy or straight!

She spent the weeks before her birthday doing on-line driving classes through Green Light Driving School, and took her permit test through them after a few classes.  She passed easily and now we just wait until her DMV appointment to turn in her completed test and she will be legal to drive with one of her parents in the car.  I can't believe it!  Thankfully, while spending a week at her Grandparent's farm earlier this summer, her Grandpa put her behind the wheel of his truck and told her to drive all over the farm.  He also set up cones for her to practice driving around and getting comfortable behind the wheel.  Before then, she wasn't terribly excited to get her permit, but now she can't wait to get started!  

We were planning on leaving for a week in the Bahamas on the 29th, so we had a low-key birthday planned for Sofia that included her favorite dinner - spaghetti casserole followed by her favorite cake - vanilla with vanilla ice cream.  Earlier that day, she and I went for a pedicure to relax and get ready for our trip to the Bahamas. The one thing that Sofia really wanted for her birthday was a dragon cake.  So, I used her red 3D printed dragon that she got in middle school as a cake topper and asked the bakers at Market Street to use their imagination to decorate the cake.  It turned out SUPER cute!

After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to Sofia, enjoyed her cake and then she opened up her presents.  The best part was Sofia's reaction to her birthday candles - they are like a mini-sparkler and were a lot!  My friend Sian, who has literally never been late with even one gift for the girls or me, sent a bunch of fun puzzles for the girls!  They will be fun to put together.  As a sort of joke, I bought Sofia a light-up ladybug that she used to have when she was little, but somehow lost or something. She was recently talking about how much she loved and missed that light-up ladybug, so I thought it would be a very cute gift.  Olivia got Sofia a pool inflatable shaped like a popsicle, that they could play with together.  CK probably got the best gift for Sofia in a pair of wireless earbuds, which made her super happy!

Sofia is by far the most naturally happy girl I think I've ever met.  I can pick her up after high school tennis practice where she's had particularly difficult time with coach and after being upset for a minute, she will then say "I actually had a great day today...." and will start with her first period and tell me all about each class and how much she enjoyed it.  She might get angry and upset at things, but she cools quickly and honestly has the best outlook on life. She definitely follows the beat of her own drum and has strong convictions about what is right and what is wrong.  She has also developed a strong group of friends that include Liam, Carson, Colin, Finley and a few others who she has lunch every day with.  She's a great kid, even if she doesn't love doing her chores. We can't wait to see what she choses to do in the coming years. 

A few of her favorite things include:

Favorite breakfast:  Egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a Hawaiian bun.  So delicious!

Favorite Lunch:  Last year, she ate a ham and cheese sandwich on baguette every single day of school and loved it.  It's still a favorite lunch, but she also loves sushi, ramen and just about anything Japanese

Favorite Dinner: Spaghetti Casserole

She wants to be: A microbiologist.  She has loved learning about viruses for the past few years. 

Favorite thing to do:  She loves to spend hours on her phone either texting or talking to her friends.  She also loves playing her video game on her phone called Genshin Impact.  She'll spend hours playing and sharing ideas on a server of other friends.  

Relaxing on her big day!

The dragon cake turned out GREAT!

Sofia's birthday fell on a Wednesday night, so I made these chocolate cupcakes to enjoy with our Meeting.  We sang her Happy Birthday and they were a big hit!

Sofia and her dragon cake. 

LOVE this picture!  Olivia had just lit the candle and it was a lot of sparkles and flames! 

The look on Sofia's face is how I feel at our oldest being 15 years old!

The gifts!

Sofia's favorite gift - wireless earbuds!

One of several puzzles Sian sent.  So fun!

Skipper loved the presents as much as Sofia!