Julie's Sweet 16

I have had so much fun celebrating Julie's birthday this week. She has been counting down days until her birthday practically since she got here, so I have been contemplating for awhile about how to make it super special.

Her birthday was on Tuesday. Monday evening I stopped by the school put balloons on her locker. Turns out it was the wrong locker, but I was only working with approximate directions from a friend (outright asking just seemed a little too obvious). Thankfully the friends I've been communicating with about her birthday were there to help out!

We encountered a few unwelcome surprises that day, but we got them all worked out and then I, unfortunately, had to go to class while Julie had a volleyball game. I was told that the entire gymnasium full of people sang happy birthday to her and that she served the winning point of the game. She was on cloud nine. I so wish I could have been there. She went home with some friends to celebrate her birthday some more with pizza and brownies. I popped in around 8:30, so I got to partake in a little bit of the fun. By the time we got home, she said it was too late and she had too much homework to open the presents, so we decided to wait until Wednesday.

Julie had so much fun opening the presents from her family and friends in Denmark. And her mom sent Jackson a gift too so he didn't just have to watch Julie have all of the unwrapping fun! Between the several things sent from Denmark, the things I got her (Mizzou shirt and Disney Princess SillyBand Bracelets), and the gifts from the party she ended up with a lot of really cool stuff!

Her party was last night.  There have been several parties lately and a few more are on the schedule, so we wanted to do something a little different than the typical cake and ice cream treats. So, we opted for waffles. And Mickey Mouse waffles at that (Julie loves Mickey and even has a dog named Mickey back home). The topping choices consisted of: syrup, chocolate syrup, peanut butter, mixed berries, strawberry jam, whipped cream, and chocolate chips. It was a big hit.

The stack of waffles!

 

Some of the kids got creative with their toppings!

We had about 20 high schoolers hanging out at our place and it was a lot of fun.

Julie had a great time. Isn't she just really pretty??

I shared her birthday surprise on facebook last night because I just couldn't keep it in any longer! But for those of you who haven't watched it yet-- you totally should!

This is Julie as she was watching the video, right at the point when her brother was on the video. She didn't take her eyes off the tv or stop smiling the entire time!

 

Being a host mom to a 16 year old is so much fun (albeit very, very busy), but lots and lots of fun!! I love this girl!