16 years old

                                                  

Britton is 16 years old!!  This milestone birthday is more than a driver's license (test is next week!) and a countdown to official adulthood - it's really hit me how I'm supposed to be making her a self-sufficient person while desperately wanting to hold on.  So, rather than wallow in my self-pity and cry over baby pictures, the hubs and I took Britton and her best friend Jody to Dallas to see My Chemical Romance!  But first, In N Out burgers.

Britton loves live music, and teen me and teen Britton have an amazing amount of overlap in what music we like.  So when we found out that My Chemical Romance were touring and coming to Dallas (but not Houston, boooo) on Britton's birthday, Britton decided her birthday plans had to include a road trip and concert!  We did have a little get-together with her friends and Memaw and PawPaw before we left, to have cake and presents.  

Likes:  her new car!

Dislikes:  waiting until 2 days before school starts to do her driver's test - hope she can still get a parking pass!

barrett: 146 months old

Barrett has been having a great summer!  He went to "Sharks and More Camp" at Sea Camp at A&M Galveston in June, and had a fantastic time.  This was his second time going to that camp, and the first time he went without Britton.  We went down for his celebration ceremony, closing out the week of camp, and got to take him home that night.  

He's also still doing his conditioning camp every day for two hours, and really enjoys lifting weights. He does not like the box jumps, but then again, I never have either, so he comes by it honestly.  Afternoons are spent riding bikes with friends around the neighborhood, playing in the pool, or relaxing his his iPad.  He's currently reading "Salt to the Sea," and historical fiction book about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945.  He was telling me about a shipwreck he had found online, and when he mentioned the ship's name it sounded awfully familiar - because I had read "Salt to the Sea" a few months ago!

Likes:  Chama Guacha (steakhouse)

Dislikes:  when Poppy bites his hair, and when he has to clean up Poppy's pee accidents indoors

191 months old

One month until Britton turns sixteen!  I can't believe how fast these years have flown by, even when the days felt like they would never end.  In anticipation of Britton's birthday, the hubs got to investigating what deals he could get on a car, and we got the Subaru Crosstrek that Britton really wanted.  If she gets a parking pass, she will be able to drive to school and stop having to haul all of her softball gear on the bus - win!  

Likes:  her new car!

Dislikes: being hot and sweaty - which this summer is turning out to be - and humid!

 

barrett: 145 months old

Barrett has been a super helper when it comes to the new puppy Poppy!  He gets on the floor with her, lets her chew on him and climb all over him, and will rub her belly as much as she wants (which is a lot).  He's getting her used to walks and her harness too.  He really was made to have a dog in his life, and he's taken to Poppy so easily.

Barrett is also doing conditioning camp this summer for football!  He goes 4 days per week for weight training and football drills, and will be ready once the new school year starts up and football tryouts are scheduled.  He's enjoying the weight training more than he thought he would.  He'll miss next week because he's headed to Sea Camp!

Likes:  Poppy, conditioning camp

Dislikes:  grape-flavored things 

190 months old

Despite Britton's need to wear hoodies every day, we are officially in summer! School is out, but not completely - she's taking a health class online, so she doesn't have to waste a semester in the next school year taking the class.  And it seems like her Italy trip with school was so far away when we signed her up - she's now about a month out from leaving!  It'll be a fantastic time for her to go, though very crowded with Jubilee, but they've got tickets to all the amazing sights.  I've never been to Italy, so I want a very thorough review when she gets home!

We are also taking advantage of the slower summer schedules with campus visits!  We are checking out University of Texas and Texas State University this week, and then at the end of June it's Arkansas and University of Oklahoma.  I'm a firm believer in the campus tour - you'll know what feels right when you step on campus (and which schools you want to take off of the list!).  And, at some point but probably not this summer, we'll go to Virginia Tech too!

Likes:  dyeing her hair (she's currently doing purple)

Dislikes:  that OU lost in softball and is out of the college world series

 

barrett: 12 years old!

Barrett turned 12!  He's now officially in his last year of the "pre-teens" and growing like a weed. Barrett had a video game truck birthday party last year, so this year I asked him if he wanted to do Popstrokes, or bowling, or a pool party, or something new and totally different.  His answer - nope, he wanted the video game truck again!  So we made that happen, and he and his friends had a blast.  

                                          

On his actual birthday, which fell in the middle of the week, Memaw and PawPaw joined us for a birthday dinner at Barrett's choice, our favorite Italian restaurant.  Then we came home for some cake - Barrett picked a Nothing Bundt Cakes lemon cake for his real birthday cake!  For his party, we went with our family favorite HEB vanilla.

Likes:  playing football (in real life and in Madden), playing basketball with me at the playground, science class and art class, plane spotting with the hubs

Dislikes:  having to wait out the next two weeks to get to summer vacation

189 months old

It's May!  Britton is ecstatic because May means the end of school, but also is dreading final exams, including her first ever AP exam for World History.  Soon enough, in a few short weeks, she will be halfway through high school, and while I plan out her college visits this summer, I'll cry into her baby blankets and refuse to believe that my firstborn will soon be driving.  It's all too fast!  But enough about my mental breakdown.  

Britton had her softball banquet, marking the official end of this softball season!  The head coach is retiring (he's the best, we will miss him!) so Britton is gearing up for a new coaching staff in the fall.  Her team also has the option to play summer ball with the local rec league, but so far she's been unable to drum up enough interest to get a full team.  We're celebrating her team's hard work with an end-of-season pool party at Chez Britton!

Likes:  coming up with designs for her fake nails - very artistic!

Dislikes:  studying for finals