Our first baby was due on the 4th of July.  She decided to make a grand entrance a few days early.  And when I say “grand” I mean she tried to pop out before making it to the hospital.  SCARY!  Brian was driving like a wild man and I was hanging on for dear life.  Many of you know that Brian is a wild driver, but on June 29, 2003, it was the worst I’ve ever experienced.  But, we made it!  Thank goodness! 

This past week as I prepared to celebrate her sweet 16, I have reflected on a lot of memories of Morgan.  Our baby girl would never sleep, made messes, had to be rocked constantly, but she was absolutely adored by every person she came into contact with.  Some things never change.

There are people you come into contact with in life that are just extraordinary and Morgan is one of those people for me.  She never ceases to amaze me with her positive attitude, her willingness to try new things, her hard work ethic, determination, and she’s just a bright, beautiful, and fun person.  I don’t know how I got so lucky.  I mean I might not have felt that way when she was crying, making messes and covering herself in diaper rash cream during her naptime, but I see it very clearly now.

She’s 16, driving, and bringing home a paycheck as a lifeguard and nanny.  WOW times have changed!

It’s summertime and I’m running around like a crazy lady getting my busy kids to their activities and all the while trying to pull off a beautiful party for her.  Morgan helped me so much! 16 looks great on this girl!We tried to surprise her when she woke up with the driveway COMPLETELY covered in chalk art made especially for her, a giant yard sign, and a lot of bling hanging from our tree!

I styled a sweet 16 party for our dear friend, Emily Kate, earlier in the year so I used the same inspiration and added in the greenery.  Sometimes It just takes one napkin or one roll of wrapping paper or a little succulent plant to inspire me.  When I asked Morgan’s opinion, she said, whatever you do always turns out cute so go ahead with your idea.  I love that she trusts my designs because sometimes I don’t even trust myself!

As I was working along I decided it was perfect for a teenage girl and I LOVED it so much!

As I looked around our home that was filled with so many friends and family celebrating this special occasion, my heart was so full.  I think we had about 63 people here!  Morgan is LOVED!

Everyone was so excited for this party!  Reece had her outfit, jewelry, and hair accessories laid out days in advance.  Drew was so disappointed that his baseball tournament games interfered and he would miss out on the great food.  Don’t worry, he made it and we fed him well!  Other than the Dearmore’s slacking off and heading home early – we had an absolute blast!  Just kidding – I had to include that because it’s been a hot topic of post-party discussion;)

I’m not sure what I did on my 16th birthday, but I’m so thrilled that I got to do this for Morgan and she deserves the world.  Can’t wait to see what life has in store for her.

And the worst part is taking this beautiful party down.  It’s soooo sad!  All that work just gets shoved in the basement – and trust me, it’s still sitting there and probably will be until school starts back up again!

If you would like to watch Morgan’s Sweet 16 Video, you can view it in dropbox here (may have to copy and paste into your browser)…

https://www.dropbox.com/s/00cportdduwmxaa/Morgan16Bday%20Video.mp4?dl=0

LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!