Prom 2016

It was a whirlwind morning with Allison's National Cup starting in Norco.  Nene came over around 11 to do Taylor's hair and makeup.  I was home in time to pick up some smoothies for them and get Andrew's boutonniere.  

Andrew came to the door to pick her up and they had the cutest reaction to seeing each other!  Last year was pretty awkward, as it was really their first date, but this year they were so comfortable and adorable!

We followed them out to Falkner Winery for pictures with the group.  She is almost as tall as her daddy in those heals!

Taylor struggled with the boutonniere last year so she was determined to get it right this time.  Strike two!  The rose snapped off and fell on the ground before she even got it pinned!  Luckily, Andrew's dad was able to perform minor surgery on it to at least make it through pictures.  His parents took it home with them so he would at least have the keepsake.

Taylor's corsage was beautiful too and survived the whole night!

 We met up with Andrew's parents and found several spots on the property for picture opportunities.  It was pretty windy, but it worked out just fine.

 They were so cute and playful and were really excited for a fun night!

 Taylor and Andrew helped Nathan pull off his "PromPosal" to Lexi so it was fun that they got to spend the evening with them.

 Carter, Andrew, Cody and Nathan

We found Taylor's dress on our college road trip up to Santa Clara and she sure wore it well.  She looked so elegant and beautiful!

Taylor and Andrew didn't know everyone in their group, but it was a nice group of kids.  The girls all looked stunning!

 Matt and I had a nice time visiting with Andrew's parents and loved seeing Taylor so happy.

We gave them one final lecture for a fun and safe night, as they headed to dinner at La Cocina and the dance at the Wild Animal Park…Arabian Nights theme.

Taylor texted me from dinner saying she was in tears over Allison's very sweet Snapchat post.  She took this cute picture of Taylor and Andrew and said "Want to be like her one day".   I'll admit I choked up too and love the relationship these two are forming as they get to spend one year of high school together.  Sure made me feel blessed and made Taylor feel extra special!

The whole group arriving at the Wild Animal Park.

I didn't get to see much from the dance yet, but Taylor texted me this picture of Andrew on the carousel.  It has extra fun meaning because his nickname at our house is "the panda".  Too funny!  After the dance, they spent some time at the Rose Garden before Andrew brought her home.  They came inside and shared some of their favorite memories of the night.  They shed some tears, laughed a lot and had a very memorable night!

Allison's 14th

Allison celebrated her 14th birthday with a great group of girls today!

She is lucky to have such sweet, respectful and fun friends around her.

 They relaxed and chatted it up in the hot tub

 while Matt grilled burgers and hot dogs for them to eat by the pool.

Once the sun went down, they came inside to change into comfy clothes and watch Daddy's Home.  

 I made them a candy bar and a bucket of popcorn to enjoy during the movie.

 Then it was on to a competitive game of Apples to Apples.  Allison was teamed with Emma and Kolby.

 Maddie, Lila, Maile and Sophie

 Emily and Carson

 Turbo, Zoey and Reanna

Isobel, Bella and Hallie 

 They were all super creative and generous with their gifts.  

Allison had a huge smile all night!  I loved seeing her so happy and I'm glad she had this fun night with her friends!!  Happy early birthday!

Donut Bar by the Bay/SDSU

We have been craving Donut Bar for months after seeing their daily posts on Instagram.  Since we were heading down to show Lauren, Morgen and Bailey around SDSU, we decided to pre-order online and enjoy breakfast on the bay before the tour.  I loved watching all of the girls get the perfect pic for Snapchat!

This was Taylor's!  Donuts and the Coronado Bridge…not a bad morning.

 Still can't believe all of these girls will start college applications in a few short months!

 It was a warm day at SDSU but we covered a lot of ground.  We saw the athletic complexes, the library, bookstore, Student Union, dorm and dining halls.  I'm not sure it is at the top of any of their lists, but it gave them a good idea of what a big campus is like.

NO MORE BRACES!

After 18 months of braces, this sweet girl has a beautiful smile to show off!  She sounds a little funny getting used to talking with her retainers, but the payoff is well worth it.  So pretty Allison!!

CASL

Taylor spent the weekend at CASL (California Association of Student Leaders) with several of her WSB classmates and friends.  It was held at Ontario Convention Center and students from all over the state were in attendance.  They shared creative leadership ideas from different schools and Taylor came home inspired by many of them. I think she has even adopted one as her own and hopes to implement it at Great Oak next year!  

"PromPosal"

 Andrew pulled off another great surprise with this year's PromPosal.  Taylor was at his house hanging out until we were meeting up for dinner.  It was kind of a rainy afternoon, but he was pretty pushy asking her to hike up to viewpoint.  With lots of hesitation, he was able to convince her to go.

Once at the top, his friend Carter had put out a blanket with flowers and this cute poster board.  He was also hiding in the bushes to take pictures :)

I can't believe it has already been a year since he asked her to Prom at Starbucks, but they are excited for this year's event.  Gone are the jitters and awkwardness of the first date.  They have their party bus and tickets paid for and Taylor loves the dress she found.  April 30th will be here quick!

IFLY

Matt cashed in his birthday present this morning with an indoor skydiving adventure in San Diego with the girls.  Looking good in their flight gear!

They got a short training with an instructor and then each got 2 1-minutes sessions inside the tube.  They said it was way more powerful than it looked, but super fun!

They were each able to find the right position to "take flight"and even posed a few times for me!

Matt can cross another item off of his bucket list!

After iFly, we went down to Banker's Hill for breakfast and Hash House A Go Go.  This is rated one of the best breakfast spots in SD and it was super crowded and delicious.  The portions are huge and everything was perfect!