Jacklyn's Birthday

Saturday was Jacklyn's 12th birthday. Friday, the 21st, we threw her a surprise party and boy was she surprised! It was tricky, but I was able to get a hold of her friends without her knowing and no one blew the surprise. Jacklyn went home with her friends Ally and Karley after school. Meanwhile, Natalie, Maddy, Sterling, Alyssa, Nikki, Lula, Shelby, Lana, Christie, Andie, Jake and Reily (I know, long list, but this is my scrapbook/journal) all gathered at the house for the surprise. All the girls stood on the stairs in the entry while Reily and Andie readied themselves with confetti and poppers. Jacklyn's reaction as she walked into the house was great. She was so surprised and happy that she had to hug everyone individually after the group hug.

The girls painted ceramic picture holders, dressed up and took pictures together with disposable cameras. It was fun to see their crazy outfits and posses. After they finished painting, they sang karaoke in their fabulous outfits. Reily and Jake were great sports to sing the guys parts in any songs that had it. Jacklyn sang the song "Beautiful" by Christina Aguillera for all of her friends and it was beautiful!






















At the end of the night, the girls made their own ice cream sundaes and we had cake. The girls asked if it was okay to push Jacklyn's face in her cake....since they asked so nicely I couldn't refuse. The cake was yummy red velvet, which has become Jacklyn's favorite since moving to the south. The party was a huge success!


























Three of Jacklyn's friends spent the night. Ron made a big breakfast in the morning and then two of the girls went to Reily's lacrosse game with us. Later that night we went to a friend's wedding. The celebrating lasted for two days and Jacklyn deserved every minute of it! Jacklyn is growing up so fast. She is such a smart, beautiful, kind, generous, loving girl and I am so grateful to have her as my daughter. I love you Jacklyn!

First Day Of School

Okay, I first have to apologize for taking a LONG break from blogging. I have many excuses that would just bore you to read, so I'll give you only the biggest one....we've had to have our air conditioning repaired five times in the last six and a half weeks. I know Lisa will understand when I say that you cannot function without air conditioning in Texas during the summer! It's just too hot and humid here. So again, I apologize.

Now what's really important.... Reily started high school today and Jacklyn started middle school. Already! I opened an email from the school district titled "What will LISD look like in ten years?" After I read the first couple of sentences I realized that it didn't matter to me, both Reily and Jacklyn will have long graduated by then. From that thought came the next - only four more years with Reily before he will venture out into this crazy world mostly on his own. I'm nowhere near ready for that! And Jacklyn is going to be going to school dances...with boys! It doesn't help that she's in sixth grade, but looks like she's in eighth. Where has the time gone and was I really present for all of it because too much has happened too quickly for my brain to catch up. My mom always says she wishes she could put her grandchildren in a shrinking machine. I wish for that also, or to be able to have one more day with seven year old Reily or three year old Jacklyn and don't even get me started on both of them as babies. This transition has been hard on me, but I have a few more hours before they get home to get it together and just be happy for them.

There is good to this new beginning in our lives. Henry was a great middle school for Reily and will be just as good for Jacklyn. The campus is really nice and the teachers are wonderful. Jacklyn is in the choir program there and it is the best around. I've been told by many that Vista Ridge is a great high school. I went on a tour a couple of weeks ago and got lost, but it's really nice and there is so much opportunity there for Reily. I've said this many times.... the schools here are great. I am so grateful for that, even if I am sad today.

Jacklyn's Graduation

Last week, on June 5, 2008, Jacklyn had her graduation ceremony. It was a bitter- sweet experience for Ron and I as we were so happy for her accomplishment yet somewhat saddened by the reality of the moment...our baby is growing up! I did get a little emotional, but kept it under control. I didn't want to take away from Jacklyn's very happy milestone.

I was really impressed by the whole thing. The ceremony was really touching, each fifth grade teacher got up and spoke about their class before handing out the diplomas. Their words were all so loving and warm, you knew how much they really cared about these kids and what a great year they all had.

After the ceremony, there was a party for the graduates and their families. It was a great opportunity to take pictures and socialize. Both of Jacklyn's teachers told us how much they cared about Jacklyn and what a joy she was to have in class. We also talked with all of Jacklyn's friends and some of their parents which was fun to do.

When it was over, Ron and I took Jacklyn out to eat so we could have some alone time with her. It was neat to talk with her about her feelings and perspective. I think we all are in agreement that Rutledge Elementary School was a great place and experience for Jacklyn. Thank you "Ranchers"! Now it's on to middle school. Did I really just say that!?!

Jacklyn Sings!

Is it rude to brag about your child or to tell the world how incredibly proud you are of them? Maybe it's not quite rude, but probably annoying. Prepare yourselves to be annoyed!

I am so proud of my daughter! Jacklyn's been taking singing lesson for about a year and a half and last night was her first recital. She was FANTASTIC! There were seven kids who sang and one guitar solo. Jacklyn was so scared to get up on the stage and sing that I thought she was going to either cry or pass out. When it was her turn to sing she couldn't hide her fear from the audience so they gave her a very generous pre-performance applause. She started the song off a little shaky, but sang it beautifully! All the kids who sang were in high school except for Jacklyn and one other girl who are both eleven. So many people told us how great they thought she was which I appreciate because it will help give her the confidence to continue. To me, there's nothing more frightening than getting up if front of a crowd and singing by yourself and my daughter did just that! I've listened to her performance so many times. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Jacklyn singing "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones

Jacklyn's New Smile

I'm writing this post to let everyone know that Jacklyn got her permanent crown put on this afternoon. We've waited months for this to happen and today was the day! We've had three other appointments to do this and each time we've had to wait for her gums to heal more. Jacklyn has written on the calendar "permanent crown" with a big smiley face on each appointment date only to come home and write "it didn't happen" with a sad face. Today the smiley face prevailed! With this victory comes a mouth guard that will allow her to participate in PE, recess, tennis and all the other physical activities of an eleven year old girl. She will continue to have cosmetic work done to get the teeth looking just right, but the hard part seems to be behind us. It's hard to believe that her accident was on December 1st...just over eighteen weeks ago. She has been so brave through all the procedures and exams and I will always admire her for it. The other person I will always admire because of this experience is Jacklyn's dentist, Dr. Lowery. She wasn't our regular dentist, she was our friend's dentist. She made room for Jacklyn during her busy day and won us over immediately. She's been so gentle and kind. Whenever I'd leave the room during a procedure I'd return to find her holding Jacklyn's hand in my absence. She's a mother and she brings that part of herself to her practice. I can't even begin to say how much I've appreciated that. Jacklyn has trusted her completely through all of this and that has made all the difference. We know that there's a chance more painful procedures lie ahead, but with doctor Lowery by our side, we can get through it. Today, before we left, I asked if I could take her picture with Jacklyn for my blog and she was so excited to do so. After the picture, Jacklyn thanked her and gave her a hug as always. As Dr. Lowery was hugging Jacklyn she told her that she was now family to her. Thank you doctor Lowery!

"Young At Art"

Jacklyn's artwork is being displayed in the Leander ISD elementary art show called "Young At Art". Each elementary school in the district chose artwork from about ten students to display. The artwork is being displayed at the Cedar Park Police Station until Saturday. Last night they held the opening ceremony which gave us the opportunity to see all the art before everyone else and talk with the art teachers. Jacklyn's art that was chosen was a fish drawing and clay sculpture of the fish. The drawing was on display with a photo of the sculpture. Her art teacher, Ms. Kellerman, was there and told us how much she enjoys teaching Jacklyn. Jacklyn did a fantastic job and we are so proud of her!

"I'm Fine"

As most of you know, Jacklyn had an accident on December first. She was rollerblading and fell on her face. She broke her left wrist and her two front teeth (top). Not only were the teeth broken, they were pushed out of place. Her wrist healed quickly, but her teeth and gums have been another story. Over the last twelve weeks, she's had oral surgery, two gingivectomies, a root canal and cosmetic work done on her teeth. Gum surgeries, including grafts, are what she has to look forward to in March. As my heart continues to break for her, she simply says "I'm fine". When I ask her if she needs help cutting her food..."I'm Fine". When I ask her if she's worried about taking spring pictures at school..."I'm fine". I truly believe that children are so much stronger than adults...at least this child is stronger than this adult. When I uploaded this picture onto the computer I thought it showed Jacklyn's strong spirit during a very difficult time... giving the peace sign and showing me that she's fine.