Growing Up...

As most of you know, I have 6 kids, all at various stages in their lives. For those of you who don't know this, we have 2 teenage daughters that are only 13 months apart. Savannah was born first and then 3 months later Chelsea was conceived. I was the butt of my neighbors' jokes for months. Although many people thought they were twins growing up, you couldn't find 2 kids that were more different in every way. Either way, if I survive motherhood, it would be through the grace of God. Savannah did well in finishing school and is going into grade 12. She had the opportunity to go to prom with a really nice young man, Tony. His parents are from Lebanon and have lived here for years. We have gotten to know them since moving into our neighborhood and just really enjoy talking with them. One of the side affects to motherhood, is memory loss. I forgot to take a picture of Savannah all by herself. Hopefully, she won't notice. Oh well I can't think of everything. It was a rather stressful journey getting to this point, considering that I was away for three weeks. However, we did manage to get through it all with our body and soul in tact. Forgive me, but I just had to get a picture of my garden in there, haha. The dress Savannah is wearing was borrowed from a great friend of mine, Paulette. She rescued me once again after hearing of our unsuccessful shopping excursion before leaving for Miami. I love to shop more than most people, but this time around, I was ready to pluck my eyeballs out. I've discovered that whatever I like in life, Savannah is determined to go the other way, hence the constant battles. I do love her though and I thought she looked beautiful. She does a mother proud. Anyway, what's a prom without friends to enjoy it with. This is Katherine, a friend from church and her date, Riley. Katherine's dad drove up to our house in a cherry red convertible just as I was leaving for the gym and so I didn't get a picture of their grand entrance. It did look super cool though. I thought they all looked very stylin'. Looking at them I have to wonder what adventures their future hold and what will they remember from this day. I still remember a lot from my prom day, grimace. As I said in the beginning, there are two girls. Well having them this close in age also means that while Savannah was going as a date to the prom, Chelsea was actually graduating from junior high or middle school to some people. First of all, let me say that I am very proud of all my children and their accomplishments this past school year. Some were easy going about the work required of them and others gave me a run for my money. Let's just say, with Chelsea, I didn't have to worry. All in all, they did extremely well. A lot of awards and ribbons entered the Young-Fraser household. As this is a blog about the girls' day, it's Chelsea's turn. Before I left for Miami, Chelsea casually mentioned that she was chosen to help out with something at the school. She wasn't really sure what it was but it had to do with some very important people. She was so cavalier about it that it wasn't until I was in Miami, that I found out she was getting the citizenship award in her school. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's an award that is given to one student in each school, who not only excels academically but serves her community well. This is Chelsea with the mayor, Peter Kelly on the right. She had to go to the mayor's office to recieve the award. It was on tv and of course, I felt horrible that I missed it. I tried desperately, to get a flight home and got home the day after. Such is life. I am glad though, that she had a "daddy-daughter" moment like this one to remember always. My mom also went. It was a proud time in my mother's life to see her grand-daughter shine. She has played a huge role in our childrens' lives and I was thrilled that she was able to be there. We were only allowed 2 tickets and I couldn't think of 2 more important people to be there. Needless to say, any parent would have been thrilled with their child receiving this award but allow me to just brag a little bit more about the other awards Chelsea received in lieu of her hard work. She also received the "Student Of The Year" award, "Black History Appreciation" award and the "Platinum" award for students who were on the platinum list all three years in in a row. No one knew more than I, of how hard Chelsea worked during the school year. She was a great example to her siblings. Her dad and I scratch our heads in wonder, as to who she takes after. Must be a throw back. I'm sure there are those who would like to take credit though, lol. I can't be too bad of a mother since I did manage to make it to this award ceremony. With everything that has gone on in our lives in the last 8 months, our children have come through in making us realize that out of every bad thing, great moments can be had. Many times I have bemoaned the escapades of the kids but it is also a joy to experience their accomplishments. I look forward to seeing Savannah graduate next year from high school. She did a good job finishing the year. Angus has also reached a couple of milestones as well. He left elementary school and is about to embark onto junior high. Both Camden and Raven have graded and will be moving on up to gr. 5 & gr. 3. Our oldest daughter Tiffani is attending Saint Mary's University, so right now all is right with the world. After going through all the accolades, it seems almost anti-climatic when it comes to Chelsea's grad dance. However she, like her sister, looked beautiful. I think the only reason I remembered to take Chelsea by herself was because she was meeting her friends at their house. Otherwise I probably would have forgotten that too. Although she wasn't officially 16 and therefore couldn't date and her father who Chelsea did ask to take her, was working, we allowed her to go with a group of friends with Jason as her escort. I wasn't there to meet him but her father was. Of course what father was going to let his little girl go out with a boy, all be it, in a group, without a little warning to the young man. I think Darren whispered some gentle counsel to Jason to "be good" I think the simplicity in that short statement almost put the poor boy over the edge. According to Chelsea, Jason was very nervous and took some time to relax. Although a mother's work is never done, and as much as I enjoyed it all, I'm glad that this time has come and gone and now we can look forward to some relaxing time at the beach with friends and family.