Thursday, May 10, 2007

My Baby Turned 18!!!!


WOW, WOW, WOW! I'm not quite sure how it happened because it seems like yesterday that Alex was running his Matchbox cars through my plant dirt. My baby boy is not a baby anymore - he's officially an adult. Now I realize that being 18 doesn't afford many privileges, but Alex took advantage of all that were available to him. He purchased two cigars so that he and his dad could smoke them on the deck on his birthday (YUCK!). He opened a checking account with the birthday money his grandparents sent. And he scratched a few lottery tickets. That done, he will sign up for the draft (double YUCK!). He's filling out all the necessary paperwork for college and will be leaving the nest is a couple months.

No one read me the fine print on the parent contract when he came to live with us. No one said, "Don't bond with him because it will rip your heart out when he leaves home." And no one could have predicted how much joy and laughter would come with this little bundle as well as a few tears and gray hairs! Alex truly is a great person and I'm very proud of the man he is becoming. He is very kind-hearted, mostly very responsible and respectful, and very, very funny! (Proud accomplishment: he was chosen Class Clown of the Class of 2007 - no surprise to his parents!)

All I can say is that I hope grandchildren come soon or I may have to resort to adopting someone else's kids. The house is going to be WAAAY too quiet. I know this was part of the parent deal, but I'm not ready!!!!

Monday, May 7, 2007

Another rite of passage....

2007 - For Alex it seemed like this year would never get here. For me, I'm still trying to figure out where the last 18 years went! It was fun to see our son all dressed up. He wore a tux for Whitney's wedding, too, but this was by choice! I wouldn't have minded a haircut, but I pick my battles, and that's not one of them. He and his four closest friends all brought their dates over for pictures, then went to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant (it was Cinco de Mayo - no Mexican for them!). They went to the dance for awhile, then came back to the house for a bonfire and breakfast. Only no one made it to breakfast. They all got tired and went home and went to bed. Whitney was pretty indignant since she and Trav came to help make breakfast. She called them "prom lightweights".

Alex had agonized over who to ask. He has a "friend" he spends a lot of time with, but she is older than he and had already been to prom twice. He could have taken a couple other girls, but he thought it would complicate things and he didn't want any "expectations". So , he ended up asking his friend Mallory (she's adorable, by the way) who couldn't stay too late because she had a rodeo the next day. Apparently she's a barrel racer and goat-tyer (my kind of girl!). Anyway, fun was had by all. Here's the evidence: