Molly's 17th birthday + Homecoming weekend

Molly turned 17 on Friday, September 15, 2023.  17 seems like a big number!  She is a delightful 17-year-old and we did our best to celebrate her that weekend, amidst all the other stuff that was going on.

Gene and April came up the day before (Thursday).  She had a home game so had a couple of hours after school before she had to be back at the field.  They took her to Costa Vida for an early light dinner and gave her a mattress heater, which is what she has been wanting for a while.  They stayed and watch the game that night with us.  No one took any pictures.

She wanted some extra sleep the morning of her birthday so went into school a little late.  We still did gifts in the morning.  She got her favorite treats (watermelon gum, dark chocolate orange sticks, white cheddar cheese-its) and a stereo for her truck.  She got one last year but it stopped holding a charge in the summer and she was dying without her tunes so all she wanted was a new one.  We got her a little nicer one this year.  My mom and dad contributed to this gift so it was from them as well.

Justin took Stockton and Brynn to school that morning while Molly got ready.  She doesn't usually give herself enough time to eat in the morning but she did this day!  Huevos rancheros was the requested breakfast-yum!  And a quick picture in front of the birthday banner before sending her on her way.  There is one picture for every year and she has outgrown the mantle!

it was black-out day for Homecoming hence the all-black outfit

Then it was off to school.  A little someone (old YW leader Rendi Holm) snuck (sneaked?) over and decorated her truck while she was at school.  It was a shortened schedule due to the homecoming parade that afternoon so there wasn't enough time for me to take her to lunch like we had originally planned.  I did grab her a sandwich from Bagel Den and dropped it off to her right before the parade. She ate it in her truck.

Then the Homecoming Parade.  All the teams and clubs at the high school have a float and it goes around town near the high school.  Stockton was in it this year with the baseball team but he was on the opposite side of me so I didn't actually see him.  I found the birthday girl though!

with Regan Heywood, who was voted as Homecoming royalty for junior class

*Funny story here:  Molly was nominated as a candidate for junior class Homecoming attendant but that sounded horrible for her so she withdrew her name before the voting.  Regan was also nominated and would have withdrawn her name but didn't know she had been nominated...and then she was voted junior attendant.  Molly got a good laugh at her expense for that.  We sure love Regan, though, and can easily see how so many others love her too!

She went to practice, ran home, got ready for the football game, and went back to school for the football game.  She didn't want dinner.  I offered to make a birthday cake for her to take to the game but she said just store-bought cupcakes would be fine.  So she took those to the game.  Molly is not a big fan of high school football games-too crowded-but everyone else was going so that was the natural thing to do on her birthday if she wanted to hang out with her friends.  She usually is fine just staying home or finding something else to do.  She came home at halftime because she had an AP English assignment due by midnight.  Then I think she was bummed that she was home so she went back out to a friends house and they did their assignment together and got it turned in with a couple of minutes to spare.

Molly and Jalynn

The next day was Homecoming.  Originally, she wasn't super excited to have Homecoming be on her birthday weekend but she started to get more excited as it got closer.  She was going with a kid named Micah Morgan. She didn't really know him but they had gotten to know each other a little better in the weeks leading up to the dance and so she was excited for the day after all.  She just worries, with dances, that if it's not going well, it's going to be a really long day.

I was at a baseball game when she left that morning for the day date.  They went to the Olympic Park in Park City and did the activities up there-ziplining, the roller coaster, and the alpine slide.  They had a lunch at a bagel place and then came home.  Molly had a great time.  The mountains were beautiful with the leaves starting to change.

She had a few hours to get ready before pictures and dinner.  She showered at home but then when to Maggie's house to finish getting ready.  Justin and I were bummed that we never actually got to meet Micah but Molly said it is totally normal to get ready with friends and then the boys just pick them up at the same place.

They had dinner and took pictures.  Or took pictures and then had dinner.  I don't know the order.  They took pictures by one the the train stations in Midway/Charleston and ate dinner at Lola's in Midway.  They went to the dance.  They went to Micah's house after the dance and played games.  Molly got home late but she was on a high.  She had such a great time.  Micah was very nice and polite and Molly said he was just really easy to talk to and comfortable to be around.  I'm glad it was a good day for her and that they have become better friends since the dance.  She looked so pretty and they make a super cute couple!

with Jackie Bingham who was not in her group but at the same picture location

with Maggie Lundquist, who went with Micah's best friend-they took this and sent it to JV coach, Ariel, for a joke

Molly in the middle

Molly and Micah third couple in from the left

We finished celebrating her on Sunday.  She wanted yellow curry for dinner and I found a recipe that was amazing.  All six of us loved it so it will definitely be making a dinner comeback.  She went to a fireside that night and when she got home, we had birthday cake and ice cream and sang happy birthday to her.  It turned out to be a great birthday weekend for her.

One final bit of celebrating-Rendi and I took her to lunch the next Wednesday.  That was her original request on the day of her birthday but with the weird parade schedule, we had to take rain check on this lunch date.  Rendi has been a big support and role model for Molly and we love her a whole bunch.  And we love that Molly-girl more than she could possibly realize.  I am so blessed to be her mom.  I can't believe how fast she is growing up and I can't think too much about the limited amount of time that she will be at home because it makes me sad.  But excited at the same time to see where life takes her.  Happy Birthday beautiful girl!