Days with the Dorans

  Eighteen! I can hardly wrap my head around it. I remember the day like it was yesterday (but clearly it wasn't). I took the day (as I always do) and it was hard to wait so long for Joey to get home from XC practice to celebrate, but we were all there when he came home a sweaty mess! I kind of went with the "adult" theme for his birthday this year- A "Vote" shirt, some raffle tickets and some other things (no cigarettes).  He got some great gifts and it was wonderful that Nana and Papa were able to make it over to celebrate too! Jonasen, you are so very much LOVED! Won $60! Not too shabby! His reaction to Sean's card. One of Sean's Quotes. He's famous for them! Measuring Joe- Don't worry kid, you'll grow! Even the school wished him well- so weird to see 18!!! Sister who never posts on social media even made a post! This from from the 14th, we treated him to an early birthday dinner after an awesome meet! So proud to be "Joey's Mom....

It was fun watching Joey and his friends celebrate him! They hung out, played games, had a bonfire and got him great gifts! I'm so glad he has such great friends! I stayed hidden but I did sneak a couple (literally) pictures!  

 With Joey's nutty schedule we've had no time to schedule his driving test yet but he has the hours and classes passed to take the test and hopefully (I think) get his license. I still can't believe this kid is 16! When he woke up (finally) we celebrated by giving him his gifts! He also got cards (including gas cards) from people in the mail! What a lucky kid! Joey's a pretty huge Beatles fan so I kind of went with that theme a little and I'd say he liked it. He kept looking at Beatles picks I got him and couldn't stop talking about and looking at them. It's fun when they get older and really start appreciating things in a different way.  Dad also got him a MUCH NEEDED accoustic guitar case. Of course Joe said, "Oh my gosh, thanks mom!" To which, dad said, "Mom?!?!?!" It was sweet. We loved celebrating with family at the lake and the Drapals were able to come and sing too! Sto Lat, my sweet boy! I love you more than you'...

 After the infamous (already) Hot Pocket incident, we escaped our house and headed for the lake. Joey had planned a birthday party with his friend Katie and THEN asked us and Nana and Papa if he could have a party at the lake. You'd think he's old enough to understand order now, but I guess not. We got over there early to blow up the floaties and Nana went out and got a volleyball net (which was a great hit!) Watching the teens try to assemble it was great entertainment as we were parked up on the deck. After a bit of volleyball though, they were off to the lake and having fun! The Littles were there (of course) and we let Al invite a friend even though she's starting to hang out with Joey and friends too. Katie's folks and sister came over too and they're all so nice. My mom has a great zoom on her camera. We mostly stayed out of the way but with the lake, you still need to keep an eye out. After fun, it was time for pizza, presents, cake, music an...

It was pretty last minute... well- because that's the story of my life but Joe did invite some of his friends over to the lake to hang out for his birthday. JoJo and Nan also came over and we sipped wine and caught up on the deck while the kids hung out by the lake. We didn't want to be in their business but also could keep an eye on them from where we were! They seemed to have a great time in the lake- They hung on the raft, headed out to the sandbar and had pizza, snacks and drinks. We did get them up to have some cake and sing. Joe had a blast and between you and me seems to have a bit of a crush on the girl in the pink (Ella) which has been super cute to watch! (Sorry Joey... who knows when/if you'll ever read this anyway). Happy birthday, my love!

I am in a bit of denial that I have a 15 year old! I am so blown away by this kid and so proud of him on so many levels! His birthday was a busy one (I feel like all of our days are busy this time of year). When he woke up we gave him his presents... AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR!! He seemed pretty happy but didn't get too much time to play it because soon after we were off to a big XC meet, then soccer and then at night he had a marching band showcase! Happy Birthday, Joey! You are so loved! This celebration is only the beginning!

Sadly, I'm not a good mom when it comes to parties... Though I'm trying to do better. A lot of this is due to the fact that our schedule is so nuts. I only have two days off in the next two months so~ we had Joe's friends to the lake while the guys were busy working there and I had to leave a bit for Sean's soccer game (ugh).  Joe's friends Dom, Gabe and Ryan came over (another friend, Simon, was going to come over too but it didn't work out). The boys had fun on the lake and I was glad my friend, Nan, stayed while I left so she could keep an eye on the boys with her camera. The big boys were busy and my mom was at a golf outing. I felt bad I had to leave but didn't see a way around it. It was Sean's FIRST game of the season and he didn't want to miss it. When Sean and I got back, the Drapals were there too and everyone devoured the food I got. I made TONS of sloppy Joes, had 2 bags of chips got three large pizzas and ALL of it was ...

 On the 14th, I picked Al back up from dance, drove to my school to finish up my sub plans and then we headed to the Bigs' school to surprise Joe in his locker! We taped his favorite candy to the inside of his locker (with a sock puppet card which he would "get") and Al decorated the outside. It was fun being sneaky! Of course while I was doing my thing during the day, Joe was at school and he reported it was a GREAT day! Everyone was wishing my shy guy a Happy Birthday and his friend Anna Lein actually gave him a present which was super sweet! After cross-country, Dom's dad, Scott, treated the boys to Slurpees! Joe sure is a lucky guy!  I couldn't wait for Joe to get home so I could give him this. I was so mad that his other phone (which was my mom's old 6s and really nice and I PAID for) died when he went in the water after one of Marty's toys with his phone in his pocket. He was mad too. He was doing something helpful but it was dumb... s...