About to get real vulnerable with ya'll as I come down off the adrenaline rush from Madalyn's Sweet 16 party week and the emotional rollercoaster that has followed... but if you make it to the end, there are some sneaks of her party!
They Grow Up While We Blink (& drink cold coffee)
I swear it was just yesterday I was pulling sippy cups out of my purse and wiping goldfish crumbs off my leggings. Now I’m watching my first born drive off to work after getting that new license and wondering how the heck we got here.
Raising kids is wild, isn’t it? There are all these firsts and then suddenly — you’re realizing these “firsts” are really the “first lasts."
Nobody tells you that the hardest part isn’t the diaper blowouts or the tantrums in Target. It’s the letting go.
It’s watching them become their own person.
It's watching them try to force a level of independence they probably aren't quite ready for just yet while you're internally yelling "SLOW DOWN!"
It’s hearing them say “I know, Mom” when deep down, you know they don't know it all… and that somehow hurts more to know they're about to learn things the hard way.
It's wondering if you've done enough, if you've failed in some manner, if you've done everything right...
If you’re in the thick of it right now, with babies hanging off your legs while you’re trying to drink your third reheated cup of coffee, let me just say this: soak it up. The chaos, the mess, the sticky kisses, the bedtime books that make you want to stab your eyeball out because you’ve read them 294 times… all of it. Lucky for me, I started over so I am also still there, but these oldest two kids of mine are really getting me all in my feels lately.
It’s really sinking in that one day, the house will be quieter. The car seats will be all gone. The pantry will still have snacks in it. And I will miss the noises I swore were driving me insane.
I am already missing being the center of their world.
They will always be the center of mine.
And if you’re in that in-between, like I am, watching your kids grow into young adults with strong opinions, fashion sense that makes you blink twice, a schedule fuller than yours ever was, and sometimes, a mouth or eye roll that makes your head spin into an out of body experience… just know you’re not alone.
We’re all in this weird space together. Cheering them on, crying in the closet, and clinging to the memories while praying we’ve done enough. And there's no magical answer to this stage (or any other stage) I am realizing. I've had my parents on speed dial these past few weeks... and this many years later, they're still cluless, but nevertheless, cheering me on and praying they've done enough to prep me - haha! Oh, the irony.
So here’s to the moms (& dads). The sidelined characters of the growing-up game. The ones who are overworked, over stimulated, under appreciated, but so full of love.
We may be a little tired. A little messy. A little “don’t mind the laundry pile behind me on video call.”
But we are raising some seriously incredible humans.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m proud of mine. Even if they eat like raccoons, leave their shoes in the middle of the hallway, and pretend they can’t hear me when I call their name. (And I will still yell like a psycho if they deserve it no matter their age! Ha!)
So here’s your reminder: you’re doing a good job. Even when it feels like you’re not.
Especially then. (I am chanting this on repeat to myself right now. Morning motivational if you will...)
Through the good times and the bad, the easy to love moments and the tough love lessons, we got this. At least that's what I keep repeating to myself! ;)
Keep going, mamas! We've got the future to raise.
XoXo,
Jenn - the usually non-emotional one who is completely melting down on the daily during this milestone... ;) See photos below of the party!
P.S. If you need a little pick-me-up after crying into your toddler’s old onesie (no shame), throw on a cute outfit that makes you feel like you again. We’ve got a whole vibe waiting for you over here at The Dressing Room — because mama deserves to feel as fabulous as the humans she’s raising. #tdrstyle It’s called therapy - Retail Therapy. :)
P.S.S. Happy Sweet 16 to our Madalyn! I know she's grown up right before your eyes but to me - it's a whole new era.... I am just out here trying to make it to the accepting phase!
P.S.S.S. Here’s a little up close and personal of her Sweet 16 Party! It was absolutely fabulous and came together perfectly, even with the rain! It was truly a party to remember!
Most of everything was ordered from Amazon so I will link as much as I can with my affiliate links below! Plus, Prime Week starts July 8th through 11th so you may get even better deals than I did!
14ft white bounce house - due to the rain, we didn’t add our balloon arch, but it does have little hooks to add the arches! https://amzn.to/4l6rDEU
Floral Accessories - we filled the empty spaces with these - cowgirl boot filled flowers and topped the cake with these! https://amzn.to/4lAmTXZ
Pampas Grass - https://amzn.to/4lFS44o
Pink Sunglasses - https://amzn.to/4nDiTYO
Acrylic Paint to have guests design on sunglasses - https://amzn.to/3TV1hd2
Glitter Light Marquee 16 Sign - https://amzn.to/3GqEO4x
Clear Fishing line to hang our balloon arches from the barn rafters - https://amzn.to/44p4hVn
Big Black Bows for the sheer curtains: https://amzn.to/44uFbTL
Balloon arches - we combined 2 styles - https://amzn.to/4nx3dGn & https://amzn.to/45Vb4qY
Wooden numbers - I spray painted these to be 3D on her canvas for guests to sign - #1 - https://amzn.to/4exlv69 & #6 - https://amzn.to/3IaPvbS
Glitter Spray Paint for the canvas numbers - https://amzn.to/4lfOnCC
Canvas - https://amzn.to/3I9hIjh
Sharpies - https://amzn.to/4nyDopm
Sweet 16 Neon Sign - https://amzn.to/4lbmc7B
Pink Sheer Curtains - https://amzn.to/4kn8qh8
Polaroid Camera - https://amzn.to/4nxPXBh
Polaroid Film - https://amzn.to/3I7xxqZ
The cake topper was special ordered from Etsy and the cake was made by Sprinkled Blonde out of Crossville, TN!
We thrifted a lot of the furniture (shout out to The Nitty Gritty), lace, and decor accessories either over the years or leading up to the party and some of it was even borrowed from TDR.
Cowgirl boots & hats are probably all from French's our go to western apparel store. And the pink rug is also from French's!
The photo backdrop was purchased from a friend after her kid's birthday party (thank you, Ashlyn at Amp's Tanning!).
Special guest DJ/Karaoke guru was thanks to my dad who came all the way from Milledgeville, GA from Duke’s Lounge on Lake Sinclair
Special thank you to all of my friends and family who came in clutch to help me wrap up the final touches right on time and took pics because I was too busy soaking it all in... and singing karaoke to get the kids warmed up haha!
