Seventeenth Birthday

Ally turned 17 on 11/16/23.

New shirt to wear to school. This is 17.



Beth came over to help me decorate, like she does every year for 17 years now. 

We printed out pictures of Daisy and Maggie and hung them up all over living room and kitchen. It was a cat mama theme!





We wore shirts for her age and met her outside dressed like this.

Ally loved it. 

Thank you to family for cards and gifts. Ally saved this gift bag from Becky and me to last. She was pretty happy to get a new phone case. Meanwhile Beth and Becky and I were laughing. 

So she finally looked further in the bag.

To discover the new iPhone! 

She was pretty embarrassed that she missed the main gift. But she was also thrilled.

Dinner time. We ordered pizza from our favorite place.

We tried to get a good photo of Ally with her cats under the banner.

They were not cooperative 





Best Aunt Ever!


Beth left after dessert. Ally had some homework and it was a school night.

But what a fun day it was celebrating our 17 year old.

Couple of weeks…

Halloween, lots of homework, and some BIG news.

Same tree from an earlier post. The leaves are changing and fall in force now.

So much love. It’s hard to even get a picture of Ally without one of the pets.

Maggie is so photogenic.


They wait for Ally.

Fun Saturday night. Beth came over to help with Becky’s costume. Becky’s teaching team decided to be characters from the Princess Bride and Becky was to be the 6 fingered man who killed Indigo Montoya’s father.

Costume accomplished.

And wow Becky and Beth look like twins.

Homework.

Sunday taking a break from making a meal for the Church shelter.

Cake decorating 

Chopping veggies for a salad.

Finally it was Halloween. Count Rugen was ready to go teach 7th grade math.

The group costume!

We managed to carve one pumpkin this year. 

It was a team effort. I cleaned it out, Ally designed it and Becky carved it.

Always with her cats

And dog.

But the really BIG news is that Ally took her drivers test again and she passed!!! She is a licensed driver now. She was so happy. And relieved. 

She worked really hard to learn to drive and to practice the test she had a couple of private driving lessons which she hated (in a car with a stranger one on one…it was creepy and stressful to her) but she did it. 

Post drivers test relaxation. We got donuts to celebrate and then she took a nap. 

And worked hard on homework that night and again on Sunday. Ally is working so hard on her projects and homework. It’s impressive.

End of October 2023

The last week of the month went by pretty quickly. 

Ally worked hard on homework and preparing for her senate project, volleyball season came to an end, and of course Halloween.

The leaves keep changing. Ally and I enjoy watching the progression each day. 

Maggie is getting big; she’s a bit chubby and eats all the food and poor Daisy is getting skinny. 



The senate simulation.

Saturday night Beth came over to help Becky with her Halloween costume. The teachers on her team are all going as characters from The Princess Bride. Becky is Count Rugen (the 6 fingered man who killed Inigo Montoya’s father). 

Costume came together well, thanks to Beth.

They look like twins when Becky has that wig on.

Ally spent the evening in her room with her cats, working on homework.

Sunday we made dinner for the church shelter. We deliver it around 2 in the afternoon. Ally had some of the spaghetti for her lunch. Today we brought spaghetti and meatballs, salad and a cake.

Decorating the cake for Halloween 

Chopping vegetables for the salad.