The One Where They Turned 18

May 14 - 17, 2020

This one starts a day early,  On Thursday.  May 14.  Because this is the day my baby girls turned 18 years old.  I cannot believe it!

While Oklahoma has started lifting some restrictions - hair salons are back open! - there are still many precautions and quarantine rules in place.  Most businesses require you to wear a face mask or covering of some sort to shop, and we are all encouraged to stay home as much as possible.  Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and stay home if you feel sick or have a fever over 100.4 degrees.  Many places even check your temperature before you enter.  Our dentist and orthodontist are back open as well, so the boys both got their teeth taken care of this week.

Emma Marie and Lara Elizabeth turned 18 years old on Thursday.  They were not together, but we all called, and Facetimes, and sent Bitmoji stickers and memes and all the fun stuff we could to celebrate this special day.

Some of Lara's friends were set to have a picnic lunch together, but before the lunch could happen, they surprised her with a Drive-By Birthday Parade!


Her Dad also made a FANTASTIC sign to hang on the house to announce her 18th birthday to the world.  She was very surprised by this!  But it made an excellent background for pictures.

Even the mailman got involved!
He saw the banner and left this note!

We also had a few birthdays presents for her to open on Thursday evening.  She got some things she will need for college, including a small Instant Pot!  We told her welcome to adulthood - where you get appliances for gifts!  In our big, family instant pot, we made her favorite Crack Chicken for dinner, and she helped make a caramel coconut chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

Friday was the last "official" day of school for both girls.  Emma was working in Newkirk at Napa with her grandpa, and Lara had been done with school or days.  But, I insisted on a last day of school picture!

And no LAST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL would be complete without the first day of Pre-K comparison pic!  August 2006 to May 2020 - Their entire school career in one pic!

It was also supposed to be the Mulhall-Orlando High School Class of 2020 graduation ceremony.  But, it has been rescheduled for later in June.  In honor of that missed occasion, here are Emma's graduation announcement and social media post about her college choice:

front

back

Now, Saturday was a FULL DAY of celebrations and craziness.  Emma came to Stillwater with her boyfriend, Rhett, early in the afternoon to make the rounds and meet all of Emma's family.  She also had a few stops to make to see family for birthday and graduation gifts that needed to be picked up.  We all met back at our house to celebrate!

Offical 18 Picture!

Grandpa, Nana, Emma, Jake, Finn, Lara, Dad, Mom
Photo Credit to Rhett

Then, the girls and their friends headed out to the Flying H Ranch near Orlando, Oklahoma for a party with their friends.  Still, quarantine style, few guests, trying to remain socially distant.  Emma had her best friend and her boyfriend there; Lara had 2 of her best friends.  A good time was had by all!

Erika, Lara, and Nichole

Rhett, Emma, Erika, Lara, Nichole

Rhett and Emma

Emma and Abigail

First thing Sunday morning, Lara was off on an amazing adventure!  Along with her friend Kendall and their family, Erika, Karsten, and Lara were off to Port Aransas, Texas for a week at the beach!  It was a LONG drive, but they made it safely and are looking forward to a fun week!

Eighteen!  We made it girls!  So proud of you and so very excited about your future!  Keep reaching for the stars.  Your future is SO BRIGHT!  We love you.

Thirteen

Jacob Alan Weaver is FINALLY Thirteen!  And, in true Jake Weaver fashion, he seemed to figure out a way to make the celebration last weeks!  We happened to be in OKC a few days before his birthday (I am sure it was basketball related), and he ended up getting a birthday dinner from us at Red Robin.  And I know he got a couple more in the two weeks that followed.  He loves celebrations - and to be celebrated - and it is contagious!

He is kind, funny, a wonderful friend, son, and brother.  I wrote this post for social media on his actual birthday: "6’1” of joy, wit, fun, and smarts. All around great kid. The consummate middle child; loves to hang with his older sisters and be an example for his little brother. And he teases them all relentlessly. When he was a little guy, I used to tell people that everyone needed a little Jake Weaver in their lives. Nothing has changed. Dream Big. Change the World."  He has a big body and even bigger dreams, but biggest of all is his tender heart.  He is a joy to be around and lights up a room with his presence.

So, because it took so long to get from this birthday on January 25th to his party on February 1, there is a lot to pack into this birthday post.  This is his last photo as a 12-year-old - cuddling our puppy who celebrated her 1 year Gotcha Day on the 27th:

On his birthday, we balled.  All day.  Little Brother Finn had a game early, then we were off to Norman to play with his new team, Buddy Buckets 2025.  We had a lot of game success, Jake played a lot of minutes, and go this first 3 in a game!  He was a defensive force, and the Buckets won their division on Sunday:

At Finn's Game

CHAMPION!

Buddy Buckets 2025

Also on Sunday, we lost a basketball HERO and his 13-year-old daughter.  This one hit hard.  Moments before the tip-off of the championship game on Sunday, everyone's phones started alerting with the news from TMZ that LA Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.  The memories we shared as a family and as a basketball family helped heal the shock that filled our hearts.  Kobe's daughter, Giana (Gigi) was also on that flight and died.  These boys are 13.  And just doing what they love.  Heartbreaking!

On Monday, Jake had a 7th Grade Stillwater Pioneers game in Edmond.  (It was also Everest Pearl (Evie)'s Gotcha day!)  Jake played against Edmond Central - a team filled with old teammates from Solid Rock and AET.  We caught this fun picture with his recent AET teammate, Brady Hancuff.  We miss playing WITH him, and playing against him is tough!  To know what they were saying to each other in this moment...

At the end of the week, as we inched towards Jake's party with his friends, we had to find him his first suit.  He is playing Mr. Salt in the 7th-grade musical production of Willy Wonka later this semester.  He is not a shopper, and it is hard to find the right fit, but we did it!  Mr. Salt will look good up on that stage!

ignore the tags and wrinkles - this was a trial run!

Ready to go backstage!

Saturday.  FINALLY.  PARTY DAY!  Jake had a group of his friends join him for a bowling party at the local bowling alley.  We think this was his third party there!  It's hard to find a good place in January, and he (we) is (are) leery of trampoline parks and gymnastics gyms since he seems to get injured so easily...  Kobe cupcakes, a Thunder Jersey, a commemorative bowling pin and gift cards to all his favorite spots were the theme of the day.  It was a great party with a great group of young men.

brotherly love

And to cap it all off, he got braces on Tuesday the 4th.  Somehow, he makes it all look so effortless and easy!  I think he is rocking thirteen!

Early Morning braces appointment!

Last picture without / First picture with

Looking forward to his teen years!  Parenting 3 teenagers is a challenge, but a fun one!  His sisters are 17.5 and graduating high school this year; off to college in 6 months.  I love the relationships he has with each Emma and Lara, and I love that they take him on "teenager" adventures.  Plus, he is a great role model for his 8-year-old brother, Finn.  Always a middle child, but the best middle child I could ask for!

FINN: Eight is Great

Happy 8th Birthday, Finn Ricker Weaver!

October 5, 2019

We had a Spider-man themed part at the Ultimate Air trampoline park in Stillwater.  Finn declared it the best day of his life!  He was so full of joy and exuberance this day!  What a fun afternoon.  (The anticipation to party time was a little stressful at times, but he made it!)  He had some great friends and family come to celebrate with him, and we are loving having an eight-year-old in our house again.

Finn is smart, emotional, funny, finicky (Still!), fierce, loving, caring, reserved, cautious, and imaginative.  HE loves LEGO sets, YouTube, Minecraft, Fortnite, Mario Brothers, and watching people play these game son YouTube.  He likes to play UNO, Monopoly, the Game of Life, Trouble (Star Wars edition) and any other board game family members will humor him with.  He likes to watch Fuller House on Netflix, along with whatever current kid movies are available,  He is SO CREATIVE and can spend hours with his LEGOs building things and making up stories for the characters.  He started piano lessons recently and is really enjoying this hobby!  He is a joy to watch grow.

Iw ould be remiss to mention his stubborn streak.  He gets his mind set and it is hard to change!  But that is to be celebrated, too!

This is also the day we will remember as the one where Jake was playing dodgeball and ended up with a broken pinky which required surgery to set...

Here are some pictures from the day:

Spidey-Finn

Pizza And Cake! (This is right after Jake injured himself)

End of the party (Look at Jake, you can see he is in pain)

It was a late night, but of course, he had to start building right away!  We woke up Sunday morning to this:

And, he got to ditch the car seat!

On Monday, he got to celebrate with his 2nd grade class at school (Friday was another classmate's birthday, so we chose Monday.  Mom and Dad made awesome butterfly snacks (Lara helped too!)

Sure looks like it is great to be 8!  We love you, Finn!  Thank you for completing our family!