Karis' first high school formal...SNOWFLAKE!

My word she looked beautiful!  She was so excited about this dance...however it didn't end like we thought it would.  She had to leave an hour into the dance due to a migraine!  She was pitiful and so upset she couldn't stay!

Maybe next year Snowflake!

Karis gets her permit!

She has studied her tail off and it is here...she passed her test!  She has worried about this for a while now but it is over and she now has the permit to prove it!

We of course celebrated with Chick-fil-a!

A first...Karis and Ella got their hair highlighted together!

Before and After...Sydney did a great job!

Karis first driving practice

And so it begins!!! First driving practice is in the books!  I took her to Faith parking lot and Bellevue where she drove very timidly ha!

New Year's Eve 2018....

We had a blast ringing in the New Year 2019 with some of our closest friends!  We ate all night, played lots of games, laughed a ton, watched the ball drop in NYC and counted down to 2019!

This year was a little bittersweet because this is the first year Karis spent the New Year with her friends.  We knew the day would come and it is a bittersweet day.  When we moved home we knew this time in her life was very pivotal and we prayed so hard for her to meet some close friends.  And the LORD has been so faithful to us.  Not only did she meet one really good friend (which is really what we prayed for), but he gave her so many more than we expected.  These girls have been such a blessing in her life and other than us, there is no other people we would rather her ring in the New Year with.  We missed her so much but are so grateful for how things have progressed over the past year! 

Karis on Homecoming Court

What an honor that Karis got picked by her classmates to represent them on Homecoming Court this year.  It was shocking to her at first and she wasn't even sure what it was but after a while she understood and got excited.  It was such an honor!!!!!  

She looked beautiful!!!!

School of Rock

We were gifted 2 tickets to see School of Rock from Nonnie so I took Karis to her first Orpheum experience.  It was fun to make those memories with her!

See You at the Pole 2018

This was the kids first experience with See You at the Pole.  It was priceless to see them pray with their friends for their school.  It brings back so many memories of when I used to lead them at my middle and high school.

K and B's first EVER school dance....

Brayden (6th grade) and Karis (8th grade) went to their first middle school and first EVER dance!  I gave them the option to go but seriously thought they wouldn't want to.  Unfortunately I was wrong and they decided they wanted to go at the last minute.  They were excited and mom was......not.  But they had a good time, and said they didn't slow dance so all is well ha!

\

M trip to the Pearl House in Ghana, Africa!

Jay, Karis and I got the chance to go to the Pearl House in Ghana, Africa for an M trip with our church and it was life-changing.  There are memories made on this trip that will be forever engrained in my heart.  Getting to see Karis go on this trip was amazing.  To get to see her heart melt for these people, to love them like Jesus would and to see her share her testimony and serve is a memory I will not soon forget.  I am so proud of her and loved getting to have her right by my side on this trip!

We got to meet soooo many people and we fell in love with all of them!  I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Hats, store and unexpected fun

Karis is quite crafty and for Christmas she got a hat kit.  She has been working on it diligently and finally finished it after a couple of days.  

Characters at the mall...

 Pretend store to end the night…fun had by all!

 Legos with friends!

Lucy remains our comedian at meals!

Dinner out with the family!

As we were sitting at dinner one of friends came in and said I will be back in 10 minutes to pick you up.  He took us to the local professional stadium which we had never been to before.  Such a cool experience!

Lunch date with my girl!

Basketball practice fun!

Gorgeous reminder of God's love for these people and of His faithfulness!

A friend from another city brought us some Krispy Kremes….soooooo good!

Lucy's last day of semester party and Karis' last day of public school

At the end of each semester here the kids here get a "report card" and Lucy's kindergarten class had a little party to say goodbye to her teacher who won't be coming back after the break.  It was an eye opener to see all the kids in action and Lucy playing and interacting with all of her friends.

We loved her teacher and hope we get a great one next semester too!

Also we made the tough decision not to send Karis back to public school after the semester break.  It was a tough decision but one we needed to make.  She is excited and mom is too!