Friday

I got Emma out of school (which is a lot easier since the school is an open campus and I don't have to anger the attendance woman at GPHS any longer) and we headed to Draper to the nicest DMV in America.  (Emma, of course, doesn't appreciate that because she's never been to another DMV.  Oh, sweet girl, you will learn...)

Emma was old enough for her learner's permit in August, but that's when we moved so we had bigger fish to fry.  Since then we've been in a standoff.

Emma and I are really good at standoffs.  It may be our mother/daughter love language.  She wanted to go take the test and I wanted her to study first.

On the way to the DMV, she told me that her "studying" had been reading the book once.

Naturally, (kind of infuriatingly) she passed on the first try.  Emma.  Not only does she usually win our standoffs, but she's usually pretty smart too.

So now she has her permit.

Here we go again.

That night, Braeden invited some friends over to play Diplomacy.  (Diplomacy is like a teenage version of Chutes and Ladders.  It's way more complicated but every bit as arduous and painful.) I had zero role in the entire affair.  Wait, I did buy several 2 liters of soda.  Adam picked up pizza on his way home from work and that was that.

It's weird.

Birthday parties used to be an undertaking.  There were invitations and decorations and food.  There was greeting parents when they dropped off guests and hoping your child was gracious about gifts.  There was keeping everyone happy and damage control.  There were games and singing Happy Birthday and cutting the cake.

Now I just buy several 2 liters.

The boys all drove themselves here.  I'd met nearly all of them before and I've seen them perform. (They're all either drama or choir friends.  Braeden isn't in choir but he's friends with lots of kids who are.)  Now that I think about it, I should have requested they sing for me.  They are in the chamber choir at PGHS, which is amazing. 

They were polite and friendly and appreciative.  They retreated to the basement.  Occasionally I would hear hoots of laughter.  Emma stood in for one of the players for awhile because he was late (there seemed to be a lot of speculation about some kind of entanglement with a girl) and Mark was even allowed to be involved for awhile.

Adam and I were empty nesters, upstairs.

I sent Adam down at one point to take a few pictures.  It seemed like the party for the 18th birthday should at least be somewhat documented.

True to their innate predilection to perform and be expressive, they were in no way phased by someone taking their picture. 

And I am thinking they were having fun.