Birthday Party Re-Cap with Photos Coming Soon

On Sunday evening, we celebrated Nick's 16th birthday party a week or so early with his friends. In part due to the fast starting July 1, and in part due to the busy summer schedule these teens have around here with teen camp and so forth.

It was an incredible evening. The weather was perfect. The bugs stayed away until the last half hour! The kids hung out in the back yard which Taylor and Isabelle helped jazz up with some fun summer decorations. We had a buffet that was nearly demolished by 15+ that attended. After dinner, we came inside for a couple of games- a multiple choice quiz on the 16 years of Nicholas Loux and a game show style game with true and false questions on six categories of Nick's life: Art, Music, Drama, Sports, and Pets. (each category had 5 questions rated at different point levels, kind of like Jeopardy but they were T/F). Jackson walked away with the prize!

We had angel food cake with strawberries/cool whip as well as a fruit topped cheese cake that disappeared in less than 5 minutes! There was a little barista action going on in the kitchen with carmel syrup, cool whip and coffee!

Though it was all lots and lots of fun, I was mostly amazed that my son has such a great group of kids to hang out with. Friendships are tricky things when you're 16. As I looked around the room, I was grateful that although these friendships came in different shapes, colors and sizes, that each one had given a gift to Nick in sharing part of their lives with him over the past year or two. I saw some who inspired him in his walk with the Lord, some that were good listeners, some that had common creative giftings, some fellow musicians, some fellow artists, some who's sense of humor alone is a gift, others who's gift was genuine kindness, and many with a mix of the above. Needless to say, as a mom, I was grateful.

More on the birthday boy himself later on. And I promise pictures will be downloaded TONIGHT!