Sweet Sixteen!

We call my niece Lindsay, GiGi. Ever since Parker could call her something it came out sounding like GiGi so it stuck. 

GiGi turned SIXTEEN on July 5th. I can still remember the day she was born. I was in Junior High and it was unexpected. She is a miracle she is even alive. Her birth story is incredible. She is here for a purpose and I am so thankful we have her. Even when she is going through her hateful, teenage, hormonal attitudes we still love her.

We had a dinner with family and then cake & gifts at my house after. My dad, mom and I had been planning this for awhile. We wanted to surprise Lindsay with a car. She had no clue she was getting one so we were really able to surprise her!!! Her and my dad had went to test drive a car a few months back. It was a great car in wonderful condition that my dad and niece both loved. After test driving my dad handed his keys to Lindsay and told her to go and start the truck to get it cooled off while he took the car keys back to the owner. He was then able to tell the guy that he wanted it and would be right back to pay for it. After getting the car he left it at a friends house since we had a few months. We all, during that time, explained that she might not be getting a car or she needed to keep her grades up or some type of excuse. 

We decided to have her party on her actual birthday day so she could drive her car. That morning she went to the DMV to take her test...I was freaking out the whole time. I would hate for anyone to fail on their birthday (totally happened to me) and get surprised with a car later. She passed and we began the decorating and car set up. My dad drove it into town and left the keys with me along with the spare keys. I put her keys in a box and wrapped them up. We parked it in the back of our house. After dinner we came here to open gifts and eat cake. While she was distracted reading cards and opening gifts my dad went and pulled it around to the front and tied balloons to it. When she thought she was done with presents I said "oh, I think you missed one" and pulled it from behind a picture. She still had no clue.

Well the excitement on her face & her repetitive "No way PaPa" was priceless. 

Happy Birthday Gigi!! We love you so much!!