Sweet 16! (and a little sassy too)
I can’t believe my Savannah is 16! I know every parent says that…but as our children grow up we are never quite prepared…no matter how many times we hear that same sentiment from other parents. The years have flown by. It just doesn’t seem possible that this little fireball was welcomed into this world 16 years ago.
Immediately (in a good way) we all knew we were in trouble with this one! She’s always been a charmer. She could turn her head just right with equal amounts of sweetness and sassiness. She has always been wise above her years with an innate sense of who she is and where she belongs. She knows what she likes and who she likes and hasn’t been afraid to say so. She is fluent in sarcasm (no idea where she gets that from!) and is funny and witty and so smart.
When she was little (until about the age 5) she was attached to my hip. We were rather inseparable. I suppose that is in part to all of her doctor appointments that we traveled to. We protected each other from the stress of all of that. She would hold my hand and make sure to tell me which doctors she liked and didn’t like…even at the age of 3. I would hold her hand and tell her that everything would be ok and that hey those doctors sucked…the ones she didn’t like. Then we’d walk hand in hand down Charles Street in Boston and find the best clam chowder and order two big bowls and we’d lick our bowls clean. And we’d laugh. And we’d shop at cute little boutiques and she would want everything that was pink. And then we’d stop at a little hole in the wall pizza place and pick up one to eat back in our room. The next day would be more doctor appointments and perhaps a visit to Arthur’s House (the Boston Children’s Museum) and a stroll along Freedom Trail, and of course feeding the ducks with $10 bread in Boston Commons.
And now my sweet sassy girl, who has equally protected me and loved me as I have her, is 16. She doesn’t hold my hand anymore but she does make me laugh! We don’t visit doctors in Boston anymore and eat clam chowder, but we do still visit doctors and she still tells me which ones she will not see again. We still shop together and she’s really learned how to spend my money on cute things 🙂 We still love to eat out together too and our conversations have grown into beautiful rants about love and life and boys and college and racism and marriage and everything else you can imagine.
Oh Savannah…what a beautiful young lady you’ve turned out to be. I am so proud to be your mom and I am so proud of the woman you are growing into. You are my light. You will change this world…I know it. You will do beautiful and profound things with your life. You make this world a more beautiful place.
Happy sweet and sassy 16!
For Savannah’s portraits we headed into Richmond for something a little different. These first images were taken in a random alley and on a side street. The others were taken in a few different spots around Richmond as we went looking for some awesome murals.
