Bumpy Ride

We took Whitney to the 6th grade open house at the junior this week. Randy and I were excited for her but found out right away that she was not. As soon as we got out of the car and I asked her to pose for a picture in front of the sign things got weird. I didn't fight it, I just got her to agree that we could take a photo on the way out instead.

It was really well organized, and I've been seeing these signs around the school for a month so it was nice to finally have the event here.

They had student council members greeting the kids and giving them these papers as they walked in; Whitney immediately handed them to me (what the?!)

 I chalked up her hesitation to junior high jitters and moved forward with a perplexed look on my face.

She got to try opening a locker, which proved tricky for her left-handed ways (she naturally wanted to start by going left instead of right) but she got it on her 3rd try.

Despite the smile on her face in this picture she was NOT keen on having to get her TDAP booster shot. I was thrilled though because it means one less thing to do later.

After a little bit more wandering around and some visiting with some of my co-workers (aka her future teachers) there were some tears (on her part) and dismay (on mine and Randy's) we decided we were done.

She reluctantly posed for this photo on the way out, then suggested we pick up something for dinner, then made a miraculous recovery and was pleasant the rest of the night. Good Hell!

Mini-Makeover

Whitney has always had thick, beautiful, naturally highlighted blonde hair that was easy to do until this last year as puberty has set in and decided to change things for her.

She's trying to grow it out, but is battling some major thickness and newfound waviness which makes things hard for her to handle.

Plus her hair is now growing in darker than the blonde we've come to know. There's a distinct line of light and dark that she was unable to see, but was highly visible to the rest of us.

After consulting with our trusty stylist of 7 years (Sharolyn) we decided it would be best to color her hair all one color and to thin it out considerably. Whitney was skeptical about the color situation but we assured her this was the best choice.

Sharolyn also explained that Whitney will need to pin her hair into sections so she can round brush it and flat iron in smaller, more manageable sections. This was very helpful information that hopefully will make a big difference as Whitney tries to style her hair on her own.

This is the "After" photo...she looks like she's 15!

Oh so much better, no black and white line anymore.