She's Growing Up!

 Yesterday, I took Cecily to the high school she will be attending in August to confirm her class schedule for her Freshman year.  The past 14 years have passed so quickly.  I'm still trying to figure out how we went from the picture above to almost being in high school!  Cecily has been a certain joy in our lives and we are so very proud of the young lady she is becoming.

One of the things Cecily has really grown in and enjoyed the past two years of middle school is Costume Design.  She attends an Academy for the Arts school that really allows the students who enjoy the arts to develop skills in those areas.  Ms Friedman (pictured with Cecily) is the teacher who has given leadership in this area.  Cecily thinks highly of her and I am so thankful for how Ms Friedman has mentored her and helped Cecily to develop in her love and skill for design.  I snapped this picture Friday night after the school's performance of The King and I.  The school has never done an Asian themed play before, so Ms Friedman and her costume design crew (all students and a few adult helpers) made around 150 Thai influenced costumes for this play basically from scratch!

 

 

Are those costumes not amazing?  The Academy doesn't out source hardly anything for these plays including costumes and backdrops; everything is made by students and teachers.  They did borrow some head dresses from a local Thai restaurant.

 Ms Friedman had fun modeling one after the play.

This is Ms Weigman.  She helps with the costume design department and is Bentley's (our 6 year old) Kindergarten teacher.

 (Sarah, Cecily, Emily, Cassidee)

A few months ago, I helped chaperone a group of about 30 students from the school to the Florida State Junior Thespian competition.  I had the costume design girls in my room and they were a blast for this 40 year old woman to hang out with!  It's nice to see this group of girls be such good friends and have such fun together. 

Cecily even got in a little dance with the "king" from The King and I after the performance Friday night:



It will be exciting to see where Cecily's interests in costume design, drawing and painting take her in the future.  Right now, I'm just blessed to see her having fun and growing into one spectacular young woman!

One proud mama,
Jennifer