The Long and Short of It: Classic Will (Senior Pictures)

 

Will wasn't all that enthused about taking (another round of) senior pictures - especially since we took the required yearbook, cap and gown, and diploma pictures right before the school year started - so I didn't push all that hard. Come the end of April, however, he decided he might be willing to take a few more pictures, so I quickly booked our friend Danielle (Danielle House Photography) for a short session.

Two weeks prior to the session I suggested Will get his hair trimmed. (His last cut was this one - scroll down to #4 for the story and accompanying photos - and his hair has been growing like a chia pet ever since.) He didn't do it. One week prior to the session I suggested Will get his hair trimmed. He didn't do it. On the day of the session, he woke up and declared he would get his hair trimmed...except it was Mother's Day, and not a single barber or salon was open. So that's why his hair looks the way it does - classic Will.

Two weeks prior to the session I suggested Will choose his outfits. He didn't do it. One week prior to the session I suggested Will choose his outfits. He didn't do it. Less than an hour before the session Will put on (what he thought would be) his first outfit and the shorts were...um...TIGHT. He picked a different and inferior first outfit. Then he put on (what he thought would be) his second outfit and the shorts were...um...dirty. He picked a different and inferior second outfit. So that's why his clothing looks the way it does - classic Will.

At the end of his session and after shooting some fun disc golf shots (in his perfect-for-him third outfit), we decided Will would wrap things up by jumping into the lake after one of his discs. He's done this 100 times before and doing it one more time for the camera felt like the perfect way to actually wrap up the session and symbolically wrap up his senior year. So that's why he ended the session soaking wet in the middle of a pond - classic Will.

I had a vision for what Will's senior pictures - the session and the images - would look like, and as I'm sure you've figured out by now, the end result didn't match my vision at all. The end result was better, because it was classic Will.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Classic Will.

BCS friends, I highly recommend Danielle! She fit us in last minute, delivered our photos quickly, and made the entire experience far less stressful than it could have been (especially given the hair and attire debacles 😉). 

The Long and Short of It: Kitten Season

 

After the Harvey Washbangers litter, Americano and Affogato stayed with us for a little under a month. These little caffeinated beverages were a handful, and I admit I was a little relieved when they went to their forever homes. (To be clear, they weren't bad kittens. It's just that some kittens are harder than others to share a bathroom with, and these two 1) didn't believe in personal space and 2) wanted to climb our legs ALL THE TIME which made doing anything in the bathroom something of a challenge.) They were with us long enough - and they were brave enough - to come out into "gen pop," which Popeye greatly enjoyed.

Then this past weekend, we babysat another foster's kittens while they were traveling. The Crackers - Ritz, Cheese-It, Graham, and Triscuit - were timid but otherwise sweet and incredibly easy, as far as fosters go. I know they're going to make wonderful additions to their forever families, so if you're interested in any of them, let me know! (As I'm writing this, Ritz is pre-adopted but the others are still available.)

Ritz

Cheese-It

Triscuit

Graham

We'll have kind of a hard time with long-term foster placements this summer because we're in and out so much, but we hope we can continue to have little ones visit us for short periods of time while their long-term fosters travel themselves!

The Long and Short of It: Wrapping Up Senior Year

Today, (the rest of) the end of senior year. I couldn't believe it was happening while it was happening, and I can't believe now that it's all over and done. 

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Immediately after the Lads historic playoff run ended, Will dove headfirst into Senior Assassin. He's competitive by nature so I think he would have been all in on this game anyway, but having a redirect for his energy and attention following the loss was good for him. His team didn't win the weeks-long game, but not for lack of trying and commitment on Will's part. 😂

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Toward the end of the year, seniors at the kids' high school go on a day-long field trip called Senior Wellness. It's held at a camp outside of College Station, and it's kind of like a mental health day - the kids play games, do ropes course-esque activities, go swimming, and just hang out. Will sent me zero pictures, but a friend who's also a teacher sent me this one.

He's on the top, and apparently he and his teammate
went quite a few more rows before their tower toppled. 

~

Senior Prom and After Prom (an 11pm - 3am party, held at a local event center with basketball, pickleball, spikeball, futsal, volleyball, sand volleyball, esports, an arcade, a casino, SO MUCH FOOD, and $20K worth of prizes and scholarships and created to keep kids safe on a notoriously dangerous night) were both great successes.

Will and Suzy have been friends for years (and I've been friends
with her mom for years, which made prep and pictures easy and
fun), and they were a perfect match for senior prom.

After Prom selfie - taken around midnight,
right before my shift ended and I headed home.

~

Decision Day - lunch, games, and lots of prizes - was another fun event during the last month of school.

Another event, another selfie. Selfies were all
I asked of him during this season of senior fun.

~

The kids' high school principal does a lovely job of honoring PTO members with seniors. I'm not hanging up my PTO hat just yet, but the acknowledgement of time and dedication senior parents have put in - many have served on PTO boards for 13+ years, since their child started kindergarten - is appreciated.

Senior mamas at our last (of this year) PTO meeting.

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Edited to add...Senior Walk! No sure how I forgot to include this rite of passage before I hit "post" the first time. 

In our school district, seniors are invited during the final week of classes to return to their elementary schools - wearing their caps and gowns - and walk the halls one final time. The kindergarten through fourth grade students line the halls, cheering as and high-fiving the big kids as they pass by. It's sweet and a little heart-wrenching at the same time. 

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On the day after graduation, Will's state-qualifing cello quartet - three of whom were seniors and were therefore technically done with high school - traveled to Austin to compete one last time. They scored a "1" on their piece, which was a great way closed out the orchestra chapter of their high school careers.

I don't have a pics of the quartet, but here's Will
and the two friends with whom he road-tripped
to the state competition. I'll miss listening to
them make music together.

~

I'll sign off on senior year shenanigans (though posts about senior pictures and graduation are still coming) with these pictures of Will on his last day of high school. The last picture was taken and sent to me by his physics teacher, right before she had to battle Will's Nerf gun. 

What an incredible ride.