My granddaughter, Bradleigh, is Sweet 16 today. Sixteen years ago John came out to the waiting room with her and said, "she has red hair and can't be named Jennifer - we'll have to come up with a different name." When he told us her name would be Bradleigh Susanne O'Shaughnessy Karen said, "Oh, John, she's going to hate you when she's in Kindergarten because that is a long name and a lot of letters to learn to spell." She was named after John's best man, Brad Kime, and Karen's maid of honor, Jennifer Susanne Uhlorn.
My life changed dramatically when she was born. I remember my brother Don saying to me, "I can't believe how googely-eyed you are over that baby." Well he's a grandpa now and I've seen that same look in his eyes when Peyton runs to his arms.
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| 1996 |
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| 2011 |
I treasure our annual together pictures! It means so much to me that she endures this picture taking time.
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| 2003 |
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| 2005 |
Grandma Delores found this great key chain for her and attached a bunch of old keys and told a great story to go with it. "One day Bradleigh said to me, 'Grandma I hope you are not going to walk into school with all those keys because someone will think you are the janitor.'"
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| Riley and Bradleigh |
Colin picked out a another key chain and Duane gave her some black dice for her 1992 Honda Accord, which she'll be able to drive all by herself on Tuesday when she gets her license! She's already passed both the written and driving tests. I think Bradleigh will be a great driver and I'll let her drive anytime she's with me - she laughed at the way I drove in Denver!!
When I was a teenager the Crests had a popular song called, "Sixteen Candles"
The song became the inspiration for my gift to Bradleigh. I baked a small cake and rolled 16 $10 bills up in pink and black scrapbooking paper and insisted that she listen to the song on my IPAD. It was better than trying to sing it myself. I wrote a little poem to go with the gift and I hope that all those wishes I have for her will someday come true.
Happy birthday,
happy birthday, Bradleigh
Oh, I love you so
Sixteen candles
make a lovely light
But not as bright
as your eyes tonight
Blow out the
candles
Make your wish come
true
For I'll be wishing sixteen things
for you, That
You never have to
wear braces again
You always have gas
money to go to your favorite places
Your brother
becomes one of your best friends
You discover how
smart your parents are
You take time to be
with your grandmas when they are old
You keep a song in
your heart and continue to play the piano
You laugh often and
much and win the affection of children
You reach out to
the less fortunate in our society
You are fine
wearing sweatshirts and your closet can hold all your shoes
You honor and
respect God’s creation
You get to go back
to Disneyland and on to New York City,
Norway, and
Australia
Your family
appreciates your expert cooking abilities
You will always
enjoy watching the Sound of Music
You are the most
outstanding Volleyball Setter in the State
You can always find
cinnamon rolls
God blesses you
with peace, love, and respect of others
You're only sixteen
But you're my teenage beauty queen
You're the
prettiest
Loveliest
granddaughter I've ever seen
Sixteen candles in
my heart will glow
For ever and ever
for I love you so
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