Our First Graduate!

It was graduation day for Rebecca ... just 2 days after her 18th birthday and as my mind fills with memories looking at the pictures of her life, my tears started spilling down my cheeks. I am so grateful for the beautiful woman she has become and the joy she brings to our family.  When she was about 6 months old I set out a book a football and some other objects on the floor to see which thing she would gravitate too and the book was her first choice. She has filled her life with so many good things and it has been fun to see the adventures she has chosen along the way.

When she was just 3 or 4 she loved playing pretend... especially Mary and Joseph from her favorite living scriptures video.  I love hearing the scriptural insights and testimony she shares with our family now.

I started teaching her piano at age 4 and later she switched to violin lessons. Although neither really became her passion, it is so refreshing to hear her singing as she plays her ukelele to relax or watching and she sang in the Musettes choir at her own graduation.

As a young child, Rebecca gravitated to books a lot more than the outdoors so I never envisioned that she would become an athlete.  Through her amazing discipline, she was able to get new personal records almost every time in cross country and then she joined the track team and has made so many amazing friends through these activities.

Senor and Lady Fair

This is a picture of Rebecca and Jacob playing "Senor" and "Lady Fair."  For one school assignment when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she replied "a farmer's wife."
Rebecca is super creative and I especially loved reading her writings in elementary school before acadamia took over.  It just makes me smile to read over the "will" she wrote for herself as a child and see pictures of her Halloween costumes as a billboard and tip junkie.

Halloween Costume - Billboard

Family Art Relay

I feel so lucky to have her as our first child. She has been so helpful with her younger siblings and always packed her babysitting kit full of fun activities to do with the neighbors.

Rebecca in the play "Annie"

She has had a lot of great friends over the years but is probably best friends with Emily who she has shared a room with almost her entire life. Even as a teenager, she begged not to have her own room and I have loved seeing them grow so close through the years.

 

 

Debate Tournament

Rebecca has been super scholastically motivated from the start of school. She won several awards when she participated in the debate team as a freshman, but she later switched to more stress-relieving high school activities like cross country, Key Club President, ukelele club, track, FCCLA and choir. She graduated with highest honors and all of her fears about not being able to save enough for college can be put aside.  She is probably my most frugal child and hates to spend her money!  She received scholarship offers from Utah State, BYU and BYU-Idaho and will start attending BYU-I in the fall to begin her pursuit of a degree in Dietetics.

Cross Country

Prepping for FCCLA Nationals

First trip to Rexburg home

First Date

Young Women in Excellence

Rebecca has been very self-motivated in young women's to complete her personal progress goals without much encouragement from me and I especially have enjoyed reading over her journaling of spiritual goals and growth through the years.