let's celebrate

Brett was so excited about the all-night party at the high school after the graduation ceremony.  I let him get an energy drink- and after about ten minutes - I started pouring a little down the drain every time he stepped out of the room.  He managed to stay up the whole night with half the caffeine in his system and have a great time.

The grad party was the following weekend.  We rented a shelter at a city park, and it was a lovely celebration. So many family and friends from school, sports, church, and our community came out to honor Brett's accomplishment!  We had most of the food catered by a former football teammate of Bryan's who owns a BBQ food truck business.  MeeMaw made the desserts, and Papa helped with all the last-minute tasks! Lydia painted some rocks to help with the wind.

Grandpa built this display with some help from Brett, and Grandma made the tableclothes.  Both will be used again soon!

My parents hosted an after-party cookout for family at their house.

 

It ended with watching some home videos!  I'm smiling just thinking about how everything came together with the help of those who love Brett!

Brett got a job as an event attendant at the city's public venue.  It's a large building that contains the library, an indoor playground, a gym, a small amphitheatre, an indoor garden, and various spaces to rent for meetings and events. He likes it, and it could lead to more opportunities through the city.  He is also attending a transitional school through our school district.  He continues to participate in Special Olympics and has initiated attending the young adults ministry at our church.  He remains a passionate fan of the Timberwolves - a love that he shares with his girlfriend. 😊Yes, we are actively progressing toward adulthood at his pace. I'm proud of him.

Congratulations, Graduate!

There was some drama over the graduation venue this year.  It was supposed to be held at an arena on the U of M's campus - as it was held the previous year. However, due to security concerns, the U of M canceled all high school graduation bookings without much time to pivot. The district was able to secure the Vikings' practice facility as the venue. What worked out in our favor was that each graduate could have up to 10 guests, but the disadvantage was that it was an outdoor facility, and there was rain in the forecast.  There wasn't a rainout plan.  It did rain - just enough to create a rainbow for a breathtaking backdrop!

prom

Ironically, I'm posting about prom while I'm waiting for the last teenager to come home from homecoming. I've come to the conclusion that parenting babies and teens have this in common: sleep deprivation. 

Lydia and Brett both went to prom with friends this spring.  We made a little bigger deal out of it for Brett since it was his senior year and only prom. I told Lydia we would pay for one prom and she decided it would be her senior year.  So she bought a used dress for $4 and Grandma altered it.   

 

Brett went with his group of 8 besties plus two of their dates. The eight played adaptive sports (Thunderbolt's) together and were all seniors!  The parents split the cost of a limo party bus, and it was a night to remember for sure!

DECA, voting, and student of the trimester

Brett decided to try some new things this year.  One was floor hockey, and another was DECA.  Having taken all the ceramics classes, he took some business and marketing, and personal finance classes this year. He made a connection with the teacher, and joined DECA.  Brett had the opportunity to attend regional and state competitions!  His teacher also awarded him with the Student of the Trimester for the business department.

Another milestone for Brett in January was he voted for the first time!  It was a special election and ironically we got to vote for a good friend of ours.  That was easy for him to decide!

Happy 18th Birthday, Brett!

Brett had a fun 18th birthday in December.  He chose to take some friends to a trampoline park to celebrate.  Can you tell Brett loves basketball and the Timberwolves?  There will be many more posts about Brett, his senior year, and graduating, so I will keep this one simple!

 

Highlights from Brett's Floor Hockey Season

Brett decided to do adapted floor hockey instead of basketball for his winter sport.  

When I look back on Brett's high school experience, Thunderbolt's adapted sports is one of the biggest wins. Brett gained confidence, leadership skills, and social skills that would not have emerged solely in the classroom. The highlights from Thunderbolts, regardless of what sport they were playing, came in the form of potentially lifelong friendships.  

Video Link

Brett's adapted soccer highlights

Adapted soccer was a fun season, leading to a trip to the state tournament.  At State, they overcame some big challenges and placed 2nd!  The most surprising part of the season was that our goalie went on a vacation and Brett was assigned the job.  He did great!

Brett built a bridge

At his summer internship, Brett worked with a crew that built this bridge and learned how to clear buckthorn.

Highlights from Basketball and Softball

Yikes!  Brett is a senior and he's expecting me to have all of these videos complete and compiled into one playlist for his grad party!  It's crunch time!

Junior year's basketball seasons included the city rec league and Special Olympics league.  Link. 

He also played in two softball leagues!  He played for the Minnesota State High School League adapted softball, which is basically wiffle ball, and played in a gym.  Springs can be pretty cold and wet in Minnesota, so we appreciate the climate control!  In the state tournament, Brett hit 3 out-of-the-park home runs and was intentionally walked - which we believe is a state record! He was named a member of the All-Tournament Team. 

He also played in the Special Olympics softball league, which is played on standard softball fields with softballs in the summer!  He proved himself as a slugger there, too, hitting many home runs and one over the fence!

Here is the video and link.

Brett's Adapted Soccer Highlights

I'm writing this post during a break in a volleyball tournament.  As we're wrapping up winter sports, I'm so happy to be finally finishing up the fall sports highlights videos! 

Brett enjoyed his second season playing adapted soccer for our district's team.  His job is usually to camp out by our goal and attempt to score. The Thunderbolt's won our section and made it to the state tournament.  There is a really good player on Stillwater's team, and we lost to them once in the regular season and then again in the state tournament.  Fortunately, he's a senior, so maybe we can beat Stillwater next year!

Brett has made some great friendships by playing on the Thunderbolt's and I am so thankful for the program.