8th grade dance dress

The girls and I went shopping this weekend for a dress for Sadie's 8th grade dance. We found this sparkly little number and Sadie is very pleased with it. We also purchased shoes but we aren't sure they are going to be the final choice. She looks so happy in these pictures; I love the expressions. She is taking the first of the state standardized assessment tests at school this week. Her weekly schedule of extra-curricular activities looks like this right now: Mondays: Band drum-line practice 6-8 pm Tuesdays: Spring League volleyball practice 2 hrs at varying times Wednesdays: Handbell practice at church 4:30-5:30 followed by dinner at church and youth group until 8:00 Thursdays: Spring league volleyball practice Fridays: Usually free This is in addition to the occasional assistant coaching she does for a younger team of volleyball players who are mostly home schooled and in a homeschooling co-op association, coached by a close friend of mine. I anticipate that as she enters high school this fall, her routine will be as busy as this, but I am going to try to help her strike a good balance between home, school, and other activities. She really enjoys all of our church-related funtions and hates to miss the Wednesday nite schedule. Since she is our first born child and my first to go thru the teen years with, this is uncharted waters for me. If any of you out there in blog land would like to comment about your experiences helping busy teens find balance, feel free to comment! Your comments are welcome! Have a great Tuesday.