15!

 Happy Birthday Darling Girl!

We sat at the table finishing crepes and reading this blog from when you were little and I had tears pouring down my face, 75% from laughing and 25% from missing you so much as a baby/toddler.

But it definitely made me want to get on here and write about you NOW as a teenager! You are a full-fledged teenager, 15 is the real deal, and I hope I can capture you as well now as I did then. 

You are BRAVE. You have moved a bunch, and it has only made you more outgoing, confident, and self-aware. You had tough experiences in middle school, but they made you so much stronger and mature. You are becoming the most amazing young woman. You care so deeply about being a good person, being kind, and balancing that with fairness and standing up for yourself. It makes friendships a challenge because the girls around you are either dumb, insecure, or manipulative. You are such a genuine person that it makes relationships hard because you don't always understand why or when girls are not being real. 

YOU, my dear, are as amazing as ever. Right now, you are very much looking forward to driving. You just passed your permit test with a 100%!! I have taken you quite a bit around the neighborhood already, and you caught on quick. You are safe and cautious. You want a car with a sunroof so bad! 

You love EVERYTHING! You love to travel and have grown into trying so many new things. You are as always our adventure girl and will always "go for it". Like riding Tiana late at night and getting soaked! Look at that smile, that is you to your core, just FUN and carefree!

You just got a 4 on your first AP exam, and we are so proud of you! You are an excellent student and work hard at getting good grades. You will join Student Council next year, and I hope you love it. You are not sure what you want to be when you grow up, but right now auditioning for Saturday Night Live is pretty high on your dream list! We think you are definitely funny enough to make it! You are soooo witty and clever and quick. You keep us constantly laughing so hard we are gasping for air. 

One thing that kills me is your deep devastation at still having braces. The way you LOATHE your orthodontist is mad crazy. You have me rolling when you are telling me how much you can't stand him and how he won't simply answer your question of, "when are these braces coming off?" I love how teenager you are!

You LOVE face care and make-up. You are DEDICATED to washing your face every night and taking excellent care of yourself. You like a good routine and often set up ab exercises and workout goals that you meet with commitment. You are very very good at aesthetic beauty. You have an eye for clothes, makeup, hair, you're just very very stylish. You LOVE to shop. Legitimately it is 50% of what you think about. Your favorite store is Brandy Melville, and we have scoured the world to go to stores, from Amalfi Coast to NYC to LA.

You have joined the tennis team and love playing the sport. You are so talented! I love watching you give your best to everything you do. 

You do also love to stick that dang tongue out!

Your BFF is Emma Dixon and I think I am still pretty high on the list. ;) You still adore and get along with your siblings. You all stay close through TikTok and Snap. I love your individual relationships with each sibling. You adore Nugget and only half roll your eyes when we talk about him being the baby...no boy...Brynnly has secured that spot and she revels in it!

You are adamant about not having kids when you grow up. You babysit a lot right now, and it is NOT your favorite thing. You crack me up with some of your tales. Little kids boggle your mind, whereas big kids utterly annoy you. I keep telling you you're going to have all boys, and that absolutely sends you into a panic. "Why would you curse me like that?!?", you say sincerely. Your face in this picture says it all. Not amused...in the least.

We have an ice cream tradition on Mondays after school that I love. I love being your bestie and snuggling with you. You are a freaking boss at massages, and I crave a good foot rub from you. You crave one back too, so we have a good system worked out. 

You are wonderful in every possible way! I love how intuitive you are. I love your tenderhearted and good humor! You do hate being left out or being teased, you just love being adored, and truly, you are! You are our baby and there is nobody we'd rather be with than you!!!