Happy 12th Birthday~

 S is 12 years old today!  

TWELVE.....time is flying past.

S is a wonderful, witty, kind, smart, generous and loving girl. Always smiling, ready to help, loves to play. She is comfortable around her peers, grown ups and younger kids. She is endlessly patient and tirelessly energetic and always optimistic.

Above all she is so much fun. She makes me laugh with her witty remarks and is great company to hang out with.

She still wakes up on the weekend and asks "So what fun things are we doing today, Mama?".  I was looking though some old photos the other day of when she was born, her first steps, her baby talk.....

....And now I have this beautiful pre-teen who at 5ft 5 inches is practically my height. With pretty freckles and shiny hair. How did I get so lucky!

New experiences this past year:

- She started middle school so that was a big milestone. She loves the independence, leaning to be responsible for her work, having lockers, etc

- She is taking viola lessons and loving it. She is really good at it and getting 100% in every test they have taken so far this year. I am so excited that she genuinely enjoys her lessons and practicing at home.

- She learned to drive a golf cart!

- She got a phone - albeit it had no Google, You Tube or access to anything Internet related.  BUT, she can call and text her friends which she loves and take endless pictures of horses!!  She is not allowed to get on any school group chat since I think that is where things go sideways

- She is dealing with puberty so we have had to change the hair care and body care items I had been using since she was a toddler. We switched out her baby hair all-in-one shampoo/conditioner, for a separate shampoo and conditioner specially formulated for teens which has really helped her hair.  I also got her an amazing face wash which helped with pre-teen acne. She is using it daily as part of her routine and is happy with the results. 

- She is continuing with her riding lessons and I while I wish she had picked a less dangerous sport, I am proud that she has a passion that drives her. 

- She has a great group of friends, and is well liked among her peers and her teachers.

- She continues to excel in school. She got all A+ in this past semester with a 98 in Advanced Math. I have noticed that she is getting really good about doing her preparation before tests without fussing. She realizes there are "heavy" weeks where there may be multiple tests/assignments due and one has to work hard, and then there are "light" weeks when there is less work and time to play with friends after school.

- She still loves the outdoors and her current favorite game is jumping over home made hurdles - like a horse! At least it gets her energy out.

- We still have Mama - S time daily. Sometimes we watch family shows on Netflix, play board games, play badminton outside or go for walks. 

She is not using make-up yet but she can use lip gloss on special occasions. I know most of her friends are doing their eyebrows, shaving legs and using make up, but I think she is much too young for that right now.  

What S did today:-

Woke up to a nice waffle breakfast and presents from me. In school, her friends decorated her locker and her classmates in 5 of her 6 classes sang Happy Birthday. 

When she got home, I gave her some flowers and then she had two sets of friends drop by with gifts, and they played a bit. After they left, she showered and got ready for dinner out with me and my Mom. My sis and BIL are out of town but had dropped off her gifts earlier.  We went to her fav restaurant where they gave her a free dessert. 

Then back home to open family presents, most of which were horse related items, such as a halter and lead rope! 

Another set of friends dropped by (neighbors) with more gifts. We then dropped my Mom bac to her place, and now S is all tired and in bed.

A lovely day, indeed!

Her "big" 12th birthday present from me is next week....more to come on that later....