The Ambitious Life

 Levi, You are changing all the time and you are starting to look like a young man.  You have moved upstairs for middle school and church and are LOVING it!  Grandma gave you a camera for your birthday and you love to show me the pictures you are taking.  I see a creativity in you that is emerging and I love it!  You are thoughtful and analytical.  You are observant and try to figure out the world around you. You LOVE to read and devour books.  It is hard to keep you in good books.  You also like to play Nintendo a lot and it's been fun to watch you figure out different games and how to get past the challenging parts.   You are almost done (I think) with your braces and have done a great job with them.  I know it hasn't always been comfortable and you are probably really missing apples :)  I am excited to see how your mouth feels when you don't have to deal with any of it any more! I am so proud of who you are and who you are b...

 Grace Louise, You my dear are hitting the teen years fast and hard.  Glory, you have gone from little kid to (almost) full grown adult almost over night and while it is glorious to watch it is also hard on my momma heart.  Keep going though.  It delights me to watch you work through different situations and to see you figure out how to navigate relationships and circumstances.  You have grown so much in the past year and have become characterized by (mostly) wide decision making, choosing good friends, and recognizing when you need help. You are VERY into makeup, skin care, hair design, and more.  Your current plan is to study cosmetology and I can't wait to see you jump into this.  I think this will be perfect for you.  You are such a huge help to me by doing the little girls' hair when we have places to be and you have recently started cutting the boys' hair.  You also have started babysitting at other people's houses and it's just cool to...

  Timothy, You are such a FUN kid.  Seriously.  You make the best faces, you are expressive, and you make yourself known.  While you don't love talking to people you don't know, you aren't shy.  You are quick to make friends and everyone who knows you, loves you.   You still like dinosaurs but you aren't quite as obsessed.  Minecraft and Pokemon has taken over some of your brain space :)  It's fun watching you learn new things and try new things out.  You like to trade Pokemon cards with friends and tend to come home with STACKS of them! You like to try new things and you have really liked rollerblades lately.  Dad and I bought you some for your birthday because you use the big girls' and they are too big!!   I am really proud of you kiddo.  You like to sing me Believer by Imagine Dragons to me.  It's super fun.  You also do the Wii Dance moves and song to "Take On Me" and it is HILARIOUS. Keep being sweet y...

 Abi, You are a joy and a delight!  Goodness, you are 13!  It is so fun watching you grow up.  You are starting to care a little more about fashion and makeup although you haven't been completely sucked into that world.  You are figuring out new ways to express yourself and I love it.  You are completely obsessed with the Keeper of the Lost Cities books still.  Ya know, I ought to read them.  :)  You LOVE to read and it is so fun to watch...I was concerned you would hate it always. Anyway, your big thing this year was saving up to get a snake. You worked SO hard to earn money and asked for money for your birthday.  Miracle - a set up was donated to the thrift store which got you there SO much faster!  Kernel Benson Barkley Stenson joined us on the 23rd.  I love him (her?).  You do too.  He's small and a cutie and I am SO glad it worked out! I am so glad to be a teenager mom now.  It is so cool.  Stay true to...

 Faith,  I love you soooooo much!  This year I started calling you Faith Potato because Rae was Rae Bean.  We decided (you decided) that was the best vegetable for you.  But I'm not allowed to call you that in front of people :)  You are so fun and sweet.  You like to be around the big kids but you are also really good at finding things to do on your own.  You recently started playing Nintendo and ask me to play every day!   School is starting soon and you are looking forward to it.  I think you're excited to learn to read this year!  You are a joy and a delight.  It is so fun to watch your face of concentration as you are working on an art project or practicing your letters.  You absolutely love co-op and are excited to be in the "big kid" class this year.  You are smart, creative, and a joy to be around.  I am so glad you're my girl! Love you always, Momma   Birthday cake: chocolate with buttercream ...

 Happy birthday! You are my little tornado.  You are constantly moving and talking and it is a joy and a delight to see you take in the world around you.  You are a spider monkey - you love to leap off of things and on to people and you completely trust they will just catch you.  You love to give me hugs and kisses.  You love all things Paw Patrol and you are happy to play with people or by yourself. You have big feelings all the time and have perfected the fake "I'm so sad" look.  Sometimes we give in but we're on to you :)  You really like to "do schoolwork" while the big kids do school and often ask to do lessons on the tablet on Starfall or Reading Eggs.   Going with Dad or me anywhere is a big treat.  You are creative and full of make believe fun.   You are a joy little one and I am so thankful I get to be your momma.  Today you told me you were going to be a hair salon when you grow up and you were going to have 10 k...