Celebrating Early!

Kami turns THIRTEEN on Wednesday! We have already started celebrating! Here is our family get together last night. I got a few of Kami and the camera-magnet, Maggie.

Brace Face!

Did We Look Like This in 7th grade???

Kami just finished up a 5 week etiquette and dance class, with a finale being a formal dinner and dance at Southern Hills Country Club. Here are the 30 girls gorgeous young women and boys who participated.

Here is a little zoom in on Kami and three of her friends. I know I am biased towards these girls, but is their beauty not, well, um, outstanding if not a little disturbing? What happened to the "ugly duckling stage" that girls go through? Or was that a little story that my mom told me to make me feel better about my middle school years? (Similar to the story that cotton candy tasted like peanut butter?!! I believed that one for years!! I hated peanut butter so I never ate cotton candy)

See for yourself below the ugly duckling in 7th grade. I actually had to drag out this picture so I could verify my thoughts on how I looked in 7th grade. I wanted so badly to have Farrah Fawcettish hair, but it did not work out for me. Granted I was not dressed up in this pic, but I have some of those pictures too from 8th grade graduation, and believe me, it was not one of my proudest moments. The saving grace of this picture is that I had just started wearing contacts! You should see my 6th grade school picture with my big brownish plastic spectacles. I really loved those glasses. I'll spare you that picture for now. Back to Kami's event...

Here is Kami and her cousin James. My dad's brother's daughter's son, also a 7th grader and part of the cotillion.

I got to go take pictures of the kids as they arrived at the dinner and dance. This horrified Kami. And she was thrilled to see me walking my hiney out the door for the rest of the evening.

Kami and everyone we talked to had a wonderful time at the dinner and dance. They had to use all their table manners and other etiquette lessons throughout the evening. They danced using different dance steps and with different partners.

I don't know exactly what to think. Maybe every generation thinks the next one is "growing up way too fast." It just hard yet a blessing to see our 12 1/2 year old making such strides towards being a young woman. My prayer is that her inner beauty is what will shine... her love for God and others. And to answer the question posed in my post title, HECK NO!!!!

First Day of School

We are now the proud parents of one 7th grader...plus a third grader and a first grader.

Heavens to Besty... this is freaking me out!!!

Growin' Up Girl

It happened to Kami and now it's happening to my "little one."

She's growing up.
Last weekend she grew up more than usual.
She went from having long kiddy hair....To a cool big girl cut....Opened up her own bank account...and played in a piano competition I would just close my eyes and ignore the growing, but I'd miss the beauty of all of it.

firsts/lasts

first
day of sixth grade
last
year before she is in middle schoolfirst
day of third grade
last
day before she really has to memorize the times tables (eek!)
first
day of school
last
time my baby will be in kindergarten

A Penny Saved Makes Momma Happy

Kamryn Rae requested that she be allowed to open her own savings account... so on her 11th birthday, that's what we did!

That birthday money isn't gonna burn a hole in her pocket!

Looking so Grown Up...

...this Sunday morning.

Little Miss Independent

Well, she's officially off!

It's 4:30 in the morning, and Tom just got Kami packed into the car headed to the airport to get on a flight to Raleigh, North Carolina.

By herself.

Yup, you read it right! She is flying as an unaccompanied minor, and though I've heard that those kids flying alone get some cushy treatment, she is feeling pretty grown up.

In fact, I have a hunch she'd rather fly alone than in a group of people. You should have seen the look on her face this morning as she popped out of bed at 4:00 A.M!!!

She's traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina for the ORU vs. North Carolina basketball game. Ummmm.... yep, the Tarheels are currently undefeated and the #1 team in the nation, but Tom and I figured that even if ORU got beat by 50 (God forbid!!) that it would be a memorable experience for her. She loves the history of basketball, and the Dean Dome is a pretty historic. Every time for the rest of her life she sees NC on TV, she will have that experience to refer to. She loves our team. She loves watching our games. So, it is our Christmas gift to her.

And...
One of her best cousins on Tom's side of the family lives in Raleigh. So, she gets some time with Jennifer, who she sees, at best, once a year.

The girl is pumped.

Even though I don't really understand it, being the ball of emotional complexity that I am, I am so thankful for the solid and unflappable personality God gave her. She didn't miss a beat when I asked her if she'd be willing to fly alone (the tickets on Tom's flight were waaay expensive). She is savoring the moment of pure independence.

I pray God's strong hand of protection upon her as she travels this weekend. I pray God will bless her with a wonderful trip, and that she will rely upon Him in her time away. We talked about her true source of strength and protection and wisdom and I pray she will seek God if there is a moment she feels unsure about something.

It's an interesting moment as a parent to look up and see your child so willing to walk away. I guess it starts when they are little toddlers running away from you as fast as their chunky little legs can go, and you have to run after them and swoop them up. This time, I won't be running after her, but I will be swooping her up when she flies home on Sunday!!!

Ellie is Eight

Our Wonderful, Beautiful, Outgoing, Hilarious, Thoughtful, Sensitive, Original, Adventurous, Independent, Loving, Curious, Spiritual, Precious, Grown-up Eight Year Old. My My, The Time Just Goes a-flyin' by.

Would YOU take the challenge?

For Kami and Lizzie's 10th Birthday, we had their party at an amazing ropes course. Thank goodness they had an indoor facility as well as outdoor since it was 105 degrees outside. I thought we might pass out in the parking lot walking into the party. But once we got inside the air conditioned building, the girls had a fantastic time.

The first half of the day, the girls played games that challenged them as well as built teamwork and unity. Since these girls will all be attending the same school next year, it was perfect timing. They got to know each other (they come from 2 different schools), and by dinnertime were acting like old pals.

After dinner, cake and presents, they got harnessed up and took on the high ropes. It was pretty cool to see them brave the 16 different elements, and also, several of them overcame serious nerves to finish the course. They finished by riding the zipline down.... and then some of them climbed the gargantuan rock wall as a second finale. How their little legs held up is a mystery to me.

But afterwards with shaky legs and sweaty faces, we drove home feeling tired, exhilirated and proud. And for Kami and Lizzie, one year older.

Just one problem: I don't think we'll be able to top this party! It was just too much fun. Thanks Chere, for helping me put this together. And one more thing, just in case you're wondering.... here are my feelings on my daughter turning (unbelievable) TEN.

Harnessed up and ready to go...
Look at that monstrous thing behind the girls... THAT is what they climbed!Tom took the challenge! He went up first to encourage the girls and help guide them through.Kami on one of the shakier elements... Lizzie concentrating on the tightropeKami near the top of the rock wall!

Anything To Get The Focus Off That Last Post

I have been mortified all day. I confessed my embarrassing moments on the World Wide Web, and now I am cringing. So, moving on.....here's something kind of funny....6 grown women dressed in the fashions of our teenage years. We had a ball with it, looking through old pics and cracking up at some of the old 80's styles like.... (remember any of these?)

shoulder pads

HUGE hair

tulip rings

Laura Ashley dresses

puffy sleeves

Acid Dyed Jeans

Banana Clips

Jelly Shoes

Sailor Dresses

Swatches

Friendship Pin Bracelets

Neon color clothes

Big Plastic Earrings

The Madonna Look

Worry Doll Hairclips

Izods

Layered shirts

Leggings

We laughed and reminisced for a long time. But it all had a purpose. We are using a study called Secret Keeper Girls with our daughters this summer to try to teach them a little about how to be the girls God made them to be, and this was Date #5. After poking fun at old fashions, I spent some time with the girls talking about fashion and how fashion is not bad, it's fun! However, girls must pay attention to how they are presenting themselves through what they wear. It gave me the chance to talk with them about wearing clothes that present the right message of who they are. And just because other people are wearing it, doesn't mean it's OK for you! I am so glad I got the opportunity to speak to the girls about this, and doing this along with other moms and daughters helps them feel like they are not the only ones! Plus, I got the chance to don one of my favorite 80's fashions: the drop-waisted floral dress with shoulder pads embellished with large bows. Too bad I couldn't get the big hair going. I tried, but my hair just isn't quite the same as it was back in the good ole eighties.

I Don't Have a Problem with Ten

I Like 10.

I Don't Have a Problem with Ten.

Sure, it's double digits,

but you still have baby teeth

and you ask for a hug every night when you go to bed.

Ten isn't so bad.

I mean, YES you are a decade old, born in the 90's,

but Ten, it's not all it's chalked up to be!

I can still remember how you looked on your first day of kindergarten.

and wasn't it just a couple years ago you were learning cursive?
You're just one year removed from Elementary School, baby!
10 is fine.
I'm fine with 10.
Really, I am.
It's those other numbers that scare me.
Like 2. Two years from Middle School.
Now that's making me a little uncomfortable.
And 4. Four years from being a freshman.
Wow, that's fierce. I do NOT like that number.
Then there is 6. I do not like 6 at all.
Thats' six years from driving.
No kidding.
But the worst number, the meanest number of all
is 8. That is two less than 10 and a short eight years
until you leave us for better things.
Maybe by then 8 won't be such a scary number
a number that already brings tears to my eyes.
But for now I'm liking 10.
I don't have a problem with ten.
Ten is a fabulous number.

I Kid You Not

I must begin with this DISCLAIMER:

While I never condone outlandish behavior, I nevertheless embrace the Princess of Hearts and her offbeat personality. I am no fan of tattoos, piercings or the like (I have lots of friends with tattoos... who I adore... just isn't for me), and my posting of this subject is not meant to embolden her on this matter. However, I love my daughter dearly. I trust God with my daughter's life, and I believe with all my heart that he is leading and guiding her. She has a heart that is sensitive to his Will.... she cried in her bed at night for months because she wanted to be bap-uh-tized. Her words were "my heart is telling me to do something for God!" I think she cried because she hadn't followed through on it. All that to say that this daughter of mine just does and says some of the lovliest yet craziest things. Case in point:

Most of her friends have their ears pierced. Her sister's ears were pierced at 7 and recently, Hallie and Brooke had theirs pierced. People have been asking her about it, and she always kind of shrugs apologetically. She really doesn't want to do it . So, I thought I'd better back her up on that. I encouraged her one day: "Honey, if you never get your ears pierced, that is just fine with me! Mommy doesn't care if you do or don't. I think you will be beautiful either way." Without missing a beat, she looked up at me with her piercing blue gray eyes and said dryly, "so what would you think if I got my lip pierced? What would you think if I got my nose pierced?" At least she asked me what I would think about it, but at that point I didn't know what to say! Do I freak out and scream "NO WAY?" or say "Yeah, cool?" I chose to just brush it off and pray for the best... that was until I found her with a nose piercing! See below! It turned out to be a little, silver, sticky, scrapbooking charm that she thought would look just perfect decorating her nose.

I can probably (not probably, definitely... what, am I dreaming?) count on one hand the years I have left to capture the magic of this shot. It's going too fast....

The Gap

I'm looking at Ellie as much as I can. I'm keeping my eye on that GAP in her mouth. I'm enjoying it like I would a warm cup of tea or a funny movie on a lazy Saturday night. I'm watching those rubbery, swollen, gums like a mom watching her kid get on the school bus for the first time. Because I know that GAP is not just a GAP in her mouth, but a GAP in time that will eventually be a bridge between Babyhood and Teenageville. I adore my sweet, little girl who still likes to read The Runaway Pancake, play with blocks and thinks family meetings are cool. (After our last one, she said, "Mom, that was a GREAT family meeting. When can we have another one?") She eats up life like she gobbles up gummy bears. She is innocent; she is awesome; she is a free spirit. And although I pray those characteristics won't change, I cannot stop the fact that my "little one" is going to grow up and those big, white, rectangles will soon invade her mouth and fill that lovely GAP. They will look awkwardly big for her head for a while before she blossoms into the grown up girl God has made her to be....... but before that happens, I am just going to keep my eye on the GAP.

Our Little Girl Is Growing Up...

These ARE the days....

In the hustle and rush of the season, I often let myself become too focused on the frustrating details like getting the dried green icing out of Ellie's hair and figuring out if Kami's tights are TOO tight. Do we have a bigger pair? Can you wear these even though they hang down 6 inches? Luke, why are you taking off your shoes again? Do NOT throw them down the stairs! These everyday annoyances have to be attended to, but they take my mind away from where it should be... the joy of watching my kids grow and learn. Seeing them interact with their grandparents and cousins. These are the moments I know I will look back on and whisper to myself, "those were the days." To be able to spend such precious time with my sister and her family, to see our children grow up together is an amazing blessing. God Himself has intertwined our lives together. I rest in that as sometimes the basketball world can be difficult on us. But I find great strength in the fact that He has allowed us to do it together. And with the support of loving family and friends, who mean more than they could ever, ever know. Mom, Dad and Carolyn are our anchors; they center us and shower all of us with love and support. I guess the beauty of the Christmas season brings out these emotions that are certainly down in my heart everyday of my life. I just don't want them to be overshadowed by crusty icing, tiny tights, missing shoes and lost basketball games. I am unspeakably thankful for where God has led us and where He is leading us now. Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Finally...

Ellie's tooth has been loose for months now. She wouldn't let anyone but her Kiki touch it. Aunt Kiki has been the major tooth-puller for Kami, and I guess has developed a good reputation for tooth-pulling. However, Kiki was never able to get ahold of the slippery little tic-tac of a tooth and Ellie's permanent tooth began growing in behind the snaggly thing. Anyway, inspired by her friend Kyndal, Ellie gained the courage to twist, turn, push and pull her tooth until poof... she pulled it out all on her own, just like Kyndal did! Ellie was so proud of herself. Now, if she could just get the guts up to work on the other loose one!