Happy 13th, CC!!

I can hardly believe it, but CC is a teenager! She's officially in her 13-year-old era, as a true Swiftie would say.

I have no delusions that she's a grown-up, but I've definitely noticed a huge jump in maturity this year. Despite her occasional lapses into bickering or disobedience, she has surprised me several times with some grown-up decisions. For example, in the fall, she decided she wanted to quit her swim team. The practices were getting much tougher; practicing four times a week precluded her from doing other activities she was interested in; and her diminutive size made it difficult for her to keep up with her peer group. I told her that was fine, but she couldn't quit in the middle of the season; she had to wait until the season was over. For the next few months, getting her to practice was painful. She complained, she whined, she came up with every possible excuse to miss practices. And then all of a sudden, her attitude turned around. She stopped complaining and trying to get out of practices, and she was full of smiles when I picked her up afterwards. At first, I was so relieved that I was afraid to say anything for fear I would jinx it. But finally, when the peaceful period had gone on for a while, I told her how proud I was of her for changing her mentality. She casually said, "Oh, I made a New Year's resolution to have a better attitude about swim."

What? That's it?? I wish all troubling behaviors were so easily fixed!

She's becoming increasingly devout as well, which is gratifying to see. She's wholly committed to altar serving whenever possible, and she's really enjoying her weekly youth group meetings at the church (which surprisingly include quite a lot of catechism). 

Most things haven't changed. She still loves sushi, and her favorite color is still pink. Clara, Scarlett and Patricia are still her closest friends. She still draws all the time, and dances and sings around the house. She is late to the Taylor Swift game; however, she's making up for lost time by already knowing 99% of Taylor's lyrics, titles and albums. When she grows up, she wants to be a fashion designer, but she says she'll major in business just so she has something practical to fall back on. She still wants to go to college here in her hometown, so she can live with us, and wear my wedding dress when she gets married. I love her sentimentality, but I tell her that her ideas could absolutely change before she gets to college or marriage, and that's okay!

This little one of ours -- she's pretty special. Happy 13th birthday, CC! We hope you always remember it, and how much you're loved!