Kendall the 'Teenager'.

I am not sure how time went so fast, but I have an official teenager on my hands.  So far, 13 has started out well.  Honestly, I am enjoying 13 way more than I enjoyed 12.  Kendall wanted a sleepover birthday party this year.  We decorated the house in preparation for her day.

Kendall loves succulents, but has had little success remembering to water them.  She asked for a few non destructible (fake) succulents for her birthday.  We decided to use them as her table centerpiece.

The girls had an amazing time.  Dinner was orange chicken and rice, as per the birthday girl's request.

There were a number of tear provoking cards from her friends.  I remember this age.  Friends are everything.  She has been fortunate to find a good group of girls.  Yes, they have their friendship trials, but it is safe and the underlying message is 'I am here for you." 

Hannah and Kendall are so supportive of each other.  They have both been through so much this past year, as loss has occurred and family dynamics have changed.  They seem to be supportive of each other rather than pull each other down.  My friend Holly and I had a scripture that we would always go to which describes that kind of friendship.  I found a beautiful explanation of it here:  Proverbs 27:17 tells us to sharpen each other: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” When I think about this passage, I think about two iron rods rubbing together. As the friction increases, the heat between them increases, allowing them to create a spark between them. Although it may be uncomfortable for the rods to rub in that way, the spark that results, when fanned, becomes a flame that can’t be contained.

I took the girls to evening ice skating.  We stopped and got jumbo sized Dutch Bros coffees on the way home, naturally.  The girls did yoga at midnight, tried a bunch of new charcoal masks and beauty tricks and generally had a giggly good time.

Sidney had set up a photo booth for all of us to have some fun with.

Here is to a great start to a great year.  I am blessed to call this beautiful teenager my daughter!