It's funny. When my children were small, and I was often frazzled trying to meet all their needs and demands, people would often say to me, "If you think this is bad, just wait until they are teenagers!" with an ominous tone. Well, I now have more teenagers than anything else and I have no toddlers anymore. I miss the hugs and unconditional hugs of my toddlers, but I have absolutely enjoyed being the mother of teenagers! My teenager amaze me on a regular basis! They are wonderful!!! With that said, let me tell you about the ushering in of my sixth teenager to date...
Melodee turned 13 this fall! I'm really not sure how she got to be so grown up so quickly, but she is a girl who will take the world by the tail and tame it. She has so much energy. She is fiercely loyal and has an ability to let people know when she doesn't agree with what they are saying. Sometimes she pouts, but she smiles more. I LOVE her smiles. She chose her birthday dinner and specifically requested a fruit pizza for her cake. I did it the easy way. I made the crust out of rice krispie squares. Then I whipped dream whip and added sugar and cream cheese. It was very thick and I didn't want any left over so I put it on about an inch thick on the crust and then topped it with fruit. It was a delicious birthday treat!!!
You can just about feel Melodee's excited energy in the picture as she blows out her candles. She was pretty determined NOT to have any boyfriends! LOL! Next she opened her gifts. Here are a few pictures that show her excitement and joy.
Melodee really wanted a fuzzy blanket for her birthday. I like to keep the best gift for last. First she got a cool tiger pillow case from Naomi. We gave her a few other odds and ends that she could enjoy as she has a crafty/artistic streak as well as a great love for horses. Then she got to open the bulky gift and sure enough she found a delightfully warm and cozy blanket to wrap up in. You can almost see the anticipation in her face as she opened it here in the photo.
I love to celebrate birthdays with my children. They are so fun to honor and remember. Birthdays are truly the celebration of our beginning of life on earth - the beginning of our test in mortality. Birthdays - especially for kids - are anticipated and looked forward to as a great event. Sometimes as adults we lose the joy of being in mortality. It feels hard and is challenging almost every day, but birthdays remind me that we can still celebrate the JOY of being here! The great opportunity we have to show our Father in Heaven just how much we love Him! It is exciting and challenging all at once to have life! But it is something I am deeply grateful for. God is so very good to me and my family!!!
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