Happy 13th Prima Donna

We have lots of birthdays at our house. This past week we had two and I didn’t write about either child because we were so busy with other things, but I want to fix that right now.

2010 school picture

The Prima Donna turned 13 yesterday, but it seems like she’s been a teenager for a long time. I don’t mean to imply that she is mouthy or anything (even though she is…), but she has just always seemed so grown up. Princess is a petite little thing and has been from Day 1. She was two when the Prima Donna was born and before she was three, they were the same size. They stayed pretty even for a couple of years before the Prima Donna outgrew her and never looked back. When she was in third grade the doctor suggested we have her thyroid tested because she was the size of an average fifth grader. The specialist told us to relax…she was just the size of an average fifth grader and would likely end up being around 5’10” when she was finally finished growing. Well I don’t know if she is finished growing, but she got her first pair of stilettos for her birthday and she is at least 5’10” with them on.

13th Birthday!

I’ve told you some fun stories on her lately, like the night she caught the curling iron in her hair and her “enlightened” pancakes, but I haven’t told you what a sweet, happy girl she is. She just seems to bounce back from adversity and she is not afraid to laugh at herself. Remember the story of the 4th of July and her stitches? We were remembering that one just this weekend when we were trying to decide on plans for the 4th. She is not at all like some of my kids who inherited the shy gene from their dad. She is more like me, out-going and friendly to both girls and boys. She loves to sing and hang out with Princess. She plays the clarinet and had her first taste of marching band last weekend.

She has been dancing since she was three and she recently earned her pointe shoes. But where she really shines is in her jazz class! It is so fun to watch her dance. She makes faces and winks at the audience. You can tell that she loves what she is doing. One of her favorite games is playing school with her little brothers and sisters. I’m guessing that I have another teacher on my hands. She can read and do almost anything at the same time. That gets really annoying when she is doing her chores V..E..R..Y S..L..O..W..L..Y because she has a book in her hands.

Four Best Friends!

You know all my kids are scouts, and she recently earned her Silver Award at a huge ceremony downtown. She is usually smiling and just happy to be part of whatever party she has created. Last week she and Princess were gone to camp and the house was just not the same without them. I only got a couple of days and they are off again tomorrow for Oakcrest (another week-long camp). She is always busy planning the next big thing…her tea parties are legendary! A straight-A student with several honors classes, she makes us proud at school too. I’m so grateful to be her mom even if the stilettos do make her taller than me. Love you! Happy birthday…