Holy cow. We have another young adult (although still technically a teen – correct?!?!)
This beautiful girl turns 18 today.
I remember the cutie 6 year old hiding under my table on New Years Eve wanting her Dad to come under with her (craving a little attention I think in a room filled with kids and this “new woman” (aka me ) that perhaps she felt at the time was stealing her Dad)
On our wedding day:
Luckily, once we got over the “under the table incident” and I was able to reassure her that NO one would ever replace her daughter role with her Dad, we never had that competition that you often hear about (at least not from my perspective, haha).
We also never had the whole wicked stepmom/wicked stepdaughter syndrome that you often hear about. We used to laugh over the years about how people would ask her: “do you like your stepmom?” Thanks a lot Disney for the stereotypes….
Anyhow, I have been privileged to love and grow with this girl and to learn from her in so many ways.
Let me share with you 18 ways I love her:
She has the biggest heart ever
She has a beautiful singing voice and she knows all the words to every song!
She has mad makeup and hair skills. I feel like such an incompetent amateur around her!
She loves her doggie and cuddles and talks to him. She’s so good with animals (and little kids too, lol)
She is a talented artist – drawing, painting, anything crafty and artsy!
She is an amazing dancer
She is a great listener and conversationalist – we can talk and talk for hours!
She is intelligent and puts effort in to learn new things
She has a great smile and laugh (I mean look how cute she is in the background!!)
She is patient and tolerant. She puts up with all her brothers!
She is a connector. She loves to connect with people and brings people together
She has great fashion sense and knows how to pull it all together
She is super brave – she will face challenges and fears
She is humble. She is always willing to acknowledge when she is wrong and accept apologies when she is wronged.
She is teachable. She is willing to learn and look at things from different perspectives
She is a fantastic hugger. Her love language is physical touch and you never mind getting and giving hugs from her.
She is reflective and insightful
She has a beautiful Spirit that is growing each day.
She is heading off to BYU Hawaii at the end of August. We will miss her desperately around here.
I love how she comes and hangs out with me in the kitchen, always offering to help, but will just sit and talk if there’s nothing to do. I love our bathroom chats (in a home with one main bathroom, you get used to sharing bathroom space while you get ready!) I love going on walks with her, watching movies or shows, or rolling our eyes across the room from each other when one of the boys does something silly. I also love how we laugh at Rob together about how goofy he can be. I love when she puts music on (just not when we are talking because I can’t do both, lol ) and dances around. I love when she makes banana muffins for us, or shares a donut with me or craves veggies on a drive home from Montreal (after a good poutine and Gigi’s pizza!). I love all the girls weekends we have had, dinners out, movies or special times.
You see why we will miss her? But I look forward to visiting her in Hawaii, to hearing all about her adventures, to seeing her develop her passions, independence and confidence. To facetiming and texting (VERY VERY FREQUENTLY). She has the whole world at her fingertips and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for her.
For now, Happy 18th Birthday Sweet Pea. Never forget how much you are loved. From heaven and from here.
xoxox
