Samantha is Twelve

Samantha did it. We told her not to. We told her to slow down and be a little kid. But she went ahead a did it. She turned twelve. Samantha is whimsical kid. She is ever-changing. She likes to be entertained and busy. She likes to explore and imagine. Samantha, at twelve years old, is now in the Young Women's program at church (in other words, she gets to leave the little kid program and hang out with the teenagers). She loves it. At twelve, she is going into the seventh grade - a new school. She likes science and English, and she is in the percussion class, but, as confident as she may appear, she's a typical seventh grader, nervous, but ready to take on a new challenge.

For her birthday, we had her style of cake - a plate full of jellybeans. She opened presents and we made duct tape flip flops. (For all you moms out there, do not try this at home. It was fun, but, they didn't last on their feet any longer than it took to make them. I don't recommend it.) We played with the duct tape; that was more fun. We gave her a puppy. True, we are lunatics. With five kids and two dogs already, we didn't really need an extra animal, right? But Samantha was sad when Lexi left, so we found this sweet pup on CraigsList - for free! - and she is a keeper. Her name is Luna, and she sleeps with Samantha, is house broken, loves to play, and came spayed with all her shots and freshly groomed. I think Samantha was really surprised. All pictured above is Skittle in her new outfit from her grandparents - all ready for Young Women.

Samantha is a great playmate for the younger kids; I hope she keeps her enthusiasm and spontaneity forever. She loves fruit and candy (so much that we call her Skittle). Samantha is independent and sometimes solitary. She, more than the other kids, is the one keeping to herself. She is athletic naturally and loves to push herself. Happy Birthday, Samantha. We love you, Skittle!