Lily

Lily. The middle child. The only girl. Easily frustrated with others. Passionate about certain issues. Wicked sense of humor. Shy.

Just. Like. Me.

Lily is pretty similar to me, and it means the things that bother her also bother me... but it also means that we can sometimes butt heads. This is real life, and I don't blame Lily for this. I blame my own faults and failures and immaturity. But this is also one of the parts of Lily I love the most. I grow as a mother every minute I'm with her. She makes me be the best I can be, and when I'm not willing to give motherhood my all, she is the mirror that reflects it back at me. We should all be so blessed to have a child like that in our lives.

This past year has been a rough one for Miss Lil. As Abraham Lincoln said, "The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion." We are all rising to the occasion. Yes, there are days we want to pull the covers over our heads and pretend all problems can be solved with chocolate covered peanuts and denial, but most days we are fighting the good fight and are there for one another. I know Lily can do this. I wouldn't expect any less from this spitfire.

Lily at Sequoia National Park

Lily is going to be a 7th grader this fall, and she is an amazing 12 year old girl. While this year has been hard, many things remain unchanged. She. Loves. Animals. She's finally old enough to volunteer at the Humane Society, and once school begins this fall we will figure out some times for her to work there. She will continue with our district's online home school program, which allows her to be home as much as she wants, but also offers class days where she can attend P.E., art, music, and her regular subjects and just hang out with peers. She will also be in the same building where David's new job is going to be, and I think she's pretty excited about that.

Lily is my night owl. When I am yawning and crawling to bed, she is just getting going. She also loves her some bling. Hats, scarves, bracelets, and bling a-ding-ding.

Lily in the middle, literally and figuratively.

She is starting to notice that I am not so into the bling, and more than once has asked, "Are you going out like that?" (Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?) However, she is incredibly fun to shop for, and she is delighted by the smallest things.

Her favorite subject in school has turned from math to science. She's excited to see how things work and fit together, and having her do the bulk of her schoolwork at home now, I get to learn with her. I can't wait to see where her mind and interests take her, and even though she's growing up way too fast... I love the days she's home with me.

Just us girls.

Love you, Miss Lil.