I’m feeling old.

I can’t believe I have a daughter starting high school in the fall.  Where does all the time go?  I distinctly remember the day, fourteen years ago, when we brought her home from the hospital in all her pink entirety.  I was thinking:

“Is she really ours?”

“Now what?”

“What do we do with her?”

“How can we take of her?  She’s so helpless.”

Though far from helpless now, we still ask each other:

“What do we do now?”

“What do we say to that?”

“Where do we draw the line?”

A lot has changed since that day many years ago:

She’s taller than me now (yikes!)

She’s acquired three little brothers

Her interests are vast including dance, piano, choir, softball, lacrosse, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, track, horseback riding, art, cooking, swimming, and tennis

She likes boys (double yikes!)

But some things have remained the same:

She’s wholly independent

She loves to entertain and be the center of attention

She loves kids

She’s fearless

She is persuasive

She is beautiful

She is good…

It’s heartening to watch her grow through the years and see her making more and more of the right choices as she gets older and a bit more experienced and wiser.  I think that’s the most rewarding thing for a parent. To see your kids choosing good all on their own.

So, because she has been good , we agreed to a birthday party…

With an outdoor theater

At night

With 30 of her closest friends

BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS!

(triple yikes!)

That was last night and it went off with just one hitch.  The wind started to blow halfway through the movie.  REALLY hard.  We had to batten down the hatches (temporarily nail the movie screen to the siding on the house).  Luckily the movie included enough action (for the boys) and young hot actors (for the girls) that the wind did not deter.  They watched Forever Strong, ate candy, popcorn, cupcakes, and S’mores, played basketball and did a lot of texting.  I think it was a success!

Happy Birthday Maddy!  We love you.