Happy 15th Birthday!

 We have been the most blessed parents with Erika for the past 15 years.  She is a great example to her siblings, friends, little kids at church, and even adults of a positive, encouraging, diligent, kind, mature young woman.  Ever since she was a toddler, she has always had a smile on her face. I have this great video of her at her very first soccer game as a kindergartener running around the field with the biggest smile on her face.  She never once touched the ball or even got close to it, but she was having the time of her life!  Her soccer game has improved so much since then but it's the same positive and joyful attitude that just shines through her. Erika has strong opinions and morals and we don't worry about her integrity....we, and everyone else around her, know where she stands on things and where we stand with her. She is pretty rigid and cannot tolerate when plans change on her. We are encouraging her to be more spontaneous and flexible and she tries but it is such a struggle for her!  She told me once, "I just need to stop having the whole situation laid out in my head!" when she was describing why she gets frustrated when events don't go as planned. Her organization and planning is a hobby for her, however, so it will probably be a lifelong progress for flexibility! Erika loves soccer, reading, Dutch Bros., swimming, her youth group, babysitting, water bottle stickers, desserts, doing hair, shopping, Edgar, turning on captions when watching a show, spaghetti, history, and Camp Yamhill. She is enthusiastic, hilarious, kind, sensitive, friendly, emotional, rigid, beautiful, and taller than most kids at her school. Erika does not like staying home alone, being served food she doesn't love for dinner, disrespect, cleaning under her bed, being reminded to do a chore, melted cheese, taking pictures without her glasses on, and turtles. It is so much fun to raise a child that is so similar to our personalities and characteristics but has taken the skills that we lack or need to improve and just excelled in them. We are so proud of this young woman and know that she will be so successful in her future. Her positive qualities greatly outweigh the ones she is working on. And the fact that she can reflect on things that went wrong for her and tell me what she is going to improve on is one of my favorite things about her.  She is truly the best child we could have asked for! We love you so much Baby Boo!

1. What is your favorite color? Teal
2. What is your favorite sport? Soccer
3. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberry
4. What is your favorite movie? The Greatest Showman
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Kraft Mac and cheese
7. What is your favorite subject in school? History
8. What is your favorite snack? Strawberry nutri-grain bar
9. What is your favorite animal? Dog
10. What is your favorite song? Buy Dirt
11. What is your favorite book? The Orphan Collector
12. Who is your best friend? CeCe and Emma
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Soccer
15. What is your favorite drink? Cotton Candy Frost
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17.What is your favorite restaurant? Texas Roadhouse
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Donuts 
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Spaghetti
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Interior Designer

Thirteen

 THIRTEEN!!!  Our tiny baby girl is 13 years old today! Laurel is our steadfast child who has been the very same from the moment we brought her home. She is kind and adventurous and determined and compassionate and loyal. Laurel is the friend that everyone is drawn to because she doesn't make waves nor does she play favorites.  There are quite a few qualities that Laurel naturally possesses that I wish I had!  She is dedicated to her work....if it is her idea.  Encouraging her to finish a homework assignment thoroughly is a constant struggle in our house.  But she will spend hours making a rubber band gun and paper bullets exactly right. You always know where you stand with Laurel.  We joke that she has zero poker face. If she is disgusted by something, you know it; if she is elated by something, you know it. Her thinking is deep but her answers are precise. She won't sugar coat anything. For a while I was trying to discourage her assertiveness and confidence but then I realized I wish I had that quality! Without being rude or ugly, she tells the truth as she sees it and doesn't lie. At times she has her words and actions come back to bite her when she realized she was wrong, but it doesn't make her upset. She just recognizes what needs to be fixed and does it! I am confident that she will succeed in whatever she decides to do in the future. Laurel loves her family more than anything else.  She doesn't need to be the center of attention and doesn't need a crowd to encourage her or give her value. Her favorite plans include staying home and hanging out with her siblings.  She tells us all the time that she's going to live by us when she's older and I completely agree with that. Her bond with both Erika and Levi is unbreakable. She loves playing the piano, chocolate, watching TV, shooting BB guns, sleeping in, soccer, all meats, and animals.  She does not like vacuuming, cake, shopping, putting away laundry, being cold, spaghetti, or sleepovers. Her heart is pure gold and her actions prove it. She is independent and confident and funny and smart and loving and we wouldn't be the family we are without her in it!  We love you so much Lowlie Annie!!

1. What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite sport? Soccer
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite movie? Jungle Cruise
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Grilled ham and cheese roll
7. What is your favorite subject in school? PE
8. What is your favorite snack? Skinny Pop
9. What is your favorite animal? Dog
10. What is your favorite song? Living Hope
11. What is your favorite book? Harry Potter
12. Who is your best friend? Paisley
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cocoa Pebbles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with the barn cats
15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17.What is your favorite restaurant? Goofy’s Kitchen
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? McGriddle
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hamburgers
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Physical therapist