Happy 14th Birthday, Lydia!

Lydia turned 14 in November!  She wanted to make her own cheesecake.  So I let her, and she did a great job! Lydia's birthday always sneaks up on me right after Thanksgiving - there wasn't much fanfair.  But over the holiday break, she had a sleepover with some friends.  

Fourteen has been a good year so far.  She is generally happy about life and rolls with the punches.  She has adjusted to her new home and made friends.  Lydia likes her downtime, and when given the choice between going to a highschool basketball game (where she would see friends) and staying home, she always chooses to stay home.  And while I can totally relate to that, Lydia is also a joiner and has many interests and talents!  She continues to take piano lessons (from my nephew), and helps lead worship in our children's ministry. She joined the jazz band, plays volleyball, and is involved in the church youth group.  This spring, we thought she would do track like she has done in the past, but instead she decided to audition for the middle school spring musical!  My apprehension for her is that as she moves into high school next year, she will have to start "choosing between" and narrowing her many interests.

School is going great and eighth grade has pretty much been a breeze.  We went to the incoming freshman night and her two takeaways were doing volleyball camp this summer, and taking American Sign Language for her World Language credits.  I'm looking forward to cheering her on as she navigates yet another big change in her life!

I always think it will be fun in future years to look back and read what gifts we gave them.  I bought her a new lunch box because she hates the school lunches, and filled it with some of her favorite treats, and a three month subscription to Disney+ (which was enough to watch everything she wanted to).