14-years-old

We finally took Caitlyn's pictures.  She looks so much older in these pictures compared to last year.  No more little girl here, she is looking more like a woman every day.  She is as tall as me and has the same size feet as I do.   She is so pretty!  I love her smile!

Caitlyn is still very empathetic and worried about everyone around her.  We are trying to help her see that she also needs to take care of herself, stick up for herself and not be so worried about pleasing other people.  It is a tough balance because I love that she is so loving and empathetic, but I worry about her being a people pleaser and not sticking up for herself.   I hope she will always love herself as much as she loves other people.

It's been an emotional few months for Caitlyn.  Being a teenage girl is tough!  She gets overwhelmed easily and her anxiety has been heightened lately.  She hates going to bed early, but she does so much better when she is getting enough sleep!  I admire how she tries to put a positive spin on things.  She is pretty good at taking time to feel sad or mad (which I also admire) and then she will try and find a positive way to look at things. 

She is definitely a teenager.  She likes to take selfies, listen to music and hang out with her friends. She also loves to bake.  She loves to put her own spin on recipes.  She loves to play card games, we have fun playing them together. 

She is getting more opinionated on clothes and shoes.  She also wants to straighten her hair a lot more.  She has naturally curly hair.  It's not super curly, so it's a little tricky to style it.  She loves her long hair.  She has beautiful hair.

Caitlyn is a great big sister.  She has a natural ability to help her younger siblings and encourage them.  She loves little kids and loves to babysit. 

Caitlyn loves school and works hard in all of her classes.  She has always been attached to her teachers and middle school hasn't been any different.  She is going to have a hard time saying goodbye to her teachers at the end of the year. Caitlyn takes responsibility in school and doesn't need us to remind her about assignments or anything else.  I'm so grateful for that!

Caitlyn loves animals, especially Jackson.  He calms her down when she is stressed and helps her feel better when she is upset.  Jackson is very protective of Caitlyn and will always go to her when she is upset.  

Caitlyn has been spending a lot of time on the trampoline lately.  She loves to do flips and back hand springs.  She loves being outside.

Caitlyn is thoughtful, kind, funny, smart, hard working, easy going, patient and understanding.  We are so grateful to have Caitlyn in our family.   I'm excited to see the wonderful things she will do with her life.