16-years-old

 

I can't believe we have a 16-year-old?!?!  Sometimes the days and weeks seem to drag on, but the years fly by.  I remember wanting this sweet girl so bad. The year it took to get pregnant with her felt like a lifetime and now she is sixteen, it's crazy. 

Caitlyn has been so patient with us while we have tried to figure this parenting thing out.  She is a wonderful first child!  She is wise, forgiving and so helpful.  She is always willing to help out.

Caitlyn loves to laugh.  She finds everything funny and loves to tell funny stories, but she usually can't get through them without laughing too hard. 

Everyone loves to be around Caitlyn because she is so much fun and she makes everything fun.  She loves to make fun of herself to make other people laugh.

Caitlyn is so sweet, but she can be sassy, especially if she is tired. 

Caitlyn gives the best compliments.  She is always looking for the good in others so it doesn't take her long to spot something that she wants to compliment someone on.  She goes out of her way to make other people feel special. 

Caitlyn is very responsible.  She is always on top of all of her school work.  She keeps her room clean and is always willing to help with the cooking and cleaning.  She is very sensitive to how other people are feeling and always jumps in to help when she can tell that I'm stressed.

Caitlyn is always very grateful and appreciative.  She is always good about going out of her way to thank people.

Caitlyn is very determined.  She sets high standards for herself (sometimes too high) and she isn't afraid of hard work.  I admire how she takes time to feel disappointed or sad and then she moves on and looks for the positive.

Caitlyn is so excited about turning 16 and being able to drive and enjoy some freedom.  She has definitely earned the freedom and I'm excited to see her enter this new phase of life.

Caitlyn always gets told that she looks like me. She must have gotten all the best parts of me because she is beautiful.  The way she treats other people and the positive attitude she has accentuates her beauty.

We were planning on taking Caitlyn's pictures yesterday and it was so windy.  We almost didn't do it, but we decided to try anyway and the wind cooperated!  It's so much easier when they are older and we can be in and out in fifteen minutes.

Caitlyn has an appointment at 1 PM tomorrow (on her birthday) to get her license. She wants to drive somewhere without me after that.  We have been doing a lot of celebrating this month, so that should be the icing on the cake of a great birthday!

Happy Birthday Caitlyn.  The world is better because of you.  We love you.