Three teens

It's now official that Andy and I are parenting three teens.  Time flies.  We had a very low key day - no dessert and just one gift for our birthday girl.

We also took very few pictures.  Julia is nursing a nasty sunburn on her face.  It's peeling and messy, so she did not want that saved for posterity.

Julia is very anxious to get involved with social media. I hate that for middle school, but we will be monitoring her.  She knows why I don't like it, and she knows her limits.  These kids are growing up in a very different and often more painful world.  When I was a kid, if you didn't get invited to the party, you might have heard about it and had hurt feelings.  Now you don't just hear about it, you get to see all that you missed played out in pictures and videos.  After going through a tough school year where we lost two students to suicide, these things are on my mind.  

Julia, however, remains her same easy-going self.  She's developing a very strong friend group that I think will make this coming school year one of the best yet.  They exchange 200 texts (easily) per day in their group text, and it's mostly silly, fun stuff.  They've already had an outing together, and I am sure there are more to come.  

What does 13 look like on this girl?  She loves Starbucks (frappes and refreshers), clothes and shoes.  She is not into jewelry except the one necklace she wears everywhere.  Julia still loves cheer and swimming.  She's diving and swimming this summer and ready to head to her last year of church camp.  Julia still entertains us.  She's a blessing!  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!