Sweet 16!

Hanna is 16 today. I can't even wrap my head around that! I couldn't let today pass without publicly letting her know how amazing I think she is. Hanna is truly a blessing in our home. I had a dream about Hanna when I was pregnant with her. I knew how important she was to Heavenly Father. I knew I was so lucky to be able to be her parent. Never could I have imagined how many things Hanna would teach me. A few words come to mind when I think of Hanna

STRENGTH

GOODNESS

FUNNY

HAPPY

TENDER

LOVING

HONEST

GREAT JUDGE OF CHARACTER

FRIEND

Our kids are all so close that when they were young I literally felt like I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. There were times (even years) that I remember feeling totally inadequate and completely overwhelmed. I remember people saying to enjoy that phase of life. I wanted to laugh right out loud. How could anyone enjoy

carrying screaming kids out of restaurants

wiping up one kids puke and the others poop

having the neighbor knock on your door holding your one year olds hand saying, "we found this outside"

years of sleepless nights

bathtubs overflowing

broken hearts

the school calling and saying, "did you know that when your sons knee is the size of a cantaloupe,  you should keep him home"

knowing you were a walking add for birth control

knowing people were so nice and helpful because they pitied you and knew that they were wondering when you would figure out where babies came from

the list could go on and on....

Looking back, I do wish I had enjoyed those times more. I wish I had worried less about how everyone looked and more about how everyone felt. Now, I mourn knowing that Hanna can drive, and that just like Jaxson, she will be gone more and more. I treasure all of our memories even more. Hanna is an amazing daughter. She is not only my daughter, she is one of my very best friends! 

Happy Birthday Hanna. I am so proud of you! You are a great person!