My girl. Turned 15 Saturday

And here is my Birthday Love Song to Her:

How in the world is it even possible that she is 15? She is supposed to still have 2 little pigtails and run around the house giggling and skipping wearing nothing but her panties and pink plastic high heels. She is supposed to be rocking her baby doll and singing songs to her and feeding her. She is supposed to be falling asleep with her thumb in her mouth and her hand twisted in my ponytail.

But she is 15.

She is this beautiful mix of little girl and young woman.

She has taught me to love unconditionally. She has made me |finally|, after all these years, understand “I would die for you”.

She fills up our house. She is in every nook and cranny. She sings, she talks, she knits, she creates. It is almost like yarn and paint and paper and buttons and music follow her around like Pigpen’s dust. She is messy. She forgets things I tell her 5 minutes after I tell her. Her mind never stops.

She loves anything Science. She loves Hank Green because he is a “smart, geek” but she also loves her bands and Korean dramas. She has finally gotten to the point that she thinks an occasional boy is cute but it’s usually a band boy (but NOT One Direction 🙂 or a Korean boy from her TV shows.

She talks to Nomad in the sweetest voice and gives him 100 kisses and hugs a day.

She prays beautiful prayers and I always smile with my eyes closed when she prays for all of you.

She is the adult in our relationship at times. I have a tendency to overreact a bit and she is always the calm voice of reason. She can be so much wiser than me at times. And then she can turn to me and say, “Fix it Mommy”.

She tells me she doesn’t feel 15 but like a kid at times. I tell her that I still do at times too. She has said to me often lately, “I can’t believe I will be 20 in 5 years” and my heart clutches a bit in my chest.

She is such an introvert. She finds calm and lovely by being alone and creating. She has little patience for people at times. She sees the world in black and white no matter how many times I tell her it’s really so much grey.

She questions everything. She wants to know why and when and where.

She is an amazing writer and blows me away with her stories. She seriously loves to learn. She remembers every science fact or History date she ever hears but forgets her multiplication tables at times. She could never do anything “Math” again and be perfectly happy but she goes a bit crazy if she can’t create often. She can art journal and listen to music and watch tv at the same time.

She loves serial killer documentaries and Cold Case and 20/20. She loves anything to do with the brain and what makes people do the things they do.

She loves theater. She auditioned for her first play 10 years ago. It is now 19 plays and 3 movies later. She doesn’t just ‘act’ she becomes her character. Whether it’s Scout from “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Amy from “Little Women”, The Wicked witch from “The Wizard of Oz” or Duchess from “Aristocats”” she steps onto the stage and she is the character. She has taken a break from acting since March but I pray she gets back to it because it is such a part of her.

I can not imagine my my life without her and it has been a beautiful adventure from the moment she entered it.

So Happy Birthday my beautiful girl. You shine bright like a diamond and I wish for you the most amazing year. I hope 15 is one magical adventure after another.

And she had such a great day

Some of the highlights of the day:

Breakfast at iHop for the 13th year in a row. With the same birthday hat she has worn since she was 3!! (this year she added a birthday sash!!) Ice cream sundae and Happy Birthday sung by the waitresses. Manicure done. A CAR key made. (how can she need a car key??!) Family visits and perfect gifts. Just Dance competition with Seth. Lovely birthday wishes from IG and Facebook. Texts from sweet friends.
And her heart. Keilee always likes to give back on her birthday. When she was 13 she did 13 Random Acts of Kindness.  Last year she took candy to Hospice, baked brownies and cookies for the police and bought and gave a Starbucks gift card.
This year she took her birthday and Christmas money to buy the supplies to make “homeless bags”. These are things that she will always remember long after she has forgotten the gifts received.

And today. She got her permit. How can that be possible?  The last time she had a  “Drivers license” she was 3. And I printed out a fake one. For her pink Barbie car.

 So my beautiful girl, I hope “15” is all you ever dreamed it could be.

Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen