Happy Birthday Maryn

My little, teeny, tiny baby girl Maryn turned 12 on March 7th. For the first time ever I think I was equally excited for her birthday to come this year. Twelve is such a great age. I mostly had been looking forward to her entering the Young Women's Program at church.... what a great time...great friends...great activities...super awesome leaders...Basically it's someone else teaching her the things I've been trying to teach her... it's another voice... strengthing her testimony and developing her into a lovely woman. I loved my Young Women's experience so much and feel like my lessons and leaders and activities and girl's camps really helped to make me who I am. Whew! So, I guess I could say that I have great hopes and expectations for Maryn's experiences.

Anywhoo...

Maryn started off the day at 7:00 being kidnapped by the Beehives and their 2 leaders. Mary Jo Webb and Carol Folkman, her cute leaders took her in her jammies while the cute Beehive girls give her bedroom a "heart attack." As a side note: there are now 5 little Beehives... 3 are named Maddie, 1 Page and 1 Maryn. I think Page was excited to have someone else in the group not named Maddie.

We all went out for lunch to Red Robin.

It was fun to celebrate the birthday with our visitors from the East.

Being sung to by all the workers...

Maryn went to her dance class in the morning from 9:00-11:30, then lunch, then with Grammy, Aunt Sandy, Adyson and me we had a girls day downtown Seattle. Our first stop: getting Maryn's ears pierced. Woah! Maryn was SO nervous sitting in the chair waiting her turn... but determined that it was finally her time to get her ears pierced after 10 years of begging. (no kidding. 10 years.) Here are her virgin ears.

Looking stoic as the trigger is pulled and the hole is made.

The after shot on one side as the second ear is being "holed."

We shopped forever at Claires then took Maryn to her little acting class on the 7th floor of the Macey's building while the rest of us went to the Chocolate Factory Shop. Yum! After picking up Maryn we went shopping to Old Navy and watched Maryn try on all the clothes that Old Navy owns in a size 12. All the girls older than 12 were exhausted.

We had milkshakes for her "birthday cake" and opened a few presents. The last present was worth going on one of our wild scavenger hunts. Here's the "after" picture of what the present was... a cell phone. Yikes!

...and here is the "before" picture of going on the scavenger hunt. Everyone was a bit silly following Maryn around to all the clues.

I think it's safe to say that Maryn's birthday was a hit. Besides her birthday of turning 7 when we went to Disneyland I think this one was right up there at the top of the big ones. She couldn't have been more thrilled with her new wardrobe, getting her ears pierced and a new cell phone. (it's still not an all the way cool cell phone because her texting is blocked. "Mom, no one just talks on the phone anymore. Everyone texts." I guess we are so old fashioned.)

Maryn has always been the electricity that buzzes constantly in our home. The carbonation. The tornado. I mean ALWAYS. She has been a busy girl since she was born always doing the next step way before she was supposed to... sitting up, crawling, walking. She taught herself how to tie her shoes. She taught herself how to ride a bike. She is a determined kid who doesn't let anything, even the answer "NO" stand in her way. Friends, playing and being outside the home doing something is her oxygen that sustains her. She has always had a trillion friends and her teachers have always loved her. She is happy and fun! She has wanted to be big for so long wearing sexy things or make-up when she was little that it has scared me. But going along with wanting to be big has been a huge help around the home. She loves to change diapers and babysit and make lunch and take care of things. She is my #1 helper. She is so talented. Whatever she tries, she is good at. She is a talented dancer...always has been. She is very musical playing the piano fabulously. Her piano teacher loves her musicality and expression. I love to hear her play the piano. She would be on every sports team, every equestrian group, every swim team every sewing class or cooking class, every dance team,or every jump rope team if I let her. She loves to be busy and loves to do everything. Maryn writes in her journal every day and reads her scriptures nearly every day. She is fun. She is funny. She is a great big sister organizing the other kids in some sort of dance routine or game or snack. Neighborhood kids of all ages come over to see if Maryn can play. Talking to other moms with girls Maryn's age I have learned to appreciate the fact that Maryn isn't moody. She doesn't pout at all. She might be a professional arguer or a master manipulator to get what she wants but she isn't hurtful or mean or stay mad for more than a minute. She is a challenge to keep up with... always staying a few steps ahead of me (which is exhausting) but she is always a joy. When she's away from our home we feel the empty lack of energy and electricity (although sometimes I need a break from it, I have to admit.) but there's always a hole when she's gone. She is loved. She's an example to us all and is one of Heavenly Father's favorite people. Happy Birthday Mimi!