12

Time for a semi-real update. I have lots of thoughts rollin' around in the ole noggin, but I think I'm going to save them for a time that I'm not exhausted. Today at church was one of those days that I really, really wanted to listen to the message, but couldn't get my mind 100% focused. I kept thinking about other things. Important things. But it was still frustrating. So, I'll write more later when my eyelids don't feel like they weigh 50 pounds.

Last night we had a sleep over with the middle school kids we have bible study with in Holland. It was such a fun night! The boys stayed at Colton's and the girls stayed here with Julie and I. We took them to eat pizza, then bowling in Killeen, then we came back and celebrated Amado's 12th birthday with some cake and ice cream, went and played sand volleyball and laughed so hard, then came back with the girls and watched 13 going on 30. It was a good time.

Amado (one of my favs...shhh) was so excited to have cake and go bowling on his birthday, it was fun to make the night special for him. He got so tickled when we sang him happy birthday and asked him to blow out the candles that he couldn't blow them all out. It took him a good 3 minutes to get them all blown out. While Amado was taking forever to blow out all 12 of his candles I was thinking about what is was like to be 12. 7th grade. My biggest memories are singing a solo in the choir concert and messing up so bad, then looking over at the accompanist and totally trying to pass the blame off on her. I remember peeing in my pants in class from laughing so hard at a joke that wasn't even that funny, how embarrassing it should have been, but wasn't at all. I remember building a boat out of cardboard for a project convinced it would float and win the race, and it didn't. 9/11, that's a big 12 year old memory, that day I accidentally brought 2 travel sized bottles of vodka to school because they were in my mom's shoes I was borrowing. I freaked out and Danielle tried to calm me down by saying "if you get caught, at least you wont have to go to school anymore!" I remember going to my friend Cassie's barn almost every day after school, and one week trying to teach ourselves how to swing dance. It feels like forever ago, but it really wasn't. I don't think every 12 year old life is the same. I think people assume that because kids are young, they don't know much. That because they have only lived for 12 years they can't comprehend things like us 'adults'. Getting the opportunity to spend time with these hilarious crazies has shown me that they are so smart, and they have depth that can sometimes be hard to find and see, but once you do, it's amazing.

Almost there...just one more to go. And yes those are corn cob holders, in honor of Holland, TX.

Pillow fight. Not sure why it looks like it's snowing inside the house, it wasn't.