It's Official! We Have Two Teens!

My baby girl is a teenager today.

My little girl has gone and turned 13.

Instead of going on and on, giving you every adjective I can come up with to describe her, I'll give you some examples of her activities recently.  You can come up with your own adjectives.

A few days ago, without any prompting from me, Buttercup took the little boys out for a treasure hunt.  Armed with their own buckets, they went in search of any and all odd things they could find in our yard.  They were outside for 45 minutes and came back with quite the haul.  (They also came back with the information that a dead opossum was in the side yard.  Awesome. I so love disposing of dead animals.)

Buttercup then sat each of them down at the mud room table with a giant piece of foam, some glue, and a paintbrush.  They spent the next 30 minutes creating collages of their treasures.

With this activity, Buttercup managed to multi-task like a pro.  First, she kept two little boys occupied and having fun for over an hour.  They got some fresh air and exercise, not to mention some small motor skills craft time.  But the best part for me:  they picked up trash for me without even knowing it!

Cuckoo's collage

Turken's collage

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For the last two days, Turken, Cuckoo, and Buttercup have been working on a top secret show.  They have been sneaking off to her bedroom for long stretches of time, and coming downstairs with completely straight faces.  Those little boys aren't cracking.

Yesterday, Hubby and I found these on our pillows:

A tri-fold flyer advertising the show. (I've edited it to keep all personal info private.)  My favorite part is the cost.  We can buy tickets early for 3 pennies each, or at the door for 5.   I also enjoy the part about the show being for people of all ages.  (As opposed to....?)  There is no date set, as she needed to talk to us about the week's schedule first.

While in Microsoft Publisher, Buttercup decided that, as manager, she really should have a business card.  She came up with a logo and everything.  These were placed on the pillow of every member of the family.

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With a still-broken, taped-up finger, she played in her last two volleyball games of the season.  I had told her coach to let her play for only the first half, but while I was in the stands, he asked her to play all of both games.  She never sat on the bench.

 

 

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For Lent, Buttercup gave up bickering with her brothers.  I have to say, I never thought she could do it.  One brother in particular has a way of getting under her skin, and she has a hard time ignoring his bait.  I have noticed a huge change in the way she deals with it.  Just yesterday in the van, the brother was poking her, itching for a little bickerfest.  She answered him once, but the second time, she simply said, "OK" and stopped talking. 

 

I almost cried.

 

This one change has really made a difference in their relationship.  This brother spent an hour making signs and decorating her room for her birthday.  This brother rarely spends any time doing things like that for others without being asked. 

 

And yesterday, these two kids spent the afternoon making cookies together.  Completely by themselves.  I could hear laughing coming from the kitchen the entire time.   I haven't heard those two behave like that since they were itty bitty.

 

 

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Without going into details, I'll say Buttercup has had a difficult year at school, all stemming from a whole mess of girl drama. 

My Buttercup, after a miserable first semester in which her grades tanked, went to school one day and told the girls that she would no longer be socializing with them.  She was done with the drama and didn't like who she was becoming when she was with them.

There has been some backlash, to say the least, but she hasn't let it deter her.  Thankfully, her teacher is looking out for her, and instead of letting Buttercup suffer alone in the down times, is giving her things to do outside of the room. 

In the two months of this semester, Buttercup has gotten her grades back up to honor-level.  Her teachers finally know her for the girl she really is.  She has found two girls who share her interests and are focused on the right things. 

Our old Buttercup is back.

I couldn't be more proud of her.

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I'm off to finish her cake.  I love when her birthday rolls around.  She always picks my favorite restaurant for her dinner, my favorite kind of chocolate cake, and my beloved Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream. 

 

 

 

Have a lovely day!