Double digits
Rachel wants to be a teenager so badly. I’m guessing it has to do with her teenage brother and sister – and the fact that their friends are typically very kind to the little sister. Regardless, here we are with evidence that birth order and age gaps in a family shape a person.
Today she turns 10. Two hands full. Double digits. Or, like her dad said, a TEN-AGER. Get it? Like a teenager, but with one less E.
Regardless of what you want to call it, this girl is easy to celebrate. She’s always looking for, and often creating, a good time. Yes, this makes chores difficult. She’d much rather dance to whatever pop song is playing on her Alexa than clean her room. She’d rather roller skate or hoverboard around the house than clean up her shoes and socks and trash.
Rachel is in fourth grade, which, I think, she’d tell you is better than she expected. That’s a win from a girl who doesn’t love school. At least that’s what she says. I know for certain she likes socializing, learning random historical facts, and asking me science questions because she knows I may not know the answers.
Teenager, I tell you. I mean, tenager.
When she’s not leaving marks on our fake hardwood floors with her roller skates, Rachel likes swimming, playing with her dog Bailey, watching KPop Demon Hunters, and pretending her life is a fashion show. She has no concept of time, but asks me multiple times a day what’s happening tomorrow. She told me recently that fall is her favorite season, but I distinctly remember last winter when she told me she wished summer stayed all the time. She likes axolotls, has approximately 1,629 stuffed animals that all somehow get played with, and wants to believe all four cats are hers.
We’re celebrating tonight with a Dive In Movie in (or maybe around) the pool. We have several dragon pool floats and cookies ready for when we watch the newest How to Train Your Dragon. She convinced me to buy dragon wings for the dogs and is disappointed she doesn’t have a dragon-like swimsuit for herself. She’ll be the life of the party because that’s what tends to happen even when it’s not her birthday. But today she’s a tenager, so let’s celebrate!
*****
Rachel,
From the day you came into our lives after so many prayers, I haven’t been the same. God taught me about joy when you were a baby, and He continues to today through you. You make life brighter and more fun. I’m excited to see how God continues to use you for His glory and the good of everyone who knows and loves you. Happy birthday, sweet girl!
Love, Momma
*****
Look back on Rachel’s past birthdays: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Learn more about her adoption story in “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family.” God authors the stories on our porches and wherever we go. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to receive #PorchStories emails about every other week.