Samantha's 13th Birthday!

 Samantha had a great 13th birthday. She invited friends over to watch Studio C and to play Hide and Seek. I wasn't sure how much her friends would enjoy hiding in our house, but they had so much fun and kept finding new places to hide. They also had some great laughs with Studio C.

 We had a busy day on her birthday and joined the Laub's for a group birthday party for everyone who had a birthday within the week. Her uncle, and three cousins were celebrated with her.

Samantha has really enjoyed being a teenager so far and that makes us really happy. Blue is still her favorite color and she still loves to dance. She plays the piano and flute, loves to read, and loves to tell jokes. Young Womens has been a fun thing for her this year and she has enjoyed using her tablet at church for her scriptures and hymns. She plays the opening and closing song for Young Women's and also at home for family night. She is in a play for the 7th and 8th grade that is called "Once on this Island" which will be performed in a few weeks. She has a solo and we are excited to see her perform! She loves to babysit and has become more responsible over the last year. Her room is very organized and Taylor Swift is always playing in the background. She helps cook ramen noodles, broil steaks, make salads and whatever else I ask her to do. Although the toilet is not her favorite thing to clean, she still does it, along with sweeping the floor and putting dishes away. She loves our puppy and has a deep affection for her since the dog lost one leg. She is becoming more thoughtful and has been setting goals for her own personal progress.
We love that she is our oldest daughter and we are so pleased that she is part of our family. She is the life of the party most of the time and is so willing to do her part. We love her and love that she is learning and growing! She is our first teenager and we look forward to having fun with her this year!