Well, it appears we have another teenager in the family. I try to keep the kids from growing so fast, but they refuse to obey. Just the other day, David informed he was going to turn 8 whether I was ready or not.

The nerve of these kids.

In case anyone might forget, Rachel’s birthday year was written in bold letters for all to see.

Last year Rachel celebrated her birthday in grand style. It took two vehicles to transport us all to her Sleepover Extravaganza. There were gingerbread houses, games, explorations in the woods, and lots of giggling.

A lot of giggling.

More giggling than sleeping, I think.

It wouldn’t be a birthday in our house without some sort of decorations greeting you in the morning.

This year Rachel wasn’t sure how she wanted to celebrate. Perhaps an ice skating outing with one or two friends. Or maybe just a family party. The days went by and we still didn’t have anything planned or organized. Finally I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to steal Rachel away for some mother/daughter birthday fun.

Nothing says, “Let’s head off for some fun!” quite like Starbucks, so that was our first stop.

One eggnog latte and a grande Americano, please!

From there I surprised Rachel with a trip to the mall. She’s been begging, plotting, scheming, okay, waiting patiently to see if she would be allowed to wear make-up when she turned 13. The discussion among parents went something like this:

K: Tim, so, are you okay with Rachel starting to wear make-up?
T: (hyperventilating) Absolutely not! My baby will not go around like some painted hussy. Over my dead body!
K: Hussy? Dead body? Not being dramatic, are we love?
T: Dramatic? You haven’t seen dramatic yet. I haven’t even begun to be dramatic. Hand me some tools, I’m going to barricade Rachel in her room.
K: Watch the blood pressure, dear.

The topic was dropped for several weeks until a calmer moment could be found. Finally we decided, some amount of make-up would be allowed. Rachel suffers from being shorter (and therefore quite a bit younger looking) than Daniel (a year and a half her junior). It’s difficult to be asked if you are 10 years old when you’re almost 13.

My hope is that make-up, granted with permission and teaching, can be something that enhances and spotlights Rachel’s natural beauty. We didn’t want it to become a subject of rebellion and frustration for Rachel.

Rachel is a mature, beautiful young lady, growing in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. It is a delight to see her seek after Him. We have faith that she will handle the freedoms of teenage-life with grace.

Our birthday outing was sadly short as the day was busy and there were other needs (needy children) demanding my attention.

Rachel requested an eggnog ice cream cake for her birthday. The spaghetti and meatballs she wanted for dinner were easily acquired. The eggnog cake is proving to be more difficult. One of the local grocery store carries eggnog ice cream. At least they feature a label with the name of the ice cream. So far, and we’ve been in twice, and another friend 3 times, all we’ve found is an empty spot on the shelf.

Poor Rachel, 13 years old and no cake to celebrate her special day. I wonder if we can make our own eggnog ice cream. Anyone ever tried it? Share your recipe!

Rachel – Happy Birthday, precious daughter! We are so very thrilled to have you in our family. What a joy it is to be your mother.

Kathy

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