30.12.22

Hannah Kate | 15 years old

Finally.

The day she's waited on for what seems like forever.

15 years old.

In our house, that's the day you get your very first smart phone.  It doesn't matter that you are now old enough for driver's ed and will begin driving.  She hasn't looked forward to getting her license.  She's only looked forward to getting a phone.  Because, you know, she's the ONLY 9th grader (8th grader, 7th grader, 14 year old, 13 year old and on and on and on . . . you get the point) who doesn't have a phone.  Last year on her birthday she created a beautiful power point presentation outlining why she should be allowed to have a phone that she emailed to me.  It was very organized, very well written.  I even saved it.  But she didn't get her phone until this year's birthday.  She doesn't have social media.  She can essentially talk, text and FaceTime, and that's pretty much it.  But that's all she wanted to do anyway.  Her friends were setting up google meets everyday to talk to her after school.  That makes me giggle, and I'm sure she'll look back on that one day and smile.  But those days are over now.

It's not like she didn't know what she was getting for her birthday.  It's not like she was going to be too terribly surprised.  Because let's be honest.  She knew exactly what she was getting.  But watching her open her phone, you never would've guessed it wasn't a surprise.  She was positively giddy.  And, yes, we even popped confetti over her as she opened it.

That's definitely what she'll always remember most about her 15th birthday, but we had cake and candles, too.

She asked for sushi so we made that happen, too.

It was a really sweet birthday for a very sweet girl.  Hannah Kate has always been the child I can just sit back and watch.  She is an amazing watercolor artist.  Her sketch book is full of gorgeous paintings.  That's what she does everyday when she gets home from school.  She reads books.  Big books.  All the time.  She's read over 60 books this year and just finished another 600-pager in three days.  She loves avocado toast and making fried rice.  She also enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles.  And, of course, she dances.  She is beautiful and graceful.  She also hasn't embraced her full potential yet.  I know that.  Her dance teachers are constantly reminding her of that.  But she doesn't know it yet.  She has agreed to do something that is miles and away outside her comfort zone and will be competing in a ballet competition in Dallas in February.  She is brave.  She just doesn't know that yet either.  She is quiet and thoughtful, opinionated and fierce.  She is a loyal friend and sister.  She is her daddy's girl.  I'm just thrilled that I get to be here for all of it.