That's my girl

I don't think my girls are perfect.

I try to be realistic about their strengths.

I try to minimize their weaknesses.

I try to acknowledge temperaments & birth orders when I correct them or evaluate how or why they do what they do.

I want to encourage them when I see them make great choices, when they do something kind for someone, when they try their best even if success doesn't follow.

I've tried to encourage them to be who they are, to find the "thing" they love & pour their heart into it. I don't want to live vicariously through them, as if my own teen experience wasn't fulfilling enough for me, as if i need their success to make me feel like a great mom or make me appear successful in the eyes of my own peers.

I want them to be individuals & be proud of the young ladies they are becoming.

I don't want them to feel competition amongst themselves. Its so hard for girls these days & I'm certain it must be hard for three of them, so close in age, to grow up & feel the society induced pressure to be just like the one before them.

While my desire for them is to have strong character, rooted and grounded in our faith , I don't want to make them be anything different than who God has created them to be.

I don't have a favorite even though you see more pictures of the baby :) But some days I do enjoy the company of one maybe more so than the other.....we are a house full of 5 women after all ( just keeping it real) & there are hormones and emotions to keep balanced!

But there are those days when I feel just an extra sense of pride for one of my girls. Saturday was one of those days. Savannah has always been very organized & responsible. She has great leadership skills . I have told her that she has always proven herself trustworthy & because of that , she has earned the priveldge of certain freedoms.

She had spent weeks trying to orchestrate all the details for her large group of friends & their homecoming plans. She didn't exclude anyone from her group, which made me proud because she herself had been excluded from another group. She took it like a champ & rounded up several of her favorite friends ~a great group of kids! She helped organize the picture location, the parents that would drive them downtown to the chosen ( reasonably priced) restaurant , & the home that they would all enjoy the after-party.

We shopped for her dress a few weeks ago. I had sort of dreaded shopping because I knew we needed to keep it in the budget & she tends to have expensive taste. Plus, how often do 15 year old girls & their moms agree on wardrobe choices. Went to Dillards & I found this gorgeous ivory dress, she loved it, I loved it , & it was in our budget. ( Can you believe that, I picked out the dress......I won't rub it in)

She spent Saturday afternoon doing all those wonderful things girls do before going out on a special night....she was cheerful & laid back.

Her two best friends were going to homecoming at a different school but dropped by on the way for some pictures. Savannah has a great sense of humor & helped them relax as they seemed a bit nervous about their own big night.

Savannah's date was her best guy friend. Her friends say they get along like Will & Grace ( except Zack isn't a gay guy!). So there would be no awkward feelings, no drama, just great fun.

When we arrived at the chosen picture place there were at least 10 couples & all their parents. Definitely a challenge to do large group photos. After taking what seemed like a million of the posed pics I could tell Savannah was getting frustrated ( too many cooks in the kitchen!). I whispered to her just walk off with her girlfriends & be silly~they love those shots the best.

She had a fabulous time. Most all the couples were all just great friends so we didn't have the worries of all the things that go along with boyfriend/girlfriend issues~whew.

I am always proud to be her mama, but I was extra proud of that sweet child of mine this past Saturday night!