My First Young Woman

 And so it finally happened, Shayna decided it was time to grow up and turn 12.  She left behind the Primary programs, free meals at Denny's which she was very excited about because now she can a lot more.  She could not wait to be done with being a little kid.  Funny thing is that she will always be my baby no matter how old she gets to be. 

 We opened presents early in the morning and was excited about all her presents.

 She is turning out to be quite the artist so we got some expensive (with coupons not so much) crayons and a drawing kit.  Her grandma sent her a copy of The Hunger Games too and she already finished it 5 days ago.

 She loves her baby sister and when she plays with her she still shows signs of being a little kid.

I didn't have time to make a cake because we spent the day together shopping and going to the movies with her dad.  We had lots of fun and hope she had a memorable day.
Being my first born she will always have the first of many and they are usually exciting but turning 12 it just makes it a little bit more real that she is not really mine and one day she will be gone.  I feel grateful and honored to be her mother, she is a very happy person and has a lot of love to give.  She is having a tough time with her friends and the things she sees at school but it is good to know that most of the time she remembers what she has been taught at home and church.  We are proud of her and her decisions and whenever she needs a little help we are here for her.
Some facts about Shayna: 
-She has been walking on her toes ever since she was a toddler, it looks painful but she says it is not.
-Shayna loves animals and if she could she would live in a farm or a zoo.
-Shayna is bilingual, she needs to learn a lot more vocabulary but she is doing great.  She was actually translating for cousins since was 3 years old.
-She loves to read and stays up till late at night with her light on... she always gets in trouble for that.
-She loves music and playing her French Horn, even though she doesn't take piano lessons anymore she is still learning on her own with a little help from her dad.
-She is very flexible.
-She actually knows more about computers than I give her credit for.  She put a movie together that they filmed with her brothers.
-She is very creative, her sewing skills have improved since she got her sewing machine.
-She has a great imagination and it has always shown with her stories.
-She is a great kid all around, I love her so much and really do not know what my life would be without her.  I don't regret having my first baby when I did, she made me so happy from the first time I ever saw her.  I love you Shayna!!!