A Teen in Station, If Not in Numbers

Although her official number is still just shy, Malia has entered the realm of teenagers. For her twelfth birthday party with her friends, all she wanted was pizza, ice cream sandwiches, and a movie. So that is exactly what we did. It was super easy for me although it was also a tiny bit bittersweet because my years of planning fun birthday parties for the kids is officially over. We had some fantastic parties and each of my kids has their favorites, so all those years of planning and preparing and sometimes stressing were not in vain. The food/movie/hang out combo is definitely easier though!

Malia did let me make a cute cake when we celebrated her party at my folks’ house. Her favorite cake combo is vanilla cake with raspberry filling and raspberry buttercream, a combination I quite like as well. Since she didn’t really care what it looked like and was not opposed to me making it pretty, I found a simple idea online and dolled up the cake just a bit. Having cake also meant that we could add candles and sing and all that, a part of the birthday experience she eschewed at her friend party.

Last Friday, her cousin Kate came to sleep over and celebrate Malia’s birthday once again. The One Republic concert and subsequent sleepover were right around the time of Malia’s birthday last year, and with this second late August birthday sleepover, the girls have decided it should be a tradition. The entertainment portion of the weekend was not as exciting as last year’s concert, but it was still super fun for Malia and Kate. They went to one of those paint studios where you select a painting, and the studio staff walks you through how to paint it. With Malia’s love of art, it was an activity right up her alley. They had a good time and I think both of them did a great job. Definitely better than I could do, that’s for sure! After their paint session, the birthday treat of choice was raspberry lemon cheesecake. Yum! Due to Malia’s peanut allergy, the only cheesecake she has been able to safely eat is the homemade kind, so she was super excited to be able to indulge just a bit. And honestly, I was not at all heartbroken about needing to bake a cheesecake. 😉

Today was Malia’s real birthday as well as her first official day of school as a seventh grader. Learning to navigate the halls at school was not a particularly fabulous way to celebrate her birthday, but while she was at school, I got busy and made her a super special birthday treat. Her favorite candy is Rolos, so I whipped up some Rolo cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes topped with caramel frosting with several Rolos baked in the center of each cupcake. The fam assured me they were delicious as I skipped out due to the chocolate. Kevin picked up some highly entertaining balloons and the young women in our ward heart attacked our front door in Malia’s honor. Though school was a bit overwhelming, Malia enjoyed her treat and while school is still a stressor, at least she has the first day under her belt and has a better idea of what to expect tomorrow.

Her gift from Kevin and I was a boatload of art supplies-acrylic paints, paint brushes, art paper, fancy erasers, and a table easel. She doesn’t have her art class until next semester, but when she gets that far she will have all the supplies she needs to explore her craft here at home. Kevin’s mom took her shopping last week and Malia picked out some new T-shirts that perfectly match her personality. Kate gave her some pastels and she got her traditional $12 for a twelfth birthday from my mom. I guess everyone knows her pretty well because everything she received was just right.

Having a highly stressful first day of school fall on your birthday is not exactly the best way to celebrate your big day, but overall, I think Malia had a pretty good birthday. If nothing else, she had some tasty treats to fill out her stress eating menu over the past several weeks. Oh, and make sure to note the lettering on her T-shirt. I think it is highly appropriate for a middle school girl. 😂

A Trial Run

This summer has been hard for Malia, very hard. Not only is the transition to middle school difficult, but the big school boundary changes a few years ago put Malia in a different middle school from all her friends, and a different one from where all her brothers attended. She has been completely stressed out and anxious all summer. In fact, the anxiety started about halfway through the last school year when they started talking about middle school schedules and doing orientations with the upcoming 7th graders. We submitted a request for a special permit so she could attend the much closer and more familiar school, but it was not approved. At this point, Malia is resigned but not necessarily happy, although some recent social drama involving many of her friends from elementary school is suddenly making going to a different school much more appealing.

Today was 7th grade day at the middle school. Malia rode the bus to school for the very first time and spent half a day walking through an abbreviated school schedule. This particular school is laid out like a checkerboard where every hall and every block in the school looks exactly the same, so navigation is tricky. We walked through the school last week and located each of her classrooms, but finding her way around is still proving problematic. I know she will figure it out over time, but she is not feeling all too confident right now.

Tomorrow she will be dumped out of the frying pan straight into the fire as all the upper grade kids join the newbies for the first official day of school. Hopefully she will make some new friends fairly quickly. She doubts herself, of course, but she is a very sociable, very welcoming person and we have seen her gather new friends around her very quickly on many occasions. I think that with some time to adjust, she will be ok. Now we just have to convince her that she will be ok. 🤞

His Band Tan is Well Under Way

Matthew just finished up his two-week band camp for the upcoming marching band season. He is excited about this year’s show and feels like they have gotten a great start over the past several weeks. Hopefully he can maintain the same level of enthusiasm as the season progresses. There are a lot of rehearsal hours ahead of him!