My Baby Turns 16!!!

I cannot believe my sweet CC is 16 today. I honestly have no idea where the time went. I wish just for one moment I could go back to each stage of her life and take it all in, just one more time. I wish I knew then how very fast these years would pass. I would have done so many things differently, cherished every moment I had with my sweet little girl. But nevertheless, I am so proud of the beautiful, sweet, good young lady she has turned out to be.

I remember how very scared I was having her. But I also remember the huge amount of love I was shown. All my family members drove hours to be here with us, even my grandpa Pots.

There was hardly ever a time when CC didn't have a big bow in her hair. She had her first set of highlights around 3. My mom worked in a salon and CC got a head start!

She was such a good big sister. I know it was hard for her at first. She was the baby for almost 5 years. When I told her I was pregnant with Lena I remember she cried. Then after Lena was born we were walking at the park. CC sweetly asked me if she could push the stroller. I thought she making progress and let her have the stroller. She started running with it and tried to push Lena, strapped in the stroller, down a rocky edge into the little creek below. I screamed and ran after her, reaching the stroller just in time. She said, "Mom!! Why did you do that? I was trying to kill her!" I'm thankful that she passed that stage pretty quickly!

CC and Charlie, her little brother. I can't believe how young they both were here!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my girls. We had just moved into this house and CC wanted to give Lena a make over.

They still love baking cookies together.

We brought this Barney game home from Vegas for Lena. Both girls had a good time playing it. When CC was a little baby she would have real mean, loud spells. She seemed so frustrated. We started teaching her a little sign language. That helped immeasurably! The first communication we understood from CC was when she was a few months old. She was humming/babbling a song and after a few times it clicked. She was singing the Barney theme some. When she saw that we understood and we started singing along with her she was so excited and smiled such a huge gummy smile!

She and Luigi bonded immediately. They are still inseparable. He suffers from extreme separation anxiety and she can't sleep without him. The result.... we have a 100 lb dog in the house all the time!

This is another of my very favorite photos of the girls. I love to take pictures of them the last day they are whatever age it is. Here I think she was turning 9.

We were at the San Antonio zoo here. Cc is 11.

My sweet girl with her Kelso. She was 12 here.

This was New Years 2006-7.

Ugh...hate that I didn't flip this one.... Our ice storm of 2008. The girls had a blast staying home from school and I didn't have to go to work. We played and slid on the ice most of the day. We were the only ones outside in it, but the girls still talk about it and I know we made memories that day!

Here CC and I are at our friends wedding in 2007. She is already starting to look like a little lady. The baby roundness of her face is starting to go away.

Another photo I didn't flip. I might go back in and correct these tomorrow. I am honestly too tired right now. CC is in middle school here. She is 11. It was around this time that I remember her going to sleep my sweet little girl and literally waking up the next morning looking like a young lady. It made me so sad. And now, my baby Lena has changed over night too. Time won't stop flying past me and I can't catch up with it. I don't think I want to.

New Years 2008-9. A grown up hair cut. A boutique blouse and jeans and she was wearing her first pair of real heels. My girl is a almost a teenager.

And this was the morning of her 13th birthday.

At the Japanese tea gardens.

With her little cousin Ariana, Thanksgiving 2009.

14 years old at Red Rooster Antiques.

Homeschool day at the park. The girls were getting restless this day and it was such a pretty day I loaded them (and Luigi) up and headed over to the park to do our homework. It's amazing what a change in scenery can do for you!

Here we are at the Pearl Brewery Farmer's Market.

On one of our many drives to Austin, CC here is 15.

And here we are today, again in Austin, Dillard's to be exact. She took this photo while waiting on me..Ha! It's usually the other way around!

And of course I have to take her last photos as a 15 year old.

CC is such a wonderful young lady. She loves to cook and clean. She loves to bake and find new recipes. "Chopped" is one of her favorite shows. We are definitely at the stage where we hate each others music. The other day we were driving home and she asked if she could play music for us. I told her it couldn't be anything that had barking, growling or any other animal sounds in it. She said, "Well, that leaves out Nikki Minaj, Shakira and some Alanis Morrisette."

CC is so responsible. In one year she completed 9th, 10th and half of 11th grade. When she has set her mind to do something, there is very little that can stand in her way. She has amazing ideas and concepts and is so much older than her age. At the same time, she loves to lay down with me before bed. She likes to snuggle on the couch and watch movies together. Just the other night she and I played Hide and Seek together. She loves her sister and her nanny and her dad. She takes excellent care of her guinea pigs. They probably have it better than some children! Any extra money she has goes straight to her pets!

I hope she always knows her worth and never settles for anything less. I pray she believes honesty is the best policy, even if it means something negative resulting. A good name means more than anything else. I want her to always stand her ground in whatever her convictions are and not let anything influence her other wise. I want her to know that her dreams can be a reality, nothing is impossible, because she has a family that loves her and supports her, fleshly and spiritually. The only person that can stand in the way of her accomplishing her dreams is her, and with all of us behind her, encouraging her, loving her and never judging her, I don't see that as an option. I love her so much more everyday and I am so very proud and thankful to be her mother!