10!!

       Johanna! How are you 10 already?! The years are just flying by. you are SO much fun. it is amazing watching you turn into this little adult... you have strong opinions and are so capable and witty. you are so much fun. you laugh freely and are becoming very sarcastic and have a very subtle sense of humor. we are starting to really enjoy hanging out with you! you want to play games with us or have conversations or make jokes or play "would you rather" questions instead of diving into your crazy make-believe and it is so much more enjoyable ha. you are really cute too- the cute clothes, the braces, the sass. We are just crazy about you and so thankful to get to watch you grow up! 

Let's talk about your braces first because that was a huge part of your year. You had an expander for the past 9 months and it wasn't very fun. We had to turn it every other night, which was hard to remember and you would freak out and say we weren't doing it right...which we weren't probably half the time. it was tricky. and it hurt you a lot and you would need arnica. poor girly. but your teeth really straightened out very quickly as soon as they had more room and now you already have them off less than a year after you got them. they were super cute though! but it was a pain for you to keep them clean and you had a really hard time any time anyone was eating popcorn or chewing gum, etc. so we are glad to have you in a retainer so you can enjoy your fav goodies and floss easily again. 

you are really starting to get kind of a "teenager"y attitude and we are new to parenting a pre-teen/teenager and it is throwing us. we are struggling with you not wanting to be our friend all the time anymore. you get super angry, often and we have been working hard on your temper control. you are able to calm down much quicker now and are able to at least stay quiet and polite when angry until you can calm. you know how to excuse yourself and take a few minutes to get yourself under control, which is good. but every single day you are pissed off at us for something. sometimes it is us asking you to do a school assignment that is a little on the long side. other times, you're mad because you wanted to go out and we are staying home all day. or because you don't like the food we are serving. haha it is like a toddler, but you are now able to clearly communicate your dislike and let us KNOW about it. you glare at us like nobody's business. i think we will reach an equilibrium at some point...i know the hormones are starting to change and you are just going through normal pre-teen emotions, but it is hard! 

You are not loving school. you love Tuesdays when you go to Miss Rosie's house for school w/ your friends Hannah and Olivia. She has been teaching you science, history, and social studies. You have been studying government, the 50 states and just random science stuff. You enjoy Teaching Textbooks for math and are doing great. We have been doing The Good and the Beautiful for language arts and you like it enough, but you pitch a fit about any writing assignment that takes more than 2 minutes. And so far you are pretty much refusing to write in cursive. I am at a loss. Homeschooling you has been hard. I feel like you would be happier going to an actual school setting- you would get the social interaction and drama and business that you crave so badly. I feel like you are always unhappy when we ask you to do your schoolwork and you only care about playing. I don't know how we can make language arts or math more fun... but hoping that next year as we move into American Girl historical figures for history and The Organic Studies/The Magic School Bus for science that you find it all really engaging and fun and start to put in more effort. 

You loved doing homeschool swim a few weeks ago. I wish we had signed up for all the sessions, but also I was so relieved when it was over because it was really a lot for me in this season. Granted, Ezekiel had swim lessons during the same 5 weeks so it was him every M/W morning and then you and June every M/W noon time and I often had to bring all 3 littles along to watch for a whole hour. But your friends the Mones girls and the Tasa girls both did it with you and you had a blast and both walked away saying you learned so much. I am hoping that you can enjoy lots of swimming at the YMCA when we get our membership this summer. It is a long drive, but it has childcare for the little 3 so I can take you big girls swimming or have some time alone ;) You say swimming is the only sport you're really interested in right now. 

And you have no interest in music. You have lots of interest in starting your own businesses, but you seem to be all idea and very little execution haha. The Tasa girls are having a neighborhood garage sale soon and they invited you and June to sell things that you make like little cards, etc. You have made maybe 2 things...ha. you also came up with an awesome idea for a book: "101 Elf on the Shelf Ideas" and you even went so far as to find 101 ideas, but you have to take your own pictures and compile them into a book and caption it, etc. and that has stopped the idea cold. Maybe soon we will circle back to it. I think once you get a great work ethic going with school, you will really start to fly in all areas of your life! 

You are such a wonderful big sister. I know some days your siblings can annoy you, especially Ezekiel when he plays like a boy and tries to wrestle or knocks your stuff down. But you go out of your way to love on them! Ellie often crawls into bed with you at night and I'll find the two of you cuddled up and you take care of her when she wakes up in the middle of the night- you never come get me, you just do it and you say you love it! You keep begging me to have more babies haha. and you always want to be the one to get Zak up when he wakes. You play with June for HOURS daily. You even love setting up a preschool or something special for Zeke and as he gets older, you're getting better about including him. I am so thankful to have your help with your siblings. I try not to rely on you too often, but you will often just come over and ask to hold the baby when you see I'm busy trying to cook one handed while holding him, etc. It is so good. and I am so proud of you. I can't wait to see you become a mom someday. You want to get married early to a man who makes plenty so you can stay home with your kids and you want to have a lot of kiddos! 

You want PETS and lots of them. Your cat is not enough. Your Ita got you fish for your bday, but they all died within a week and you're so sad about it. You love all animals and bugs...you won't even let me put out ant poison and you're disgusted when we suggest we might want to raise meat chickens. You keep saying you'll find wild animals and tame them- more power to ya sister. Today, you suggested you might tame a wild goat haha. 

We have been reading through "The Care and Keeping of You" by the American Girl Doll company- the same book I read when I was your age! I think you really enjoy the 1:1 attention. and you are really interested in the topic! you aren't at all embarrassed yet so it is really perfect to dive in and make sure you understand puberty and hormones and the changes coming. We have had some really great conversations- about pornography (good pictures, bad pictures), about dating and saving yourself for your husband, about how God's rules don't always seem good and easy but how they are always for our good. You are excited to grow up. you have been wearing little cotton training bras constantly for the past year now and you even have the slightest hint of little breast buds coming in. You are proud of them and wanted to show me. I am so so thankful that you feel comfortable talking to me about these things because I never felt like I could talk to my mom about any of this stuff. I pray that you will always know I am an open book and will always come to me with your questions- not your friends or the internet. I hope you always feel safe confiding in me and trusting me with your worries and friendship dramas and later on relationships with boys. I pray that you will allow me and your grandmas and dad to pour wisdom into you as you enter adulthood. such a precious stage watching you turn from your "girlhood" toward growing up, but still very much a little girl doing little girl things like playing dolls and bathing with your siblings. You are so precious and I am SO thankful for your innocence! I pray you stay very innocent well into your teen years! 

You are starting to really care about how your hair looks and your clothes, etc. Becoming very aware of what other people might think about you. We have had many discussions already about how you don't remember what your friends wore to church last week, etc. and for sure they don't remember what you wore either. The only thing that people really remember is how you made them feel- not if you had a pimple on your forehead or a cold sore on your lip. But I understand the self consciousness- I felt it too as a pre-teen/teen and it is no fun. I pray that you will be confident in your beauty that shines from within. You have the most beautiful heart that adores people, goes out of your way to know them and make them laugh, loves animals, is creative and bright, and so so fun. The outward beauty is just a bonus. but you sure are beautiful on the outside too! Your long, dark eyelashes. The deep chocolate brown of your eyes. Your gorgeous smile. Your athletic little body that can run and play. Your sense of style. Your sweet nose. I think you are just breathtaking! The only thing that I may complain about with your physical features is your very very thick hair. and even that I love- I have super thin hair and am a bit jealous of your luscious locks, but you don't take time to actually brush your hair so it ends up super knotty and impossible and then I have to spend half an hour untangling it and you get so upset with me for the waste of time and pain haha. impossible. so we are probably going to go into a barber 2x/year and have them thin out your hair and keep it shorter so it is more manageable until you're able to assume most of the brushing responsibility yourself. i also got you some leave in conditioner for Christmas and when I remind you to use that it works great! I only have a thickening conditioner in the shower and you keep begging me to buy you one that won't encourage your hair to get thicker haha. I promise soon I'll find a good quality one for you, but for now the leave in is pretty great. 

You have been doing Spanish on your i-pad every night for almost a year. You are so proud of yourself. You text the accomplishment streaks to your grandmas and everyone ha. You are doing so good. and so self motivated. you can take a long text in Spanish and read it out loud in English. I love it so much. but just like me, you are going to be great w/ reading and writing it, but speaking it will come harder so we are encouraging you to speak it as much as possible and your dad and I need to be better about speaking it to you. I don't want to make it an official school subject because you are just rocking it all on your own, so keeping it light and fun for now and maybe move into a formal curriculum in a few years. so proud of you. when you want something, you go for it 100%!  

Anyway, there is a pretty good snapshot of your life at 10 years old! I hope you look back at this and can remember this season of life more vividly and that it serves you someday when you become a mom maybe to a little girl who is 10 years old and you can remember all of it and empathize with her through it all. You are so unique and special and just the most precious little girl that the Lord has made. He never makes mistakes. I pray that as you move into the teenage years that you will embrace and love every part of what makes you you. of who God made you! I love who you are. i have loved ever season of your life so far. and I love who you are becoming. you can rest assured that I will love you in every future season too. you are my daughter. my love. my life. and I will LOVE you for the rest of my days. 

with all my heart, 

Mom

your friends the Tasa girls have AG dolls too and they let you take them to get them read for the Daddy Daughter dance :) 

Sleep in the Deep with Dad!! You had a blast!

you said you needed coffee before your early morning braces removal appt. your first cup with caffiene

you loved Defy last year! you finally got up the confidence to master the zipline right before we ended our membership. you really want us to do it again next year...we'll see- would be hard to watch all 3 littles for me..

a pic of your vision for your future family haha. 12 kids with several sets of twins.

the 1 year anniversary of abuelo's death. we went hiking and to get some ice cream- 2 of his favorites

this year you started building massive magnatile castles around people- Ellie would always surprise us!

the Johanna special- mushroom, olive, pineapple

Timbers game with dad!

before

watching LB give birth live on IG- just 2 weeks after you watched me give birth! I hope you are empowered when it is your turn to give birth. that it is so normal and natural and beautiful! 

you attended an art camp at Old Town Church in FG for a few days. your art!

about to get braces!

you won that clay in our church kids carnival. you had to earn tickets by playing games and it took you so long!

some co-op art!

you found a praying mantis and made her your pet. you kept her for several weeks before she died of old age. you cried of course. 

best big sister ever

you love to sleep in a bra and undies. and then you have no shame walking around in them all day long ha. but you will no longer be naked in front of anyone. modesty. growing up! 

you thought you were soooo funny drawing butts. 

 Fav toy: Barbies

Fav fruit: Cantaloupe

Fav vegetable: Cucumber

Fav snack: lunchables. but that's more of a lunch than a snack..

Fav movie: Leo

TV show: Little House on the Prairie

Fav outfit: any leggings and a tshirt

Fav game: Freeze tag

Fav food: um um um um um um um Red Robin hamburgers

Fav animal: cat

 Fav song: "The Talking Song" from Leo

 Fav book: any interesting book

Fav season: summer

 Best friend: Hannah & Olivia & Alberta. depends on what you're talking about. if i could choose to spend the day w/ one, it would be Alberta. but who I'm closest to is probably Hannah and Olivia, you know?

 Fav dessert/treat: cupcake

 Fav thing to do outside: swing

 Fav drink: Water

 Fav holiday: I can't decide...Christmas or my birthday. ooh somebody texted me! I'll be right back.

Fav thing: my fish

Fav homeschool subject: reading

Fav book: Any Cupcake Diaries book! 

Fav hobby: Taking care of animals

Highlight of your year: Zak!

Goal for next year: Stay home alone. have baby chicks. 

Most excited about right now: my new fish that Ita is buying me tomorrow! (only has 2 in tank now)

What do you want to be when you grow up: same as last year...mom

What has God taught you this year: I've been working on not being mean to people. (mom suggested handling anger a lot better!)

How did we celebrate: We got donuts from some fancy, expensive new place in FG! and I made you some fried eggs. you woke up and first thing you said was, "umm guys did you forget something" and we had totally forgotten to do the streamers and balloons. so sorry! so I quickly decorated the area by the table while you were out getting donuts. at least this way, your little sibs can't tear them down. we opened half your gifts at breakfast and then went about our day. you were sad that i made you do school ha. i made you mac and cheese by your request for lunch! we left around 2 and picked up your friend Hannah (Olivia couldn't come because she got sick) and went to the Jungle Maze at Park Lanes. Alinah and Alberta joined us too! you had a blast playing for 2.5 hours. you had made your own cupcakes the day before- chocolate with white frosting. you decorated them so cute with eyeballs and sprinkles and you totally gave yourself the most frosting. Miss Annette brought you a big present and insisted on videoing while you opened it and it was the Christmas goose! grandma had brought it over and asked them to give it to you at your party hahaha. you were so shocked and annoyed about that. we brought Alinah home and went home to have pulled pork sandwiches for dinner- again, your request! we watched some extra tv and you opened the rest of your gifts. then we had a little family party with Alinah on the weekend- with pizza and a blueberry cake. you got some lego friends from Tia Mari and Tia Jess said she would take you out during Alinah's spring break. and of course, you had your grandma sleepover the week before and she took you to a giant trampoline with harnesses at the mall and out to Red Robin and all the things! you are sure loved and celebrated sweet girl <3