Growing Pains

Before I can complete today's post, there are two things you need to know:

1. I have a beautiful and talented daughter who is musically inclined. She has hummed and sung her way through life, filling our home with beautiful music.

2. I have a darling husband who is struggling with his beautiful and talented daughter growing into a beautiful and talented young woman.

Okay. With that in mind, I give you the laugh of the day.

This morning, I was in my room, painting yet another set of doors. Jess was the only other person home, and she would wander in out of my room, and we'd have short little conversations. At one point, she came in singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the movie Mulan.

Jess: "Did you hear what Dad said to me about that song the other day?"

Me: "No."

Jess: "He said it was 'inappropriate.'"

Me (incredulous): "What? Why?"

Jess: "He said I shouldn't be singing a song like that. So I told him that it's a song from a Disney movie and Donny Osmond sings it. I said it was a song about preparing men to go to war, and if Donny Osmond can sing it, then it's probably okay for me to sing it."

Me: "And what did he say to that?"

Jess: "He said, 'OH! I thought it was a song about a young girl making a man out of a boy!"

Need.
I.
Say.
More?

There's a Girl I Know

Happy 11th Birthday to this horse-lovin', piano-playin', friend-makin' gal!

Jessica is the one who brings music to our family. She can't do anything without humming a tune. She hums when she's making a sandwich. She hums when she's cleaning her room. She hums along as she plays the piano. She hums along as she plays the violin.

Jessica is the one who brings beauty to our family. Her smile dazzles anybody, even before the braces went on. She leaves sweet notes and is always up for hugging.

Jessica is the one who sets the example in our family. She fits well into any situation and is our social butterfly. She's not afraid to stick up for her friends but also isn't afraid to tell them when they're "acting ridiculous."

Jessica is the goal-getter in our family. Yesterday she told me she's going to try and read one chapter in The Old Testament every day. Thanks to her grandpa, she's got her sights set on BYU-Hawaii. "It's only 7 years away, you know," she told me. She's planning to own some kind of horse-related business by the time she's 16, and her bank account is getting there. I told her she'll be the only sixteen-year-old riding a horse to school instead of a car, and she simply smiled. "I'll have to make sure they have a hitching post," she replied.

Happy Birthday Jess!