Teenager in the house. Oh my!

It must be an effect of age. A few years ago it felt like every time I turned around good another week had gone by. Now the months are clicking by like the weeks used to. And now that we have a teenager in the house it's really hitting home just how quickly time goes by.

That's right, Jenna is now 13 years old! Adolescence is staring us in the face and I'm not ready.

I have written before how proud I am of her. She truly has a serving, giving, compassionate heart. She is also growing into a beautiful young woman. Girlhood is falling away to reveal something truly spectacular.

Jenna is a lot like me in her fashion sense. She's a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl. She abhors the thought of wearing a dress. She loathes the thought of shopping. So, she shocked us last week when she said she thought it was time to go shopping for a dress. I guess she had Easter on her mind.

Jenna and Vicki brought home three dresses. I was blown away when she modeled them for me. Of course, every parent is biased toward their own children, but I think it's that scary place when you look and realize your daughter becoming the woman she was made to be that gives me pause to think about my role as dad. I think I'm more scared for me than for her. I have confidence she's going to turn out fine in spite of my best efforts.

Jenna's birthday was Monday and our family celebrated with a cookout over at Aunt Mar's for supper. Vicki made a delicious chocolate cake, but we didn't have much time to enjoy it because we had to rush out for Ben's ball game and Nate's scout meeting.

Last night Jenna invited her friends Mackenzie, Maegan, and Savannah over for a slumber party. We all went to the Maundy Thursday service at church and then out for a late supper at the Mexican restaurant in White House. I'm not sure how much sleeping they did, but I hear they went to bed around 2:00. Once I got the air mattresses inflated I went to bed.

It has been interesting to see the boys react to all the girls in the house. Jenna has a friend to sleep over on occasion, but it is rare for her to have more than that. Ben got up this morning and wanted to cook pancakes for the group. He did a really good job and the girls were very impressed. He blushed and ducked his head when they complimented him, though he was interested when they talked about hiring him on the weekends. I think Nate is enamored with Savannah. He keeps bringing her grapes that she hasn't asked for.

So here we are with a teenager. There are a lot of other things that have happened in the last three weeks, but I'll save that for the next edition which I hope to write before the weekend is out. Until then have a wonderful Easter!