16!

We now have a 16-year-old!

Our 16-year-old is beautiful and smart, a talented actor/singer and Dungeons and Dragons aficionado. She loves Critical Role, Murdoch Mysteries, and participating in an online written role play story with her friends. She has a small number of people she'd call friends, but she is loyal and excels in discernment.

As the girls get older and older, it's strange as a parent because we have such clear memories from these ages. At 16, I got my driver's license and had a part-time job, filing paperwork at the tax firm. Stace started his apprenticeship and college soon after turning 16. He'd been driving around his Pop's building site in a small van, and had a car, before we was able to start driving at 17.

Cora isn't anxious to get her license, and hasn't studied the handbook to take the initial permit test. Of course this is perfectly fine; many teens these days aren't in the hurry that my generation was to start driving.

Cora had school on her birthday, so it felt like a normal day, with some additional hassle of people acknowledging her special day in annoying ways.

In the evening, I picked up Stone Fire, her favorite, and we opened gifts. I'd like to think her favorite gift was this basket of all her favorite snacks.