13!

13!  Yikes It's a scary number.  

Not because I am superstitious but 

because our oldest is now 13 in less than 24 hours.  

Where has the time gone.  

Earlier this year I did this for Xander's birthday.

I am going to take a stab at something similar for Serena. 

She has no real nicknames.  

Some friends use to call her SeSe.  

Her dad still calls her Bob.  

^That one just kind of stuck and is an inside joke. 

She wants to be an eye doctor when she gets bigger....

this is her goal .  

I am really curious to see if she sticks with that or decides something else.

Her favorite colors are blue, pink and purple. 

She loves fingernail polish, eyeshadow, lip gloss and body stuff.

She loves to do crafty things and draw. 

She has her father's brains, my gracefulness.  

She is a pretty good combination of both Voss and Naylor.  

Some days I am like..holy crap she is mine and not just on days she trips over her own feet. 

Then other days I see our niece Amanda or Ryan's cousin Valerie.   

Serena has a heart of gold.  She thinks of others. 

We are so proud of her involvement in Relay for Life.  

This is something that is near and dear to her heart

and let's face it there are far worse things for her to be involved in or care about. 

She is a special girl.  

She was the first grandchild in my family. 

She was the first baby in the group (and only for nearly 7 years).

This year has not worked out how we had planned.  

I missed her first concert but I was where I needed to be, 

and the best part, Serena understood that.  

Did she want me with her?  Of Course!

Did she complaint?  No. 

She made the best of it. 

Serena, we are proud of you.  

We are proud of your grades and honor roll.
Proud of your interest in band. 

Proud of your creativity. 

Proud of your heart. 

Proud of your willingness to give to something bigger than you. 

Proud that you tried something new. 

Xander can be mean to you but he loves you. 

One thing I hear from everybody is how much Xander adores his big sister. 

He can be mean but that's what brothers do.  

Trust me.  I pray that when you are older, you and your brother have a close relationship and are always there for each other. 

We love you!