Evelyn is SEVENTEEN

 SO hard to believe that our feisty little red head is 17 years old.  Planning to graduate early (next December) and then off to live her life.... Ev has always been a step ahead of the game.  She has been a mini adult since her 5th birthday!  So proud of the incredibly hard worker she is.  I never have to worry about Evelyn.  She studies and works hard in school.  She is responsible at her job.  She makes good choices and is amazingly level headed and logical.  An awesome driver, a helper in our home and an all around great kid.  Love you Evelyn!  

An excerpt from Evelyn's journal:

 Evelyn this year you have grown so incredibly much!  It’s hard to even imagine that you were once my firstborn babe- the nurses said:  “Oh…. She’s a particular one,” and I thought “what does that mean??”  I would soon find out!  You know exactly what you want in life in every way.  You have always lived with purpose and intention and you are super independent, responsible and driven.  I’ve loved seeing you work hard at each individual pursuit whether that be academics, talents, hobbies, jobs, etc.  You put your whole heart into whatever it is you want to accomplish and you are amazing at most things.  This year you are taking English, Career Counseling, and Math at the junior college with Spanish 3, Physics and PE at Classical Academy.  You are excelling in each of your classes- particularly math!  You love math and science and reading.  You could live without writing.  Along with school work, you also got your first job at Target this year!  You are sincerely working your buns off almost every day!  You are a cashier and you’ve caught on real quick.  Love that you are working and earning money.  You are tired, but enjoying your job. 

This year for your birthday you desperately wanted a big party.  I was so nervous to throw a big teenage party, but you insisted and had confidence it would work out.  As the night approached, we were both a little on the worried side!  Would it be awkward or a low turn out?  Thankfully, no to both!  It was the perfect evening with over 75 kids in attendance and such a great vibe.  You loved every minute.  But this story alone should demonstrate the growth you’ve experienced over the past year.  You would’ve never wanted a big birthday party at 15 or 16- but this year you had the confidence to put it together. 

This past year you flew by yourself to visit Grammy Papa and all the cousins.  You loved spending the week with your extended family!  You learned how to ski super well! You learned how to wake surf on the boat.  You learned that you didn’t want to sit on the side lines of life but would rather join in! You took surf lessons, you swam at the swimming hole in WA, you hiked on Sundays with Amaya, you wake surfed at Lake Powell.  You really gave it your all and adventured in every way possible.  We visited Vegas for Spring Break, we flew to Utah for a summer trip with Grandma, Grandpa and Stacy- we zip lined, tubed down the river, went to a rodeo and river rafted.  It was so much fun!!  We went beach camping, spent two weeks in Seattle, and  few days in Pismo.  You contracted Covid-19 and then got vaccinated, despite your initial hesitation.  You worked as a princess for a preschool summer camp and you loved every minute! You went to Girl’s Camp and became better friends with the gals from our ward.  They adored you and you had a fabulous time up at Big Bear.  It’s been a crazy few years with the pandemic at large, but you’ve handled it all in stride.  In fact, you are an excellent virtual student- though you prefer in person learning.  

At 17, you are incredibly healthy.  You exercise every day on the treadmill.  You love chili and Crumbl cookies.  You love Friends and Stranger Things.  You play the piano all the time and take voice lessons from Kara Howard.  You love swing dancing and anything musical theatre.  You are the best big sister in the world to Anna.  She adores going shopping with you.  You are an amazing driver and you help our family constantly… taking the boys to soccer and skate parks,  taking Anna to dance .  You still love to bake and often make a delicious batch of banana bread or pumpkin cookies.  You are an artist and love to draw.  You really are an incredibly creative person and I love that you have so many talents in music and arts.  You amaze me with your skills in every way.  SO proud of you Evelyn.  So grateful to be your mom and to spend life with you.  I never have to worry about you because you are ahead of the game in every way.  You have dreams to go to college somewhere in Utah but maybe first try out to be a Disney princess at Disneyland!  You are graduating early- in December of 2022 !  I can’t even begin to imagine what lies in store for you.  You could do absolutely anything and I absolutely believe you will do amazing things in your life.  Love you so much.