Teresa is TWELVE!

Hello!

A little while back I said I'd blog about Teresa...it was her 12th birthday last week, so now's a good time! Teresa is energetic and positive. She loves to have fun. She'll be the first one to jump in a pile of leaves or a pile of snow, or the swimming pool or lake. She has a contagious smile. She's an animal lover, from insects to birds to dogs to snakes. She's also good at making people feel happy and comfortable.

My comment on the previous blog was about her field hockey team. She tried a new sport this fall: she'd never played before, and she made the cuts for the team. Very cool. I got to learn about this sport too, as I had never watched a match before.

The girls wear kilts in field hockey--that rule was a little soft, as one of the teams they played just had them wear shorts. But all the other teams wore kilts, plus volleyball shorts underneath. They wear goggles and mouth guards.

The stick has to be pretty close to the ground the whole time, no swinging it so high or it's a foul. And you can only hit the ball (which is pretty hard, the size of a baseball) with one side of the stick. The stick looks a little like a golf club at the end, rounded on one side and flat on the other. You must hit the ball with the flat side of the stick.

Two twenty-minute halves is what they played, passing the ball down the field to get it into a net to score. They used the soccer field and the soccer net. At the end of season party, Teresa was awarded "Most Improved Player." She did great!

Last Wednesday Teresa turned 12! Yep, out of Primary (ages 3-11) at church, into Young Women's (ages 12-18). They have a tradition in this group for the Young Women to "welcome" the new girls into the group by giving them a "Heart Attack" after their 12th birthday. These teens go to the house of the new girl, and tape hearts and paper chains and messages all over her room. Usually they decorate and leave, but this time, it worked out for them to stay in her room, then I brought her home from our "errand." She walked into her room and there they were! (12 girls and 4 leaders, I think...it was wall-to-wall people). Very cute.

Teresa also plays flute, and likes to sell things...(don't know where THAT came from..??? Her mom apologizes profusely to all who have been approached for the raffle tickets...and THANK YOU for being patient and even buying from her...)

So, there you have TERESA. She certainly adds spice to our family! We think she's awesome.