Dear Emerson,
Happy Sweet 16! I truly cannot believe that you are sixteen years old today. What a year it has been this year.
I feel like this year has absolutely flown. Mostly because we so rarely see you during the day. You take yourself to and from school, go to swim practice after school, and then come home and eat dinner, do homework, and go to bed. You are a busy, busy bee! You do tend to thrive with a busy schedule and you've done a great job balancing everything. You are also involved at church, do Young Life small group, go to First Priority, and sometimes babysit for kids in the neighborhood. This summer you coached swim team, taught private swim lessons, babysat and took a summer school class. You also were a CIT at Bonclarken for 1 week and you loved it and are hoping to go for 2 weeks this summer. You have always thrived with lots of activity and you do a great job balancing it all.
You started driving this year and that was a huge change in our lives! You are doing a great job and it has been very nice to have another driver in the house! Its really crazy to think that you've already been driving for a year. Seeing you drive off to school every day is still really strange to me. I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that I was dropping you off at preschool. (And we won't even talk about the fact that next year we will be starting to look at colleges!)
This year you really improved a lot as a competitive swimmer. You also achieved some BIG goals this year. You made your first state cut (long course 50 free) and you earned your high school varsity letter. You have had 2 really great coaches this year and watching you thrive under their coaching has been really fun. They weren't always easy on you and sometimes that was really hard for you, but you kept your chin up and listened to their feedback and you saw big improvement!
One of the things that has made me the happiest over this past year is seeing you really settle in with a group of friends. I feel like you bounced around a little in middle school but as freshman year finished and sophomore year started you seem to have found your people. You have such a sweet group of close friends. They are kind, supportive, fun, and love you for who you are. This year I've watched these girls be there to listen when you're stressed, help you study when you're struggling in school, make you laugh or be a shoulder to cry on when you're feeling sad, and celebrate with you when something exciting happens. In this stage of your life your friends will influence your decisions more than anyone else and that can be really scary as a parent! I have prayed so much for you to find friends in Greenville that are as solid friends as the E squad and these girls are truly an answer to prayer.
You are also a great sister. You and Ellie have gotten really close now that you ride to and from school together. I love your inside jokes and the way you lovingly give each other grief and the way you always have each others backs. Ruthie thinks you hung the moon. She looks up to you so much and is always coming to you for fashion and skin care advice and I'm so glad that you are usually willing to let her just hang out in your room with you. And of course JP still thinks you're his other mother. Oh, and Teddy thinks you give the best belly rubs and have the best tasting slippers he has ever tasted. He also appreciates that you always save him a spot on your bean bag chair.
As I look forward at the next few years its hard to believe that we are down to just a few more years of having you at home. I love seeing you figure out who you are and what direction you want to go with your life. You have a big heart and love people of all ages. You are organized and have a great eye for design. You can talk to anyone but don't want to talk in front of a group, even a small group. You are meticulous and detail oriented but you aren't speedy for sure. There are so many things you could do in life that I know you would love and I can't wait to see how you choose to use all your gifts!
Emerson, as you start off on another year of life I hope you know how much you are loved. I hope you know how much you bring to our family. I can't wait to see the new adventures this year brings!
Love,
Mom
