Eleven going on....

Middle School is an absolutely appropriate term. Kids in middle school are, well, in the middle. Between childhood and adulthood. Between grade school and high school. Between dependent and independent (although some people never seem to reach independence.)

I'm loving Hannah at this age. Oh, I'm sure there are rough spots ahead, but right now is a really great age. She is old enough to have some really intelligent conversations. She is smart and thoughtful and sensitive and has a great sense of humor. Last week was her first band concert of the year, and I can vouch for the fact that the band is a LOT better than they were last year!

Last night she and I stood in line for over an hour with throngs of other teens and their mothers (very few dads in sight, although there were a few young men who were obviously dragged by their girlfriends/wives) to see the sold out 10:30 showing of this.

We had a blast. We can both agree that whether we are 11 or 50, Edward and Jacob are cute little morsels, and that a good romance is always enjoyable. This is something that the males in our family just don't get.

Hannah has become my right hand helper in a door-staining project. While she isn't loving this job, she pays attention to detail and does a great job. And there are signs that she may even turn out to be helpful in the kitchen. Earlier this week Hannah asked if she could make some cookies. I had a boatload of work to do, so I told her she could make cookies provided I didn't have to help her in any way AND provided I didn't have to clean up the mess. Here was the result. They tasted even better than they looked.

I've always looked forward to the next stage of life for my kids. When they were babies I couldn't wait until they were toddlers so I didn't have to carry them everywhere. When they were preschoolers I couldn't wait until they were in school so I didn't have the hefty daycare bills. When they were in middle school I couldn't wait until they could drive so I didn't have to chauffer them to activities. You get my point. But since this will be my last trip through middle school, I think I'm going to try to enjoy this a bit more; to savor all the craziness that is middle school.