Megan is ….14!

I have to tell you that I thought 14 was going to look different than this.

Megis14

Younger maybe. I think that’s it. I thought that 14 would still look like a little girl and it really doesn’t. It looks grown up, responsible and suddenly much bigger than I thought. Fourteen on this girl is perplexing, wild, changeable and tall.

Fourteen on this girl is….

Loud. We will remember this (I hope, unless it get’s worse) as Megan’s loudest year. From her raucous laugh to her “wild moose” (making this the only household in the world where the phrase “don’t you moose at me” is uttered) impressions, you can’t beat Meg for volume. (Or continuity). She was a quieter two year old.

Clever. This is the year that she told us to get off your back about homework and school, that she would handle it all…and she did. Her grades were pretty darned good too. Meg is clever enough to be in charge of some of her own destiny.

Tall. Taller than me. I don’t even begin to understand how something I made can be bigger than me, but there you have it. (I know that Joe will be unable to resist pointing out that I’m not hard to beat…but I’d like to point out that I made Meg myself from a couple of cells that were lying around. She used to be a zygote. I wouldn’t care if I were two and a half feet tall. I’m impressed with her.)

Funny. Meg’s sense of humour is sharp, quick and keen. If there’s an opportunity for a moment, my girl is there. She’s the best kind of smart ass….since she is kind. She’s also funny by accident and good natured about it when it happens. Riding our bikes by the ocean last year, our girl Meg pipes up “MOM! I saw a herring!”

I look at Joe, since he’s the ocean guy. Herring? Joe shakes his head. No herring here. “Meg? A Herring? Are you sure?”

“Mom! It was totally a herring. Totally! It was right over there with it’s tall legs and long beak!”

Oh. Right. A herring. We all laughed, including Meg, and laughing at herself was a milestone.

Amanda (Meg’s 16 year old sister who resents that I already got “Loud” and “Funny”.) says Meg at 14 has

Bad taste in music. When I said “Amanda…hey!” Amanda pointed out that she listens to The Back Street Boys and Ashlee Simpson.

Ok. There’s that. Amanda also admits that Meg is Good at sharing, and she’s right. When Meg is in high form, you can’t hold a candle to her generosity. (Amanda did say this sashaying out the door with Megs satchel and tee shirt.)

Sam (11 year old younger sister, sworn to follow Megan for every day of her life and torment her in all ways possible) finds Meg…

Picky. Food, clothes, friends, books, socks, apples…..it takes Meg hours, but she makes pretty good decisions. Meg is also good with those younger than her. She has lots of patience for Hank. (And Sam.)

Joe says Megan is Persistent, Tenacious and Hard Working.

Joe often takes a kid to work with him, and Megan seriously rocks. She doesn’t complain about grunt work and can be trusted to take the time to learn to do a job right. Meg’s going to be a good worker. Doesn’t matter what at.

Ken says she’s got

Commitment and follow-through, which are insanely useful and exceptionally rare at her – or any – age. She’s a planner, with goals of her own that she intends to accomplish, and she’s not just making idle chatter. She’s worked out how she’s going t do it, and (most remarkably), she’s actually going to do all of those things she’s worked out.

Finally, and I’m sure you noticed from the photo above, our Meg is

Beautiful. You couldn’t find a lovelier teen, though really, with everything else she has going for her…it’s icing on the cake.

Happy Birthday Meg!