Happy 21st Birthday, Kylie!

Is it really possible that my little Kylie is 21 years old? Wow, where did the time go??

Every family deserves to have a Kylie! She was so much fun!! The girl who sang to her own reflection even when she had an audience. Good times! We used to have a shiny, gold fireplace frame in our old house and Kylie would be singing a song for us and she would twirl around as part of her choreography and then catch a glimpse of herself in the gold reflection and start singing to herself and we would have to remind her to turn around and sing to us! She was so darn cute. She could be kind of a brat but even when she was bratty, she was so funny and adorable and you couldn't help but chuckle. (At least I hope that's how Courtney sees it because she was mostly bratty to Courtney!)

One of my favorite Kylie memories was reporting herself lost. It all started when she wandered away from me in Walmart when she was about 4. I wasn't concerned. She had only been out of my sight for a couple of minutes and I was calling her name looking under racks. An employee asked me if I needed any help and I told her no I was just looking for my daughter who had wandered off. She immediately called a "Code Adam" where they announce there is a missing child and lock the front doors - nothing like that to make you feel like an incompetent parent. Well, she was located quickly and I picked her up at the register and she seemed perfectly happy with the attention she got.

Fast forward a few weeks? months? I can't remember. We were at the aquatic center and Kylie was old enough that she could play out in the shallow water or in the sand with her friends or sisters with some independence. (People with only 1 or 2 kids are probably shuddering at the thought but when you have seven, there are a few spares!) (I'm totally kidding!!) The point is, Kylie was old enough to know where I was sitting and where she could find me. So I was surprised to hear that there was a child named Kylie who was lost. What? She was just in the sand! I walked the walk of shame over to the office (about 20 feet away) where lost children are retrieved. Kylie gave me a fake hug and I thanked everyone for their diligence. Then I questioned Kylie, "How could you be lost? You knew right where I was and I haven't moved." She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled that infectious smile.

Fast forward 30 minutes later as I watch Kylie leave the sand area, walk right by me and head to the office to report herself lost! I run and barely catch her before she can summon the guards once again. I wonder how far she would have been willing to wander if she knew that she could get her picture on a milk carton! If memory serves, that wasn't the end of her trying to report herself lost but I think we we were finally smart enough to thwart her efforts. See what I mean by bratty but oh so cute! That was Kylie!!

Kylie is headed to Auckland, New Zealand next semester. She leaves Dec. 30th and will spend the next 4 months there as part of her Elementary Ed major. She will be taking classes and teaching classes. She will live with a host family and I bet they will love her just as much as we do! She is going to make the best teacher ever and I am so proud of her!!

It has not only been a blessing but it has been a privilege to be Kylie's mother, and I treasure every moment of those 21 years! Happy Birthday, Kylie. I love you!!