A Teenager in the House!

Yes, there is a teenager in our house and yes, (for those of us who know us well) I am late posting. Regardless of my timing, my intentions are good. As of 3:21am on September 4th we officially embarked bravely upon the stages of parenting teenagers. We are up for the challenge, not because of self-confidence but because of the amazing character we see growing in Hannah.

Hannah truly is a delight to parent and I will list several of the reasons her dad and I are excited about the "teen years." Hannah is:

1.On fire for Jesus
2.Easy going
3.Loves life and lives it to the fullest each and every day
4.Full of smiles, overflowing even
5.Able to laugh at herself
6.Always singing, has been since she was about 20 months old and has never stopped
7.A great example for her siblings
8.Willing to ask our opinion and is so teachable
9.Has a heart the size of Texas and is not afraid to show it!
10.Loves basketball (had to throw that one in---not that it is a big deal)
11.A great babysitter (for those of you with young ones, you should see for yourself)
12.Still gives PDAs (public displays of affection) to her parents
13.Willing to be herself, no matter what others think----she is firmly planted!

Of course there is, as with all of us, weaknesses and areas to be refined but those pale in comparison to the way we see God's character reflected in her. We are so excited to see what the Lord will do in and through her life. In the meantime she is such a blessing to the Sterner 7. Hannah Christine, you are dearly loved. Happy birthday honey.

I missed flashback Friday so here is Hannah then, at age 4. (I would go back further but we did not have digital pictures before this time---showing our age I know!).


Hannah now, age 13!


Hannah loves color (can you tell?) so new shoes for her birthday sat high on the list. She also had to have several new pairs of jeans because she is growing out of them so fast.


The prized gift.......her first real stereo. She did some babysitting to help contribute to this group gift. Did I tell you she loves music? As if the decibel level wasn't high enough in our house, it just jumped to the point of floor vibrations, not small ones either. She is loving that!


The true teenager reaction to the tune machine.


One last shot of the family honoring my girl who doesn't like traditional cake. Dirt cake for her, thanks Grandma Joy. Not the greatest family shot but hey, we only had one take.