Karianna is 10!

 Wow, Happy Birthday to this pre-teen....or "tween", as she calls herself!  I cannot believe Karianna is in the double digits.  That is simply crazy.  She is growing up way too fast!  She is also such an amazing young lady, if she's going to insist on growing up, I'm just grateful she's doing it with grace and style (as fully apparent by her amazing outfit!)!

 We celebrated with a party over at the Lautenschlagers' house, having already done her cousins party a few weeks ago.  Karianna always reacts so well to gifts she receives, I really appreciate her gratitude and genuine joy.

 The thing I was the MOST excited to give her is this rainbow loom case.  I filled it with 7200 rubber bands that I purchased online ages ago at a steal of a deal.  She flipped out.  Hee hee!  I love totally surprising her with something I know she is going to love to pieces!

 The Lautenschlager gave her an array of new clothes, jewelry, and hair things, which she is all about right now.  She got a chunky necklace, earrings, nail polish, and vaselines from us as well.  We had a chocolate silk pie for her birthday treat, as requested-it was a fun party, and we are super excited to celebrate Karianna!  A few updates on Karianna as a 10 year old:

1. Karianna is very fashionable.  She loves to put together outfits with jewelry and hairstyles.  She is very focused on remaining modest while staying in style, which is a refreshing viewpoint to see in a young pre-teen girl.
2. Karianna is very responsible.  She babysits often for me now, having gone for just shy of 3 hours at the most.  She constantly, constantly amazes me with how capable she is with the kids.  We don't pay her every time, but I certainly don't mind paying her our 2$/hour rate every now and then to help her earn money.  
3. Karianna is a rock star with her school work.  I never have to remind her about homework or studying for tests, or monitoring her time on week-long projects or writing.  She continues to be a straight A student, and enjoys social studies, writing, and science the most. She is loving the 5th grade and her teacher-and so am I, which is wonderful!
4. One of Karianna's "secret" talents is that she writes songs. She keeps a journal full of songs she has written and is getting into putting them to piano music.  She is just a good writer overall, she has so much voice in her writing selections, it is my favorite part of reading her weekly writing assignments.
5. Karianna continues to be an avid reader. She reads for hours each day, mostly at night after she is supposed to be in bed.  She is doing Battle of the Books this year and is already ramping up for her first battle the 2nd week of October.  She is also starting Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, which was a favorite series for Jared when he was a kid.  
6. Karianna is fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology.  She can talk anyone's ear off about the various Gods and Goddesses, and what the "rule" over.  It is neat to see her so engrossed in a topic of study!
7. Karianna loves to sing, and she plays the piano all the time-though I need to start her on lessons soon.  She continues to play the violin and finds it quite easy. She is beginning to look only at her music instead of her fingers, which is neat-shows she is getting more acclimated at the instrument as a whole.  She sang her first solo in church this year and is singing a duet with her good friend, Aubrey, for the primary program.  
8. Karianna is a great friend.  I love that about her.  Sometimes I do not love all the petty cat fights she is privy to at school.  However, her main area of concern is how to be a good friend to all her friends, and I love that very pure desire.  
9. Karianna continues to show a great depth of understanding about the gospel.  We are not the best at doing regular FHE and scripture study, but when we do, I am amazed at her level of understanding and her simple faith.  When she answers questions during primary,  am admittedly so proud.  Her sweet testimony often shines through when we sing songs that touch her heart.
10. A mish-mash of items to round out the list:  Karianna has a sarcastic sense of humor, which is often unbelievably hilarious; Karianna likes unconventional breakfasts that do not involve cereal; Karianna loves egg salad and ranch beans; Karianna loves to save up money and is currently doing so to go to Phantom of the Opera in May and Science Camp in April; and she wants to do a volleyball camp this year before continuing with diving this summer.

Happy Birthday Karianna!  Such a beautiful young lady, both inside and out!