Okay. I know it is not actually October 25th, Savannah's birthday. I actually started this post and almost finished it that day, but we ended up having a post adoption visit with our social worker and an emergency trip to St. Louis to see Les Miserables (the best musical ever!), so I never finished it. Then life happened, and this post ended up on the back burner. But I've got to post it, even if it is late. I love Savannah!
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I have a beautiful daughter. Her name is Savannah. And today is her birthday. I don't think I can use my words adequately to describe what a joy it is to have such a wonderful daughter. She is a blessing to our family. For now, here are sixteen things I love about Savannah on her 16th birthday:
1. Her sense of humor.
No one can make us laugh in our family like Savannah can. She has a way of finding humor in almost every situation, and that brings us so much joy and laughter. One of the boys in jazz band was introducing Savannah to a new band member and he described her by saying "She's pretty quiet at first, but once she starts talking, she's hilarious." I think that sums her up beautifully.
2. Her drive to excel in all things she does.
Savannah has high expectations for herself, and she works hard to achieve her goals. We just got her mid-term report card, and she has 100% or better in every class but chemistry where she only managed to pull off a 99%. Slacker. But even outside of school she reads like crazy, practices her piano without being asked, and learns new skills whenever she gets the whim. She wants to do well in everything she puts her mind to doing.
3. Her kind heart.
Savannah is very sensitive to the needs of others. I have always felt like one of her special gifts in this life was her ability to sense suffering and attempt to ease it.
4. Her amazing hair.
I admit it. I have Savannah hair envy. I LOVE her hair. The gorgeous red color. The thickness. The perfect straightness with just the right amount of wave. Perfect natural highlights. What's not to love? I'm not sure how I produced a child with such hair, but I'm glad for it. Lovely in every way.
5. Her love of classic movies.
Savannah loves old movies, and not necessarily the famous old movies that all of us have seen. She likes quirky old movies, the kind you can get at Wal-mart for 50 for $5. She's quite the expert on them. And it can be lots of fun to watch these movies with Savannah. Almost like our own personal Mystery Science Theater 3000 experience without the robots.
6. Her love of classic literature.
I will never forget the sight of Savannah lugging her copy of War and Peace with her to school in junior high, not because it was assigned, but because she wanted to read it. Savannah has read lots and lots of classic literature. She prefers it to the lighter and more modern stuff out there. I love to listen to Herman and her talk about these books and share lines from them. She definitely gets her amazing ability to recall all these tiny details from her dad.
7. Her confidence.
Savannah is much quieter in some ways than some of my other children, but she has a great deal of self-confidence. Experiences that would have ruined me as a youth do not phase her. She takes much of life with good humor due to her confidence, and that makes so much difference as she approaches the choices and experiences of life.
8. Her musical talent.
I love to wake up in the mornings and hear Savannah practicing her piano. We have never been ones to push our kids to play the piano, but Savannah has taken to it without our influence at all. I love to see her play for the choir in church because she seems to play with such joy. She also is an amazing tuba player. I would almost call her tone beautiful, and that is not a word that people generally use to describe the sound coming from a tuba. I really hope she keeps this up into college because she is such a talented player, and there is a shortage of excellent female tuba players out there.
9. Her ability to quote random movie lines at a moment's notice.
It is uncanny how quickly Savannah can quote a movie (or television show) line at random that perfectly fits whatever situation we find ourselves in. You would think that this ability comes from watching a show multiple times. After all, I can quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail pretty well. But Savannah seems to be able to do this after only seeing a show one or two times. It is amazing to see in person.
10. Her craftiness.
Savannah takes to craftiness very quickly. She learned to crochet and quickly seemed to be better after only a few months of practice than I am after years and years of it. She has made beautiful blankets and scarves for our family. If she had more free time I am sure that she could create so much more.
11. Her ability to be a peacemaker.
Savannah has a calming effect on any situation. In a large family this is a serious asset. She has a way of not getting frazzled in even the most tense situation. Unfortunately that makes her the person who is constantly being placed between two warring factions in the car or on the bench at church. But she has learned to handle the situation quite well. It is a blessing to have a daughter who is so patient and long-suffering. This is a personality trait that will serve her well in the future.
12. Her quiet testimony.
Savannah is not a flashy church member. She isn't one of those people who is constantly getting up in front of the world and loudly proclaiming her testimony for all to see. But she shows her beliefs in the way that she lives her life. I adore the enthusiasm she has for the stories from the scriptures. Where many youth her age read the stories from the scriptures in kind of a boring, monotone sort of way, Savannah can bring these stories to life. I love her retelling of some of the great stories in the Old Testament like Job and David and Jonathon. It is great fun having her in seminary this year.
13. Her friendship with Laney.
I see lots and lots of families where the siblings fight like cats and dogs, but I was blessed to be bffs with my brother, Bryan, and so I always wanted for my kids to share that sort of relationship. As I look at Savannah's relationship with her big sister, Laney, I see a bond that is even deeper than the one I shared with my brother. They truly are best friends. I feel like they share everything with each other and look out for each other along the way. Laney says that they will grab each other by the pinkies as they pass each other in the halls at school. Now that Laney is back at the high school, she and Savannah are in the same clubs after school and hang out with many of the same people. I adore this sisterly bond, and it almost .... almost .... makes me wish that I had a sister when I was growing up.
14. Her amazing line dance moves.
I LOVE to watch Savannah do the EFY line dances when she is at Super Saturdays. There is such a look of concentration on her face as she dances. And she's not so bad either. I never thought that Savannah would be much of a dancer, but she seems to enjoy it a lot, and she always jumps right out and into the fray when the music begins. Someday I'll post a video of her dancing on here so you can get a feel for exactly what I mean.
15. Her cautious nature.
I never worry about Laney's safety whenever Savannah is with her. I know that Savannah is cautious by nature and will at least try to rein Laney in and keep her from doing anything too reckless. Teenagers have the reputation of being a bit reckless and fearless in their decision-making, but Savannah has proven that it is possible to be fun and safe at the same time. Every parent's wish, I would think.
16. Her expansive knowledge of all things trivia.
Savannah is a girl full of all sorts of random knowledge. She can quote movie lines or lines from novels. She can remember random facts from history that fit right into conversations that we have. It makes her a killer participant in the Scholar Bowl competitions, but it also makes her a very fun dinner companion as well. Once she really gets on a role, she can really pull up all sorts of things that you never remembered. It really is a gift. Hopefully one that will serve her well in the future.
So happy birthday Savannah! It is a pleasure being your mama!
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