Pyper is 18! Watch out World, she is coming for you!

Dear gawd we made it kid!!  18!  Do a dance, break out the drinks!  

You were born wild and smiling.  

I never knew how much I wanted to be a mom, until I was one.  

Ry, even despite his health issues was an easy baby compared to this girl child of mine.  I tell people I think God was drunk when he handed out kids to me and Lance.  Like - did he really know what he was doing, it's all questionable, even today.  You were born to light up a room with your mischievous smile and warm eyes that capture a soul with a glance. 

I've seen her dad melt the moment she walks into a room.  

Even to this day, her father seems mesmerized by her at times.  

And I find myself screaming - NO, don't look at her, she is in TROUBLE.  

DO NOT look at her and her pretend sad face.    

He thinks she hangs the moon and the stars, and, in his world, she wants to - even to this day.  

They are too total peas in a pod.  Which is probably why today I am not sure who tends to want to annoy me more on the regular.  She has no features that look like me- she is all him all day, every day and they are both proud.

From a child she has been spontaneous and stubborn all wrapped up in one.  She has tried and tested me from the jump. She is the child, that if you caught her scribbling on the walls, rather than drop the crayon and run, she would look right at you and scribble harder until you got to her.  She is the child that would fall asleep in time out rather than say she was sorry or wrong.  She is the child that would find rocks and decide she needed them as pets so they went in her pocket.  

The kid had rocks everywhere.  

Here she is asleep in the time out chair.  I'd ask, "do you want to come out and say you're sorry" She would be smug and immediately say "No."  Well crap then child, just sit there - darn she tested my core. 

She is the child that in grade school would go to the nurse EVERYDAY.  I got a call every day, about this child.  The nurse and I would just laugh.  She would be on the swing, then pretend to not be able to walk.  I think once they brought her in from recess with a wheelchair.  

She is the child that would steal my make up and take it to school.  Somehow, she got her hands on red lipstick (prob my mother) and she would put in on at school starting in kindergarten.  Between that and mascara this kid was dressing up from day one.  I would dig in her stuff every day before school to take whatever items did not need to go and somehow, she always figured out how to get what she wanted when she wanted it. The damn kid would come home with red stain all over her face, she always had lipstick.  

She has been an interesting dose of soft, sassy and sweet.  

She has the best place in her heart for her brother. I will forever be grateful that they have each other.  The other day Pyper and I were fighting over college, and Ry walked in - "Here we go again." he says.

Pyper states" All mom ever does is yell at me."

Me " first off, I have never been quite - so don't mistake my passion for yelling. Your entire life you have known me to get worked up about conversations like this - you will not use the I'm yelling excuse to not hold the conversation."

In true Ry form- he hugged her, she started crying and all barriers were broken down.  We all began over - but he did state "Mom, you are sometime pretty terrible at this."

Thanks, kid.  Thanks.  I'm also a work in progress.

Pyper is kid that you catch singing in the shower on the regular.  

She is the kid that will sing in the car and cannot wait to share a new song.  

She is the kid that loves to dance, just about anywhere.  

She is the kid that won't leave anyone out. 

 She is also the kid that kind of gives zero Fs about what ppl think of her - she will look homeless one day and amazing the next.  I am honestly not sure sometimes how she pulls it off, but she does.  

She lets me be me and is always down for any of my wacky outfits or adventures.  The parts of her that annoy me are so much smaller than the parts of her that feed my soul.  

Like if I say - let me put a candle in your ear and set it on fire.  You know because I saw it online and the Chinese do it.  She is the kid that says sure mom - great idea.  She does with a smile on her face and a glimmer in her eye.  Always down for my dumb shit.  Thank you, kid, thank you.

I promise there are days when I am not sure who is raising who.  But I am grateful that for every mistake I have made, you still smile big and see the world with such wonder. 

You are the kid that at 15 was stealing my car to drive back to see your friends because we moved to far away.  You are the kid that would sneak out and see parts of the town and City that make my stomach drop.  Like some graffiti tower we passed on the way back from Nascar and you state "ohh i've been there"  

Holy hell child - STOP Talking!!!

Or the last time you told me you had gone to TinRoof.  I asked " the place by the ballpark where you can hear gun shots???  Her - "Ohh yeah mom just slip the bouncer a 20.00 and you are in"  

STOP TALKING to me.  

            

You are the child where nothing and everything bothers you. 

 You are my watery child. I am not a fan of the crying - and I know you have emotions and tears.  I get it.  Well I'm trying to get, and as in the past you keep teaching me so much about breaking down this emotional wall and just allowing one's self to feel things.  

A small glimpse into a phone call between us on 3.7.24.

Pyper gets home from school at 3 pm.

Her "Hi mom, I'm home"

Me " good great! How was the car? Do you have any homework?  What is your plan this evening, I have a meeting and won't be home right away."

Her - " Car was good, no real homework - maybe two math problems.  I think I may go to Wills; he wants me to help him fold laundry."

Me " I swear to god child, you go to someone else house and fold their laundry, when the dryer has towels in it, I will set you on fire. "

Her " well you are dramatic."

Me " when did you suddenly decide you were the laundry fairy??  While you're at it load the dishwasher. I mean since you're feeling so darn giving."

Her "goodbye mom"  

So in closing kid, thank you.  

Thank you for being YOU in your sassy, soul seeking, adventure chasing, people loving way. 

 The world will try to break you, hurt you and at times bury you - don't let it. 

 It needs your laughter, your smile and sass.  Its needs your curiosity and wonder at something so simple as a sunset.  It needs you to open the door for the old lady behind you and your ability to smile at the baby at the table next you.  It needs the songs you belt out in the shower and your line dance on the dance floor at the jeff co festival.  

And I need the continued "I'm annoyed" look from you on a Saturday as I have coffee.

Welcome to 18!  Look out world, next is high school graduation and the rest of her next best life!  

Make it fun, make it worth it, make mistakes, then make them again if you have too.  

You are not your last mistake; you are your next big dream all wrapped up in a smile. 

 I cannot wait to see what you do next. Love you little one.  Mom