Bella is 12 (technically not until Sept 16th but we celebrated early).

Can you believe it?  Two 12 year olds in our house.  What is it going to be like when they are both 13, 14, 15?  Ugh.  I'm nervous to even think about it!  Ryson turned 12 in May which seemed like no big deal.  Bella turning 12 however is freaking me out!
I'm not sure what the difference is, I think it's just that she seems so much older when I say that she is 12.  She will be going into Young Women's, she wants high heels, she wants to start wearing makeup.  It seems there are just more changes for 12 year old girls than boys.
In our family we refer to our kids this way:  Zak, Ryson and "the little kids".  Well, Bella no longer seems to fit in "the little kid" category.  She's crossed over to the other side.  haha
She is such a HUGE help around the house.  She is maturing every day.  I can't even remember the last time she had a bad dream or a fit over having to clean her room.  Now we find her sitting at the desk in her bedroom doing homework (without even being asked) she doesn't argue when asked to help clean or run upstairs for the billionth time because we've forgotten something.  She just does it.
This year she just asked for "money" for her Birthday.  A sure sign that she's getting older.

Happy Birthday!  We love you!