For those of you who know us personally, or have been following my blog for a while, you are probably as freaked out as I am at this moment.

Thirteen?! What!?

People who have kids that are all grown up will tell you how time flies, but really, you will never truly understand until it happens to you! It is freaky. Really, really freaky!

There are so many different stages in parenting, all totally different. And on top of that every kid is different, so really you can’t know at all what you are doing in advance, but just learn as you go. That’s the thing I find most difficult about being a parent. You are learning as you go. And just when you think you know how to handle things, or who your child is, they change.

Autumn is a wonderful young woman. She is smart and sweet, but is also challenging at times. She defies me and then she hugs me, and I’m stuck there wondering what exactly our relationship is now and how exactly do I navigate these waters of emotion and hormones?

I will learn as I go and our relationship will continue to change throughout the years as she and I both age and change as well.

I’m just still so very grateful for the random hugs and words, “I love you mom.” It makes me think I must have done or am doing something right.

*For Autumn’s birthday we went to the Ed Sheeran concert together. It was her first ever concert and a pretty awesome birthday gift. So on her birthday we celebrated with her favorite cake, cheesecake, and made her some homemade birthday cards. Her smile says it all.