the state of the family: part 2 {payton}

This girl is growing like a weed.

I think she's grown three inches in the past year.

She's all legs.

And stunning.

I can see the adolescent version of herself all the time now.

And she's only 11.  

Lord, help me.

 

The accent wallpaper and paint she's picked out for her new room!

These two are still so very close.  It really is so special.

Payton has returned to horseback riding after several years off.  We had a little incident at the last place she rode (let's just say it involved Brooks and a pit bull and we'll leave it at that), so we left.  She was so patient for three or four years until I got over my PTSD and we got her back to a horse farm.  :)

This is her first day.  

Thanks to her Mimi and Pappy she got new riding pants and a helmet for her birthday.

We love her instructor, Lauren.  Little did we know until we met, that she was homeschooled too!  She loves the Lord and was so excited to meet Payton and embrace our family.  And she just got married after studying voice in college.  Payton is smitten.  As am I.  I love it when a great role model enters the scene for a child: a teacher, a coach, a counselor.  Love it.

This is Ginger who Payton's been riding.  P says she's sluggish and gassy.  :)

Payton's last day of school is Monday.  She is so excited to wrap up the year.  She's had a great year!  Westminster Academy's a great fit for her.  And for our family.  It's like part-time school, so I love it.  Payton gets to go to school two days a week (a few hours each day) and is home the other three.  She'll take four classes (math, science, writing, history) there next year and Avery will start with one (science).  I imagine all our kids will be there eventually.  

She took her end of the year tests but we haven't gotten the results back yet.  She's such a little lady in the making.  

And what I hoped so very much would happen has happened!  She and Avery love each other again!  Payton adored Avery until around the second or third grade.  Avery's always thought Payton hung the moon and has sought Payton's time and approval.  Payton had become so put out and intolerant of Avery, but now that they have more time together, they're becoming great friends.  It's a beautiful thing.  I am so grateful.  I have to believe this is one of the perks of homeschooling.  Some friends found it to be true with their children and I'm so pleased to see it happening with ours.

Can't say what the future holds, but for right now, it's all good with our P-girl.