The years are passing so quickly as I watch her grow into a young woman. Its so hard to believe that she will be a teenager very soon. Well, sort of hard to believe, because at times she certainly seems to be practicing the virtues that sometimes come with the teen years...the mood changes, the quick responses, the rolling of the eyes.

Still, Dakotah has blossomed into a great person. She is still a very good student, and performs at the top of her class. Recently, she won the Christian Leadership Award at school, and placed 3rd in a French Public Speaking Contest held throughout our school board.

Next year, we are hoping that she will attend our local high school for her Grade 7 year. This is a brand new school, and she will be a part of the first year of Grade 7 students who have entered the high school. Its a Catholic French Immersion program that specializes in Visual Arts and Media as its concentration.

Dakotah is very excited about this, as she is very interested in visual arts. She has studied art a great deal this year, and loves to spend hours drawing, painting, imagining, etc. She also has a great love of photograpy, and hopes to be able to learn more about this hobby when she goes to high school.

Each summer since she was 8, she visits my sister in New Hampshire for a couple of weeks. This has become a big highlight of her year, and she loves to go and be spoiled, and be the "Queen of the World" during that time.

My sister has taken a great interest in nature photography in the last few years, and belongs to a cooperative art gallery where she shows her work. She has sold quite a few pieces and done quite well in her art. It is because of this that Dakotah has taken such a great interest in photography

And alas, Dakotah no longer dreams of being a Walmart greeter or a "vegetarian" (the word she used to use for veterinarian). Now, she is leaning toward Speech and Language Pathology as her chosen career. SLP's are so hard to find in our area, and even harder to keep for any length of time. There is such a need for them, and Dakotah loves to be with little children, to play with them and teach them.

She may change her mind a thousand times more before then, but for now, that's what she is hoping for.

As with all preteens, Dakotah is music crazy, and likes bands I've never even heard of, such as Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Maroon 5, and Bowling for Soup. I've officially entered the world of "kids today and their music."

Lately, Dakotah has taken a great interest in lots of different sports. She especially enjoys soccer, swimming and skating. She has been asking to play lacrosse lately, but with a few broken bones already under her belt, we are pretty hesitant to jump into too many contact sports.

When she was little, I was determined to collect Angels for her, so that she would have a great collection of them when she grew up. But, it was not to be. Her passion is turtles. Turtles, turtles everywhere.

Dakotah has a wonderful relationship with Paige. I am so lucky to have managed to avoid the sibling rivalry and bickering that many siblings seem to embrace through their growing up years. These two really love each other, and really love spending time with one another.

Dakotah never loses patience with Paige, and is very proud to be her big sister. She is exposing Paige to her love of music, and the two of them often dance in the living room together, with Dakotah spinning Paige and Paige laughing herself silly at their antics.

Click here and here to see some of my very favorite pictures of the two of them together, taken on Dakotah's First Communion Day when she was 8.

Dakotah definitely challenges me the most as a Mom...she makes me question my mothering skills the most, and makes me take a deep breath much more often than Paige does. She is also quick to pick up on my emotions, and can quickly lead me into the giggles with her whether I want to go there or not.

She deserves so many great things in life, and I can't wait to watch them happen for her.