Brogan Tess Martens

My nine year old, going on nineteen, daughter. The oldest of my three beautiful beauties. I can't believe I am even old enough to have a 9 year old child.

Tess started third grade and is loving it. This was the first year that grades actually count for something and her report cards have been stellar. At the beginning of the year we set some expectations and so far, she is meeting them. We had her parent teacher conference and the teacher's biggest concern? That sometimes she has to remind Tess that she is NOT the teacher. I just laughed and said, "sometimes I have to remind her she's not the mother!" If this is the biggest concern, I'll take it. She excels at reading and language arts, she can do the math if she would just slow down and check her work, and she loves the science and social studies topics. We slave away at book reports every couple of weeks for a measly 10 points each, and she earned her way to a Literature Festival in March waaaaay before the deadline to complete the work. I get to be a parent chaperone to this Festival and can't wait...this is a field trip I can get excited about!

Tess loves playing sports, reading books, drawing, singing, dancing, laughing, playing her DSi, watching Discovery channel(especially Mythbusters) peace signs, smiley faces, pajama pants, skinny jeans, wearing boots, funny socks, bright colors, roller skating, riding her bike, watching and playing sports with her daddy, getting mani/pedis, growing out her bangs, learning trivia and weird facts, non-fiction books, creating power point presentations on the computer, playing with friends, swimming, going to the library, animals, shopping with gift cards and learning about the Titanic.

Softball and Basketball are the two sports that make Tess happy, and us as parents, smile with pride. She played on a team this year that did really well and had fun...we couldn't have asked for better. The older Tess gets, the harder the competition gets, so we are excited(and anxious) about the thought of Tess playing "kid pitch"softball this spring. We are very lucky to have a coach that is fantastic and that we trust with our girl....not to mention that he lets Andy help coach. Andy is also going to coach Tess's basketball team this month, with games that start next weekend. This will be the first time Tess will play organized, competition basketball. Thanks to her daddy, she got her first pair of "Jordans" and can't wait to play some ball.

Tess started with a new music teacher this fall for piano and voice lessons. We really liked Tess's previous teacher, but wanted Tess to have a better foundation in the fundamentals of music. We were very lucky to be referred to a teacher here in town(such a blessing) that is good with kids, believes in teaching music theory, and challenges Tess to do her best. Voice lessons are a new treat for Tess and so far she is having a blast. Her first recital for piano and voice was in November and we were so proud of her performances. She did her very best and had FUN. Coming from parents with both instrumental and vocal music backgrounds, it will be interesting where her heart leads her. Who knows, she may find a way to do both. I just know that I love love love watching my baby perform.

Speaking of perform, Tess got to perform in her first drama club play this winter. She was an elf, had one line, got to sing and dance, and have a cast party afterwards. You would have thought she was on Broadway for all the excitement and preparation involved. At the last minute she was asked by the teacher to stand up front, use the microphone, and introduce the program before it started. Her smiles, singing, dancing, and speaking part were done with such enthusiasm, she was definately channeling her inner Martens drama queen. Tess also had a speaking part in the Christmas pageant at church and was fantastic. She and Kate sang a duet and were a hit. It was truly a "Holy" moment watching my two angels, dressed as angels, singing like angels.

Being the oldest, Tess gets to have more privileges, but also has higher expectations and gets stuck doing things that I know she would rather not do. I am so grateful that she only rolls her eyes at me maybe once a day, and sighs in disgust maybe twice, when I ask her to do something totally above and beyond the normal 9 year old stuff. It is a such blessing to have girls that love each other all of the time and like each other most of the time.

Tess has always be an amazing kid. Unfortunately we are waaaay too much alike, and I sometimes have flashbacks of myself at her age when we are butting heads. I just hope and pray that she truly understands someday what a gift she has been given. God has given her such a loving, smart, funny, and engaging personality and I can't wait to see where it, and He takes her. Until then, I'll just sit back, hold on tight, and (try to) enjoy the ride.