School pictures...Chena!

Time for Chena's annual "school" pictures as well! Boy, has she GROWN since last fall. Now she is not only wearing my shoes, she has outgrown most of them. :)

Since her buddy, "Buddy" is such a big part of her life, we took him along to include in some of her pictures. She just adores him. ( Buddy is our neighbor's dog, and she walks him two to three times a day)

She loves hats, luckily..since I have been putting them on her since before she had any hair. Everyone used to say to me when she was a toddler "How do you get her to keep those cute hats on?" and I'd tell them "I tell her, leave your hat on!" and she does. (although one time she had the sweetest little hat that looked like a strawberry, and when she was seven months she yanked it off of her head and threw it out of her stroller when I wasn't looking at the Washington State Fair. Never found it)

Anyway, here's Chena Danae, at 12.

Loves- horses...anything to do with horses but especially JUMPING. Also loves training, riding without tack, dressage, trail riding, and especially enjoys hanging out on horseback with her horsie buddies. Also loves reading, (speed reader!) walking Buddy, science, basketball, games, drawing, climbing trees, playing with Mukluk, her pets, her vaulting team, her 776 Gals club, babysitting, mom/daughter lunch and shopping dates, swimming, and loves loves loves baking and cooking.

Hates- thrift store shopping, putting on a coat in cold weather, or rain gear if its raining, avacado dip, most kinds of cheese (except on pizza then its fine and good) being interrupted in the middle of a good book, running out of baking supplies, spelling, super long plane rides, socks, going to bed, making her bed, organizing!

Especially good at- riding and showing, making special dinners for her family, making food "pretty", running fast, writing stories and poems, memorizing scripture, drawing horses and landscapes, logical thinking, helping Dad work on planes, planning events for her friends and making things happen, public speaking/presentations, keeping mom on the schedule, getting up waaaay early!

Friendship skills and qualities- full of compassion, energetic, enthusiastic, fair, funny, quick-witted, peace-keeper, forgiving (to a fault), soft-hearted, sweet, kind, loyal friend to her little sister, always thinking of special things to do for people, especially those going through hard times.

Quirks- likes to dress up in aprons and skirts to go out and play "pioneer girl", pick berries, climb trees, etc. Hates the color pink, loses her stuff everywhere she goes, loves arranging her school desk, different every day, needs to know the daily schedule, especially what time we are leaving the house (drives mom batty), saver and hoarder of money, but will give it away, never ties her shoes, falls off of things, like chairs in the middle of dinner..bar stool, couch, whatever..she can fall off of it.

Favorites: the color orange, Toby Mac music, her best friend Sadie, moose roast and potatoes, Cotton Candy Kidz Cream milkshakes, pizza crusts, babysitting jobs, her Wintec saddle, Buddy, soft pajama pants, Fourth of July, our cabin, Janet, Jillie, and Lilah Bean.