THIRTEEN

Our Shelby has turned 13. It makes my heart ache a bit to look back over old photos of her growing up. The time really has raced by. It makes me sad. Her childhood is over, and now she starts her new chapter as a teenager. This also makes me sad, because I have heard those go even faster than the small childhood years. We have a tradition in our family, we talk about the day that person was born. Today we had grandparents over for a birthday lunch (before Mason had to leave again). We talked about her birth day. It was a day I will never forget. Our first child...so scary and exciting. I thought no other baby can be as beautiful has Shelby (I have since changed my mind... having 2 more really cute ones). She was the first baby on the Lutz side of the family for a very long time, and one of the first on the Coltrin side also. She got so much love and attention. I was so excited to be a mother. Shelby had a lot of colic when she was an infant, but after that she was so very mild mannered and always very mature for her age. She went into kindergarten at age 4 and has always done super well. Shelby has always played sports, soccer, skiing, softball. One of Shelby's talents and blessings that God has given her, is the blessing of a strong body. I noticed how unusually strong her body was at an early age of 4 months. She was sitting unattended without pillows, at 4 months old. Usually the normal time frame for that is 6 months. She has always excelled in sports, no matter what it is. We have discussed with Shelby we are all given talents in this life- yours is a blessing of a strong body. She knows that this is a talent she must use and be grateful for. 4 months old - she had sooooo much hair that it always made her look so much older when she was a infant.

17 months old

17 month old

22 months old

2 years old

3 years old

5 years old

8 years old- baptized

13 years old

Happy Birthday my Shelby Laura...you are always my Laura Belle (my nickname for her)