all about Molly

 Soccer:  we might as well talk about it.  Molly tried out for the high school soccer team at the end of July.  It was a four-session tryout and she was nervous.  After the first session she got her nerves out and went on to have a very successful tryout, at least she had thought it went well.  She had every expectation of making the team so we were shocked when the rosters came out and her name was not on it.  That was a very hard day. She was crushed, disappointed, embarrassed, etc. etc.  She had had her sights set on high school soccer for years and it was just very, very hard.  She cried and cried and I cried a little bit too...so hard to see her heart broken like that.  I have tried to be positive about it but I was frustrated and upset for her-she definitely deserved a place on that team and when you compare Molly to some of the girls who did make it, she has a lot more skill than them.  Some of their selection was baffling and that's not coming just from me-we had so many people reach out to us who were just as confused as we were about the final roster (they also cut most of their seniors which is pretty low, if you ask me).  But. We tried to move on.  Molly did not want to quit soccer.  She played provisional again this year for her favorite coach ever (DJ-he is amazing) and she excelled on the field there.  She became a leader on that team and that was good for her confidence.  She still has a passion for soccer and has set her goals for making the team next year as a sophomore.  (This makes me so nervous but I can't do anything but support her.)  We even got to the point one day where we were able to have a very candid discussion about the positive things that happened because she didn't make the team.  I started it with one or two things and was pleased and surprised when Molly came up with a few positive things of her own.  It was a hard way to end an already tough summer but Molly has handled it beautifully and I am so proud and a little in awe as I have watched her navigate this deep disappointment.  As her mom, I have learned that, not only do I need to turn my own life over to Heavenly Father but I need to give Him my kids' lives as well.  He will do so much more for them than I can or they can.  He puts them where they need to be and around the people they need to be around.  It is so hard to watch your kids go through hard things but it has been a beautiful and meaningful motherhood lesson.

Friends.  Molly has a lot of friends and a few different friend groups.  She hangs out with Sloane and Sadie (the girls she took to Bear Lake) but was so sad when Sadie moved to Fairview.  They still text a lot.  Sloane is busy with volleyball and basketball but they are still friends although when Molly is with Sloane it's usually a bigger group, like Homecoming.  But they are in the same ward and tell each other most everything.  Molly was the first person Sloane called when she got her first kiss this summer at EFY.  Besides the Sloane friend group, she has the Regan Heywood group.  Regan went to Rocky Mountain Middle School but she has been Molly's best soccer friend for years so when they were together at Wasatch, Regan adopted  Molly into her circle of friends and Molly has fit right in.  If she's not with either of those groups, she is one-on-one with Jackie Bingham.  The two of them had a rough summer after the Snow College debacle (they didn't talk all summer-it was a very lonely summer for Molly, friend-wise) but Jackie also got cut from high school soccer and they made up playing provisional.  Molly was so happy when she came home after they had apologized to each other.  Molly loves to be social-it fills a need for her-and I do feel like her friend situation is really great right now.  I obviously don't know everyone she is hanging out with but they do seem like really good kids which is a relief and a blessing because I know this is the time when friends will have such a huge influence on her.

Molly continues with her drawing.  She has done a handful of commissions this fall so that has been fun for her.  She has the job at the train but the extra money from her drawings is nice as well.  Once she finds the time and sits down to do a drawing, she can get them done fairly quickly.

High school has been a really great transition for Molly and she is relieved to be out of the middle school scene.  Of course there are still people with "issues" but it seems like more kids are sincere and authentic.  There have been moments of stress as she has learned to navigate the heavier work load but she is actually pulling better grades the first two terms of high school than she did in middle school.  It's been enjoyable (most times) to sit back and watch her juggle all of her responsibilities and do an awesome job at managing.  She is very independent and able to stay on top of everything on her own.  She is busy and there are moments when I take a moment and think to myself, "Wow, Molly has been so busy this week.  I really miss her." because she is gone so much.

She is still enjoying working on the train.  There is seriously not a better job for a teen.  Number one-it's such a neat historical landmark for Utah.  Each train car has a history (like the one that carried one of our president's) and they come from all over the world.  Number two-she meets people from all over the US, and sometimes even from other countries.  Probably her most awkward moment was when she was hosting a family from China in the caboose and couldn't communicate with them...for several hours...haha.  Last week she got tipped from family and a cute boy included his phone number!  Number three-she can pretty much make her own schedule.  She turns in which days she can work each month and the schedule is made according to that.  She can pick up shifts whenever she wants usually.  The flexibility is really nice.  Number four-spending money.  Need I say more?  She can buy those cute pair of shoes or walk to lunch with her friends or order cookies for a friend, etc. without have to hit me up for cash.  She's very responsible to check her bank account and keep track of where she is at.  She is really wanting to save up for a humanitarian trip to Thailand.  I fully support and encourage this goal.  Number five-the skills she has had to develop.  Responsibility (showing up on time, getting coverage when she needs, etc.), working with people, meeting new people and actually having to carry on a conversation with them, and much more.  It really has been so good for her!

Molly has been told for several years that she would not need braces.  Even as a little 4 or 5-year old the dentist in Spanish Fork told us to take her to Hawaii with the money she would save us by not needing braces.  When we went to Jeff in the spring for our dentist appointments, he was a little concerned with some teeth that were slightly twisting and thought it might be good to go in for a consult.  Once they took her x-rays at the ortho, it was determined that her teeth need a little help but not much-it was her jaw that was the problem.  Her upper jaw was growing faster than her lower jaw and it was going to be a problem if it didn't get fixed.  So we scheduled her for braces.  She was devastated.  She did not want to start high school with braces.  At that point (June), this was the worst news she could have received.  I wasn't too sympathetic...everyone gets braces, she didn't have to pay for it, etc etc...I just wanted her to deal with it.  (This coming from someone who never had braces, Justin chided me for not being even a tiny bit sympathetic.)  She researched a lot about invisalign-so much that Justin decided to humor her and took her in for a consult and talked to our orthodontist about them.  They are actually the same price but wouldn't fix the problem with her jaw.  So we gave Molly a few options: get braces now while we will still pay for them, pay for Invisalign herself, or do nothing and have to pay for braces as an adult.  She picked the best choice and got them on at the end of July.  I was actually in the orthodontist office when the roster for soccer came out and her name wasn't on it.  That was a really, really bad day for Molly-braces, not making the team, and she also got her first covid shot that afternoon.  Oh boy.  She was sore for several days but has adapted to them, like all kids do.  She was told that wearing the elastics diligently would make it so she could get them off sooner and she is never without them!  I tell her all the time that I think she looks adorable with them (which she does) but she just rolls her eyes at me and tells me she can't wait until they come off-about 18 months.

Molly is still waiting for when she can get her driver's permit.  I feel so bad about this.  She took the test a couple of times at school and then I took her to the DMV to take it once as well.  She gets 78% every single time and you need and 80% to pass.  So she is missing one question.  The test is super hard...I don't think a single one of her friends has passed it yet and no one I know has passed it on their first try.  When we were in the DMV there were several kids there taking it as well (it was the day before Thanksgiving)-not a single one passed while we were there and some had taken it up to 4 or 5 times!  She gets stuck on questions about insurance which is pretty stupid if you ask me...why do you need to know insurance stuff while you are driving on the road?  Just call your agent.  Anyway, it's hard for me to find a time to take her with my lessons after school so it is on the agenda for Christmas break.  I will take her every day they are open until she passes.  For now, she drives to the bus stop each morning and that is the extent of her driving.  As anxious as I am for her to just get the permit already, I am also extremely nervous for this parenting responsibility.

We can officially share clothes.  We're probably the same size, besides our shoe size where Molly is at least one whole size bigger than me.  This is fun.  We don't share a lot since our styles don't always line up but we do borrow each other's clothes every once in a while.

Molly is still in physical therapy for back.  I just take her in when it starts to flare up.  Appointments seem to be further and further apart though so that's good news.  Hopefully it will right itself by the time she's done growing and won't be an issue throughout her life.

Molly loves her podcasts.  She loves Criminal and Tooth and Claw.  Throw in some church-y ones on Sunday as well, she's always listening to something.  I've tried to get her to try audiobooks but they don't seem to hold her interest as well.  She loves listening to what Justin listens to so they can talk about episodes. 

She also loves her music but, to be honest, I don't really know who she is liking these days!  Her repertoire is quite diverse and I love when she plays songs for me in the car when it's just the two of us.

Molly is a "foodie"...she loves to try new things and different cuisines.  She occasionally gets in the kitchen and makes something but she is so busy that it's not too often.

Let's mentions boys briefly.  I am happy that Molly tells me the boys she likes...a few here and there.  To be expected but not crazy or over the top.  One thing that has happened a couple of times this year is that a boy who likes her will text her and ask if she likes him back.  She hates this and it's baffling to Justin and me.  I mean, what can they do if they admit they like each other?  It's not like they are old enough to date and even after she turns sixteen, we have told her that exclusivity with one boy is not something we would like to happen.  So Molly has to text the boy back and tell him that she really enjoys being friends but then she hates how it makes things awkward.  It's funny to watch...what a different world it is for teens these days!

Molly's birthday interview (taken Christmas Day! it was hard to catch her long enough to ask these questions):

Favorite color: Light blue or dark green

Favorite movie: The Italian Job

Favorite breakfast: Egg casseroles

Favorite dinner: Bibimbap

Best friend(s): Jackie Bingham, Sadie Job, Sloane Ellingford, Regan Heywood

Favorite thing to watch: soccer

Favorite scripture/church story: When Brigham Young spoke and everyone thought he was Joseph Smith.

Favorite book: Teen killers club 

Favorite game: Soccer

Other kids think that I am: Idk (I could not get her to answer this question)

What do you like about mom? Going on errands with her and talking to her in the car

What do you like about dad? When we go to Home Depot and listen to podcasts and eat good food together

What do you like about Stockton? He’s creative

What do you like about Brynn? She’s goofy

What do you like about Ivy? She gives hugs a lot…a lot

What do you like about yourself? I’m determined

What do you want to be when you grow up?: Soccer player or something to do with making films

What do you like to learn about: History, true crime

I want to go to: Italy, Iceland, Thailand

If I had one wish it would be: she wouldn't answer this one either

Favorite thing to do: Play soccer and hang out with my friends

Favorite song: Rain by Ben Platt