Laura Vegas

alyssa celebrated her 13th birthday on sunday. i say this every single year. but i have no idea how another year has passed. lol! 

i still picture her as my little girl. walking around the house all dramatic, waving her hands around as she talked and pointing to things that no one but her ever saw. with her "cinderella" dress on almost every day, along with a matching headband. clickity clacking through the house with her dress up shoes. a little high pitched voice, talking our ears off about everything and about nothing at the same time. making up the craziest words ever, but using them in a way that made you believe they were real words all along. like "ackachie", which we still use to this day (meaning "tush"). being my perfect little model, and striking a pose whenever i pulled out my camera. which usually involved laying on the ground, and propping up her chin on both hands. wanting to be a doctor, and loving watching ER (even at just 3 yrs old). loving on her dolls and being a good mommy to them, and then later loving on her baby sister and being a great big sister to her. wait. did i mention the never ending chatter that came out of my little girls mouth? you'd never know a girl could find that much to talk about.

and here she is, a teenager. thirteen years old. still my little girl in some ways. such a petite thing, she is. but like i tell her, big things come in small packages. and she's a good kid! sure, we have our moments. she's a sassy thing, and can whip off sarcastic remarks like nobody's business. there are several times a day that i want to give her a little whack upside her head. lol! and you should see this girl roll her eyes. she has an amazing eye-rolling talent, which is usually aimed at me. but she's also super funny, and always laughing about something. she's incredibly smart, and so responsible about her homework and staying on track with what she needs to do. she is awesome with kids, and loves to work with them. she is just a very sweet, caring girl. we're so proud of her and all that she's becoming.

and here are some fun facts about alyssa, at thirteen. i asked her to answer all these for me tonight, and here are her answers.

favorite foods – chinese food, stroganoff, stir fry
favorite snacks – goldfish, skittles, grapes
favorite drinks – dr pepper, sunny delight, gatorade
favorite restaurants – rose garden (chinese), chili's, golden corral
favorite fast food – panda express, in-n-out, taco bell
favorite tv shows – icarly, wizards of waverly place, full house
favorite movies – fame, remember the titans, bandslam
favorite actors – selena gomez, taylor lautner,
favorite singers – selena gomez, demi lovato, taylor swift
favorite songs – let it rock (kevin rudolf), falling down (selena gomez), you belong to me (taylor swift) 
favorite sports – soccer, soccer, soccer
favorite school subjects – math, science, band
favorite books – breaking dawn, red velvet, esperanza rising
favorite cartoons – phineas & ferb, scooby doo, mickey mouse clubhouse
favorite colors – blue, black, anything neon
favorite websites – gamepost, cartoon doll emporium, girls go games
favorite Wii games – rock band, mario cart, mario party 8
favorite animals – monkeys, penguins, dolphins
best friends – cassie, kassidy, idalis, tora
things i like to do – play soccer, read, chill out

happy birthday alyssa!!! we love you!