She's the middle child, 13. But the most important thing about her is ... look up extrovert in the dictionary, and you'll see her picture next to it. Everything that's in her brain must come out. She's constantly humming, singing, cajoling. When she can, she leaves for and with her friends. She's always dominating the group she's in, and she can get away with it because she thinks quick, and likes people.

She's got a wide mouth and eyes, and her face is filled with freckles (when she was small, I told her she got one each time I gave her a kiss). So she's got Cheryl's Irish skin, burns not tans. But she got her dad's full head of hair - thick and wavy and brown. She was born with a lot of hair, and it just kept going from there. It's all set off by a pair of jumping blue eyes.

She's also a reader - sometimes goes through a book a day. When the teacher told her class they had to read 10, 150 page books in 10 weeks, she found a 1350 page book (to count for the first nine) and finished it in three weeks. That was Sacajawea; she hopes to find out a little bit about Lewis and Clark's route as we travel west. She's especially excited about seeing the Missouri, and going through Clarkston and Lewsiton in Idaho and Washington.

She plays the violin, Suzuki method since she was six. She loves Soccer; it gives her a chance to run around and yell at her friends, which is just about heaven for her. And she makes a hobby of getting "As" - so far she hasn't missed in two years of middle school.

As the middle child, she is a bit unusual - she's not the peacemaker, she's the instigator. With older brother Cody, she's had to fight for her place since day one. Having the loudest voice and the fastest tongue, she's held her own against his derision and fraternal sarcasm. With younger sister Annie, she's played teacher and baby sitter since the moment Ann was born. Shaine had fantasized about Ann as the ideal baby doll. When Ann came out, had been dried, swaddled, and was resting in Cheryl's arms, Shaine came over and insisted on giving her the pacifier and clothes Shaine had played with on the pretend Ann for the past three months. She also gave Ann her cold. Its been non-stop ever since. Poor Annie's been dressed and taught to read, play basketball, soccer, and ice skate at way to early an age, just to satisfy Shaine's dream of teaching the perfect sister.

Shaine's life goal (she insists) is to be an actress. I know better - she'll make a perfect director or playwright. She's too self-assured and bossy to be an actress. Actually, I have little doubt she'll end up in charge of something some day.