Happy 7th Birthday, Boo!

Dear Boo,

Happy 7th Birthday! A Saturday birthday, with a long Labor Day weekend -- we couldn't have planned your birthday on a more lovely holiday. I'm so excited we get to celebrate you today!

We had our first full week of school this past week! You passed through it with flying colors, acing your spelling and math pre-tests, and even getting selected to fill in as the "monitor" at lunch. I guess wiping down the table and chairs after lunch is quite the honor! Although your teacher is a bit "strict", you seem to be thriving. You love doing your work, following directions and reporting to us which kids got in trouble today! :\


You love to create things and make them all your own. One day you spent hours working with craft foam, markers, needle and thread (you figured out sewing all on your own) and custom-crafted these "slippers" for yourself. You are constantly rearranging the pictures and wall-hangings in your room, or digging out old pictures to put into frames to display just-so.

You love to make little stapled picture books and field journals. You love games - Pass the Pigs, Candy Land, Rummicube, and puzzles. You like to compete and love to win, that's for sure, but I think you're also learning that it's fun just to play and learn something new!



You've been enjoying your swimming lessons and you look amazing gliding through the water! If only I learned to swim like you! Your favorite thing to do at recess is "tricks on the bar". You love chocolate ice cream, cookie dough, and frosting (not so much the cake, but the FROSTING is where it's at!). The other day we were decorating Diddles' birthday cake, and before I knew it, you had devoured half the frosting container! HUGE spoonfuls! When I asked you what you were thinking, you smiled, shook your head, and said very honestly, "I don't know. I just LOVE frosting!" haha. It was pretty funny. Fortunately, you also love your salads, and anything dairy - especially yoplait vanilla yogurts. Oh, and you are a champion tooth-brusher, thank goodness!


For your dinner birthday you have requested Top Ramen Noodles and hot dogs, "peas for the vegetable" and cake and ice cream. Are you sure you don't want to go out to eat? That sounds like the worst dinner ever, but it's YOUR day. So be it."

You've lost seven teeth this year, and they've been replaced with some enormous permanent teeth. People have commented on them - worried you'll need braces. I'll tell you a little secret. My teeth looked EXACTLY like that at your age! I could fit a lollipop stick between my front teeth and STILL have room to spare. But the dentist said, "Just you wait, your molars will come in and push those teeth together and you'll have a beautiful smile," and he was right. Let's hope you've got a big mouth like me! :)


You are a great big sister. Diddles always asks for you when she wakes up or when she's stalling to go to bed. She loves to do anything you are doing, and adores dancing and twirling with you.



Yaks and you continue to be comrades, and it's been wonderful to see you fill the roll of big sister with him starting school for the first time.
He has depended on you this year to pick him up after school, and you've been very responsible to wait for him and walk together to our pick-up spot.

Although you aren't "best pals" all the time, you are very close, and it's great to see that you care about each other. I hope you can always remember that school friends come and go, but your family are your friends forever.

You have been flexing your independence muscles this year, much to my dismay! We sometimes butt heads about an outfit or hairstyle, and you know just what to say to push my buttons, mostly countering back with a defiant, "Well then, I'll...".

This past week it's been bedtime. You aren't tired at 8:00, but that's bedtime, so your counter is, "Well, then I'll sleep in the hall!" But, if you are in the hall you aren't in your room, and you must be in your room, so you sleep in your doorway with your pillow and blankets and leave your perfectly wonderful, comfortable mattress empty every night. (sigh)

But, I just have to take a deep breath and ask myself how important, really, is this battle? You're going through a process that we must all go through of making decisions, figuring out your boundaries, and taking charge of yourself. That's pretty awesome.

This year you've had moments of triumph..


You've had moments of inspiration...


You've had moments of silliness...
You've had moments of great growth...

I'm so glad we get to sit back and watch every moment.We're so proud and thankful to be your parents. We wouldn't be a family without you! We love you!