Eight!

 Our little Peaches is 8 today! That seems like such a grown up age to me. Our "little ones" are not so little anymore! 

Peaches has had a wonderful year! It's been busy with soccer, piano, gymnastics, AWANA, and homeschool. She had a lot of fun with soccer and is looking forward to playing again this year. Winning the championship was a highlight! This fall she started gymnastics and is loving it! I can already see a lot of improvement in her skills. Her cartwheels are especially impressive and I can tell she is getting stronger. She can now easily get into a handstand and is working on a back bend.

She is a truly gifted pianist. She has a real ear for the piano and impresses us all the time with how quickly she picks up new pieces. She practices all the time. I never have to tell her to practice; she just naturally does it throughout the day. I love hearing her play in church. 

Speaking of church she loves Sunday School and AWANA and is on track to finish her 3rd Sparky book which means she will get the Sparky plaque before moving on to T&T next year! She has lots of friends at church and is always very disappointed if she is sick and can't go.

Second grade is going pretty well. It is a different format than first grade for some reason so she needs a lot more guidance this year. I have to sit with her for the most part, but as long as I can keep her on track we are almost always done by lunchtime. She is very smart and gets quite offended if she receives anything other than 100% on a test or quiz. She loves her teacher Mrs. B and has lots of friends in class that she loves to talk to when they do breakout rooms.

She and Lou are still thick as thieves. They are together every possible minute. Occasionally they start to fight and I try to separate them, but they sneak back together within a matter of minutes. I love how much they love each other and I hope they remain this close forever! 

Peaches has SO much energy! She goes goes goes all day long, and is still bouncing off the walls at night. As a toddler I always described her as 100%. Either 100% happy...laughing, bouncing around, and excited, or 100% sad and melting into a puddle. Thankfully she has mellowed a bit but she definitely still has more intense feelings than most. She feels things very deeply and is very in tune with her emotions.

One thing I love about Peaches is that she is so compassionate and empathic. She is very attuned to the way people feel and is always so great to include them or do things to make them feel more comfortable. She is so thoughtful and sweet and goes out of her way to help others. We are so proud of her. 

Here is her birthday interview:

1. Favorite color: very light  pink
2. Favorite toy: my walkie talkies
3. Favorite fruit: lemons
4. Favorite TV show: Floor is Lava
5. Favorite lunch: peanut butter and honey sandwiches and chicken nuggets
6. Favorite outfit: a regular t-shirt and some pants and my sweatshirt
7. Favorite game: Crash Bandicoot 4
8. Favorite snack: cereal
9. Favorite animal: monkeys
10. Favorite song: Near the Cross
11. Favorite book: my scrapbooks
12. Your best friend: I have a lot. Lou, Alissa, Audrey, Riley
13. Favorite Cereal: Cap'n Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios
14. Favorite thing to do outside: swing on the tire swing
15. Favorite drink: Lemonade
16. Favorite holiday: Easter and Christmas
17. Favorite breakfast: eggs and toast and donuts and pancake cereal and blueberry scones and chocolate muffins
18. What do you like to take to bed: my Do-dos I have two and then the baby
19. What do you want to be when you grow up: an ice cream seller and an artist
20. What do you want for your birthday dinner? hot dogs

 

Dear Peaches,

Happy birthday sweet girl! You are such a joy. You love life and often remind me to find joy in the little things. You love to laugh and have fun and tell jokes. I love watching you and Lou together. You flit throughout the house together laughing, giggling, and making everything more fun.

It has been a wonderful year of watching you try new things! Soccer and gymnastics are very different but you tackled both with your usual sunny outlook and eternal optimism. I love your sweet spirit and how you care for others. It brings me joy to watch you. You care more about people's hearts than winning or getting your fair share. You see people's needs and are quick to include others and make them feel welcome.

We are so proud of you. You are growing into such a beautiful girl inside and out. One of the highlights of the year was watching you get baptized and profess your faith. That was such a blessing. Your knowledge of scripture and love for God continues to grow and is a beautiful thing to watch. 

Thank you for being you sweet girl. Thank you for the love and joy you bring to our family. Thank you for helping me see the good in things and making me stop and laugh throughout the day. Thank you for all you do. I love you more than I could ever say and I pray that this will be your best year yet!

Happy birthday!

Love, Mommy