Nine!

 Last year in the double digits for our little Peaches! She is still our little girl and hasn't crossed over into that rocky tween age yet. Selfishly, I hope she stay here as long as possible! She and Lou are the best of friends and play together every waking minute. I will be sad when she starts to trade in her toys for more grown up things, but for now I will enjoy every day that we have with her in this little girl stage. 

She has had a wonderful year so far with school and is impressing her teacher with her reading and math abilities. Some days she hops on her computer and gets her work done so she can run off to play and other days its like pulling teeth to get her to sit still and finish her work. I never know what I am going to get, haha. But I have noticed that the easier days are starting to outweigh the hard ones. I can see her maturing and growing in her ability to work on her own. 

She is doing great in AWANA and enjoys her time with her friends. She does miss Sparks and the "easier" verses, but she still manages to learn them and say them each week. She is one of the smallest/youngest kids so games can be a little difficult but she tries hard and does her best.

She loved playing soccer last year and is looking forward to this year. I thought she would be intimidated by a team of mostly boys but she jumped right in there and played hard. I'm looking forward to watching her play again.

Piano is going beautifully and she continues to impress us with her skills. At Christmas the adults would hear playing come from the basement and ask if it was Peanut or Boo and I would say no that's E. She is a gifted pianist. Our guitar player on worship team is always astounded when she plays offertory and says she has an incredible ear and a gift for composition and timing. We are so thankful that Noni has been able to develop her gift!

Drama Club is her other activity this year and she is so happy to be "official". It's supposed to be 9 and up but since she got recruited last year they've been letting her come. Now she says, "I get to be there for real!" She got the part of the "Newsie" in the upcoming play and is SO excited to perform! Mrs. D says she was born for this part! She memorized her lines in a day after scripts were handed out and is happy to say them for us any time she is asked. We are looking forward to the production! 

In the past I have always said that Peaches is a bundle of energy. I feel like that is finally starting to mellow a bit. She still has lots of energy and is on the go most of the day, but it is slightly more controlled that before. She does still get frustrated easily but she is learning how to manage and I always see her start her deep breathing when those overwhelming feelings start to rise. I am proud of her for working hard to overcome her big feelings. 

She is such a sweet girl and is so loving. She cares so much and has a huge heart. She is quick to notice when someone is upset and tries to help them however she can. She is very empathic and feels what other feel. She is a wonderful big sister to Lou and I am so thankful that they have each other! We are very blessed to have our little Peaches in our family!

Here is her birthday interview:

1. Favorite color: pink, gold, and silver
2. Favorite toy: Legos
3. Favorite fruit: pears and lemons
4. Favorite TV show: Wild Kratts
5. Favorite lunch: Uncrustables
6. Favorite outfit: shorts and t-shirts
7. Favorite game: Monopoly
8. Favorite snack: monster apples
9. Favorite animal: cats and dogs and monkeys
10. Favorite song: When We All Get to Heaven
11. Favorite book: The Night Before Summer Vacation
12. Your best friend: Lou, Alissa, Audrey
13. Favorite Cereal: Cim-am-mon Toast Crunch
14. Favorite thing to do outside: Winter: build snowman, snow fort Autumn: rake leaves, Summer: play with cats, Spring: pick flowers for Mommy
15. Favorite drink: Pink Lemonade
16. Favorite holiday: Easter and Christmas
17. Favorite breakfast: donuts and pancake cereal
18. What do you like to take to bed: Do-do
19. What do you want to be when you grow up: missionary
20. What do you want for your birthday dinner? homemade hamburgers 

 Dear Peaches, 

Happy Birthday sweet girl! I can't believe you are already nine! I just want to push pause and keep you as my little girl forever. But at the same time it is so fun to see you growing up into the person God wants you to be. I love your sensitive heart and your love for Jesus. 

We are so blessed to have you in our family. You bring so much joy into our house and are always making us laugh. You love to tell jokes and have fun. I love to listen to you and Lou playing. You are constantly laughing and giggling together. I hope you are always this close. It makes my heart happy to see the love you two share. 

We are so proud of you and how you are learning and growing each day. I know you are a person with strong emotions and you are working hard to learn how to handle them. I think you feel things more deeply than most people and that may seem like a problem sometimes but it is truly a gift. You have a heart for people and understand how they feel. I know God will use that for His good.

I love watching you at church and AWANA. You are hiding God's word in  your heart weekly and I know He will use that for good too! You are such a blessing and I am so thankful for you. I am excited to see you grow into the young lady He has created you to be. Always turn to Him, in the good and the bad, in the fun and in the hard. Turn to Him first and you'll never go wrong. 

I love you so much sweet girl. More than I could ever say. You are one of my biggest blessings and I am so so thankful for you. Happy birthday! I know nine is going to be a wonderful year!

Love, Mommy