Dear Lexi,
Today you turned 8 years old at exactly 8:54am. Here is a picture of you eight years after the very moment you were born.
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| Eight years old, and LOVES her brother. |
I'm sure I say it in every birthday blog post, but you are an amazing girl. You are so gentle and sweet and I have often said that you have an old soul. Since the day you were born, you seem to have an awareness that I've never seen in another child. It's simply beautiful. You are such a special girl, and I hope that Daddy and I have the ability to guide you towards your fullest potential. You're like a sponge when it comes to learning new skills and arts, and I'm never sure quite how to give you enough to fulfill your desire to learn. I often think about what you'll be when you grow up, and I truly feel as though the opportunities are endless!
This year you have really begun to excel in your sports. You have been asked to join a special "invitation only" dance class at Nancy Chippendale's in the fall. Since there was once a time that I worried you may never walk, watching you dance so beautifully really makes my heart skip a beat. You have to work very hard to get some of those tough steps, but you are relentless and always put on a perfect show at your recitals. Your swimming has come a long was as well! I can tell you love being in the water, and you are always working hard to get better and better at all the different strokes you are learning. You made some great strides in skiing over the winter, and I really look forward to continuing with that next winter. Just a little bit of confidence is all you need to soar you to new heights in any sport. You even enjoyed a one week soccer camp this summer where your coaches told you that you are a natural soccer player. They were very impressed with you, and even came over to tell me all about it. Despite that, you tell me that you have no interest in playing soccer in the fall which is perfectly fine with me.
Everyone who meets you has to come tell me how special you are (like I don't already know). Your teachers in school are always so impressed with your serious work ethic and desire to take on a challenge. Throughout the year, anything you have expressed concern about being able to do, I have watched you hunker down and figure it out. You are your own greatest motivator - a fantastic quality to have!
You have made some wonderful friends at Thomson School this year. I know you're sad to have to move on, but you are going to have tons of new friends at Franklin very soon! And the best part is that we have not moved far, and you will never really have to say goodbye to any of your friends.
And Lexi, you are such a great sister. You and Zachary fight like cats and dogs, but I also get to see the amazing moments where I can see how much you love your brother, and how much he adores you in return. You want to share all of your experiences with him, and it's not unusual for me to find the two of you snuggled up on the couch while you read to him.
On Saturday, we had a birthday party for you here at home. We invited lots of friends and family (thanks to our new big yard!) and also some baby farm animals to explore. You always ask me to make "Nature" the theme of your birthday parties, and this was your pick this year. It was a hit! Everyone had a blast, and I loved watching you enjoy your special day.
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| Everyone waits patiently for the animals to come out! |
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| Here piggy piggy! |
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| The animals were swaddled for easy snuggling. |
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| Zachary is always happy to have a chance to walk a dog. NO, we're not getting one!! |
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| Happy girls! |
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| Sweet Anna snuggles a chick. |
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| Maddie loved this bunny! |
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| Kaya got a chick! |
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| Brigid was happy with this cute bunny! |
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| Mike thought this pig was pretty awesome. |
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| Zach finally found a kitten that would sit with him. |
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| Elizabeth was happy with her bunny. |
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| Happy birthday, Lexi! |
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| Cousins! |
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| The little kids find an activity. |
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| Happy kids. |
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| Even Gigi got a turn. |
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| Zach was a main attraction for these baby goats! |
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| Lexi found another animal to hold in the woods! |
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| Happy birthday to my sweet girl! |
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| Best eight year old, ever! |
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| Ice cream cake makes everyone happy! |
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| I got to hold cousin Logan. Great day! |
Lexi, it's so easy to celebrate you. You are just such a wonderful kid, and I feel very lucky that you are mine. I look forward to every other moment of every other year of your life. You are going to continue on to do amazing things, and I can't wait to see you do them all.
Happy 8th birthday, sweet angel! You are my sunshine!
Love,
Mama
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