the little things: Happy Birthday, Annabelle

Dear Annabelle,

Happy Birthday, 6 year old! You may be getting older but you’ll always be my punkin wunkin, my peaches and my pie, my funny bunny sweet as honey, apple of my eye. You make life fun and you bring sunshine everywhere you go. I cannot imagine life without your joy-filled smile and silly sense of humor.

For your birthday, in addition to a butterfly party with friends, you asked that Gigi, Grandma, and I take you to lunch, the pedicure place, and the American Girl Store. You picked out a doll that looks just like you named Mary Ellen. You haven’t put her down since you have been home. After getting pedicures, you said, “I love this day so much.” We all decided that it should be your birthday tradition for the 4 of us to get pedicures together. By the way, you chose pink toenails with white polka dots and pink nail polish for your finger nails.

This year you graduated preschool, and you are excited about starting kindergarten. You sing along to every song on the radio even though you may not have all the words exactly right, but that’s okay with me, I do the same thing! Your little light shines everywhere you go and you leave people smiling in your wake.

Lately, you’ve been really into gymnastics and especially cartwheels. You did this by practicing…a lot…everywhere. I mean everywhere: in the backyard, at the neighbor’s house, at the grocery store, Barrett’s baseball games, at church…I even found myself saying the words, “Honey, you can’t do a cartwheel in the car.” But all of that practicing paid off, because you now have a nice graceful cartwheel.

You have accomplished another great feat this year: sleeping in your bed. You have got this down now! Shortly after your birthday last year, you decided to start sleeping in your room. You began on the trundle mattress where you could see me sitting in the game room until you fell asleep. Now, you sleep in your bed with no issues! This was a big challenge for you for about 2 years and you overcame it. You can do anything you set your mind to.

One of the many things I love about you is your attitude. You are so positive and can find the good in most situations. You enjoy life, and THAT makes life enjoyable. This past year, you had speech with a little boy who was really scared about going and leaving his mommy but you always encouraged him and told him how fun it would be and reminded him about how he would get a sticker. Ms. Long, your speech teacher, said that you were always such a big help when he was sad because you were so happy and had such a great attitude that it spread to the other little boy. By the end of the year, that boy was consistently excited about seeing you and going to speech. Another example of your positivity is with your food. Wheat tends to cause your tummy to hurt and so you cannot eat it. This means you can’t have birthday cake at friends’ parties, and have to often miss out on other treats. Instead of thinking about what you can’t have, you choose to think about the yummy gluten-free cookies or special treat that you can have. Teachers and other parents are always impressed at how well you handle the situation with a smile. It is truly a gift of yours. It is okay to get mad or sad sometimes, and sometimes you do, but you don’t let it ruin your day and you are able to move on by looking for the silver lining.

Your brothers adore you, even though you tend to go into their rooms and mess with their stuff, and put your babies to bed in there. Barrett and Kyle always ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ when we curl your hair or when you wear a new dress. They help you walk across the street safely and come running when you cry. They thought you were the best dancer in your recital and they couldn’t have been prouder big brothers. They love you very much.

Annabelle, you are so precious to us all, and you make the world a better place just by being you. I am so proud of you and I love being with you and watching you grow. I am so lucky I get to be your mommy. I love you more than words can express.

Love,

Mommy

Right now:

You love to watch: Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Fave books: Smelly Socks and Tickle Monster

Fave color: pink polka dots, pink, and yellow

Fave song: Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake…and Let it Go from Frozen is still up there.

Other faves: dancing, singing, tumbling/gymnastics, swimming, rollercoasters

You with Mary Ellen

Went to Gloria's for our ladies lunch and they brought you a chocolate flan with a birthday candle which was perfect because it was gluten free and you could have it. You were kind enough to share with us too.