seven

9:17 AM

her birthday has come and gone...and i think i am finally ready to accept it.

seven is a big age...at least it feels like it to me. i know technically she is still a little girl and i am totally white knuckling that idea. however, the changes i have seen in her over the last year are making it utterly obvious that tweendom is knocking on our door.

i am excited and extremely scared.

for now though...let's focus on seven. seven i can handle. (i hope.)

ryan at seven. where do i even begin?

this past year you have grown up so much! your dad and i discuss it on a regular basis. it's little things that kind of make us stop dead in our tracks and realize you are no longer a baby, or a toddler or a preschooler...you are little girl. our kind, smart, funny, dramatic, loving little girl.

some of my favorite things about you at seven years old are....

your smile.

first and foremost.

it is the most beautiful smile i have ever seen on a seven year old. i love that you are not shy about showing it off either. everyone deserves to see a smile like that.

your zest for life.
there is rarely any adventure you aren't willing to try. if it sounds like fun...you're all over it!

you're always willing to give me a great pose to show off your excitement as well

your flare for the dramatics.

it's no surprise you are our little performer. whether it's ballet on our fireplace, singing in your musical theatre class or making up dances during our family dance parties...performing is your thing and you're darn good at it! you love being the center of attention and i have no doubt you will be gracing a stage at some point in your life.

your unshakeable confidence.

i am envious of the confidence that exudes from you in new situations. take for example this past weekend. you auditioned for the muny without any real dancing or acting experience. there were a lot of girls there in that room who had resumes much longer than yours...but you didn't even bat an eye. you gave it your all and when you didn't get a call back you admitted you were a little sad but acknowledged that it was a brave thing to do and that you will try it again next year. if i could bottle that confidence up and sell it we would be set for life.

your bubbly personality

i love watching you with you friends. you are outgoing, kind and respectful. you seem to enjoy being friends with anyone and everyone. you don't shy away when faced with a new crowd. you jump right in and end up having a whole new group of friends in the blink of an eye.

your love of family

your cousins...

you love your cousins so very much. your eyes light up whenever you hear we're getting together with them...which is often, people!!

your grandparents...

nothing makes you more excited than to have sleepovers at nene & dow's or staying the night with dottie or play hide and seek with pa. you love them and are always quick to remind them of that.

your sisters

your love for your sisters is unparalleled. you are far and away the most wonderful example to them of what a big sister should be. you are patient with them (most of the time), respectful of their space (most of the time), willing to help/teach/play (most of the time), and ready to shower them with love and kisses (well....mostly annie). your love for them is evident in the way they look up to you. to them you are everything.

and last but certainly not least...your love for your dad and i.

as far as first borns go...you really eased us into this whole parenting thing. you were a pretty easy baby, a happy toddler, a tantrum-free (for the most part) preschooler and you are proving to be quite the lovely little girl. you never miss an opportunity to tell us how much you love us. you are a great student, a good listener, an excellent negotiator and although i would love it if you helped out a tad more around the house...you always seem to make up for it with your all around sweet nature.