Well Pearly, another year is behind us and I've got some fun stories to share in this birthday letter to you. If nothing else I hope that you stay kind and keep that sweet heart of yours. I feel like we're starting to get peeks of what your teenage years are going to look like and while I'm excited for all the things ahead, I'm going to miss you at this age...big enough to do things, small enough to still want to, and still thinking Daddy and I are cool to hang out with. I can't believe you're half way to college - sheesh, I shouldn't have typed that....made me have a tear or two in my eyes.
Favorite
Food: “Spaghettios and spaghetti and buttered noodles and Mac and Cheese”
Another consistent answer from years past. Though, like I said in the “firsts” section,
you have been better about trying new foods.
You can still get stuck in a rut where you decide you don’t like
something and there’s no use in trying to convince you otherwise, but most days
go past without too much whining and for that I’m thankful!
Favorite
Outfit: “I like all my clothes, they
are all pretty”.
Unlike your sister you continue to not have a
preference about clothes. Sure, you have
pieces you like and colors your prefer, but, for the most part you have no
interest in picking out your clothes (either from the store or from your drawer
for the day) and you’re happy with whatever I get for you. Honestly, I’m perfectly fine with this for as
long as it lasts. It means that I get to
keep picking things that I like and approve of and we don’t have to fight over
this in the mornings. I ask “do you want
me to pick your clothes today or you?” every morning and I’m pretty sure it’s
laziness more than anything, but you always respond “you”…and we move on with
your days. One thing I enjoy is picking
out the cutest, most unique t-shirts for both you and your sister. Overall I’d say that I dress you both pretty
casually and t-shirts are a staple in your wardrobes year round. Some of my current favorites are your “Two
Scoops Please” shirt (are you surprised, we love ice cream around here) and the
book t-shirts I pick up from Out Of Print.
I also can’t stop with the Wee Rascals shirts that are about
empowerment, feminism and most of the less celebrated heroes of the
past/present.
Some
firsts this year:
·
Skiing – Daddy has been
wanting to take you kids skiing for a few seasons now and this past winter you
and Hazel were finally both old enough.
We put you and Stella in lessons (best decision we’ve made) and
honestly, you really enjoyed it. I am
sure we’ll try to coordinate another trip for this upcoming winter. Daddy’s dream is that we become a “ski
family”….I’m not sure that we’ll get to THAT point, but it would be super fun
to have a winter activity like skiing that we could do together.
·
More adventurous food
choices – You’ve never been the most adventurous eater, and you rarely try
things just to try them, but this past year, you’ve been doing better at trying
new things. In just the past few months
you’ve tried dragon fruit (even Hazel wouldn’t try it!) and alligator
bites. Admittedly we had to trick you a
little to try the alligator (we told you it was chicken) but once we told you
what it was, you decided that you liked….and, you LOVE telling people that you
ate alligator now.
·
First sewing project – Both
you and Hazel really like crafts and being a crafter myself, you know it’s a
hobby I can’t help but cultivate. This
past year we tried quite a few new things – cross stitch, latch hook,
friendship bracelets and sewing projects.
Probably the most successful (lasting) was a little “My First” sewing
project Grandpa bought you when you and Hazel spent the night with him one
weekend. You sewed a cute little deer
for your sister and a little animal for your friend Katrina. I hope you continue to love crafting as much
as I do…and I can’t wait to teach you how to knit.
·
Tying your shoes! –
Somehow you got out of needing to know how to do this until you were in THIRD
grade. That’s probably my fault. Hazel learned it in kindergarten and I
suppose maybe you did too? I must have
shied away from buying you shoes with laces but now that I know you know how to
do it…laces are the way to go! You
really nailed this skill down back in March…you’d been wearing mostly snow
boots to school each day, because, well, WINTER. But back in March as the seasons started to
change you wanted to get out on your bike and start riding….I’d purchased some
new shoes for you (with laces) and you needed to figure it out if you’d planned
to use them. You spent 15 minutes
watching a video on YouTube (Dang you eLearning…Pandora’s box…I’m telling ya!)
and in that short amount of time you’d locked down the skill and were ready to
ride.
·
First big sleepover away –
just a few short weeks ago you spent an entire WEEK in Missouri with your
friend Mati. She’d moved away last
summer (summer after 2nd grade) and I honestly didn’t think that
your friendship would still be going strong a whole year later. But, you FaceTime’d often enough over the
school year, even creating a little art club together. When
Mati’s mom asked me if you’d want to come and spend a week with them I was
pretty sure you were ready to do a long sleepaway like that, but I also had a
feeling you’d be ready to come home at the end.
But, in the end I think the fun overpowered any nerves or reservations
you had. You called me each evening with
a run down of what you’d done – it was a lot!
You went to the zoo, went to a science museum, had a campout in their backyard
and went to Six Flags!! Sounds like you
were a little too nervous to ride the roller coasters, but I have a secret
(Daddy and Auntie are taking you to Six Flags for your birthday in a few weeks
and I have a feeling you’ll be feeling braver with them!).
Favorite
Movie: “Raya”
This answer has more to do with proximity in time
than with what your actual favorite movie is.
Raya just came out on Disney+ a month or so ago so it was top of mind
when I asked these questions. That being
said, I’m not sure that I could come up with a better (or more accurate)
answer. Ever since we showed you how to
run Disney+/Netflix/HBO Max, you and your sister have been exploring lots of
new shows and movies and doing less re-watching of things over and over again. So, for 2021, we’ll say your favorite is Raya!
Favorite
Color: “Blue and
pink.”
Blue has always been your
favorite color…no surprise there!!
Height/Weight: 52
lbs and 4 ft 2 inches
Well sweet girl, you made it back
into the 10% club! I could tell the
doctor must have had a little pause in last year’s numbers when she came into
the room this year saying “I’m glad to see you had a growth spurt!”. Last year you slipped down below 95% of other
kids your age and while our pediatrician didn’t give me any reason to worry
about your numbers last year, hearing her say that this year means that she was
just as happy as I was that your percentages were going up. I don’t worry too much about it, you remind
me of me when I was your age (and I turned out just fine, right??). But, I’m glad to see you growing and putting
on a little weight this year. We’ve
bumped you up to size 8 clothes (though most of the pant sag off your tiny
waist), you’re tall enough that if I buy pants to fit your waist you end up in
high waters! In fact, I had to start
sizing you up because your sister is ready for some of the clothes you still
have in your drawer these days. It’s
nearly time for back to school shopping which means jeans, which is a struggle
for me every year. Gotta start eating
bigger meals Pearly!!
Nicknames:
The two nicknames we’ve had for you pretty much
since day 1 still stand, Pearly and Peanut, though, Peanut seems to be falling
by the wayside as you get older. Pearly
though, I’m hoping that one sticks and I’m sure Grandma feels the same. And, no matter how old you get, or who many growth
spurts you hit, you’ll always be my little peanut.
Favorite
TV show: “Bluey”
We finally joined the 21 first century back in the
winter and signed up for Disney+. We’d
made it so long without having a subscription service that it was finally time
for us to contribute to the collective family subscriptions. Well,
having access to “play the next episode now” functionality means that you and
your sister have been zooming through shows left and right. You watched Tangled, tons of Barbie shows,
Miles from Tomorrowland, and so many other shows I can’t even remember them
all. Bluey though is your current binge
and you guys are hooked on it. I can’t
tell if that show makes me feel like a good parent, or a bad one, but it’s
probably best if I don’t study it too hard and just not care.
A
sweet story about you:
A few months back you convinced the whole family to
head to the basement and play Mario Kart for a while. I’m not sure what movie or commercial you’d
seen but while playing you said something like “Mommy, did you know that some
kids take their Nintendo’s to college with them?”. I laughed, first because college still seems
(thankfully) far away, but also because I envisioned some college kid somewhere
sitting in a dorm room playing their Nintendo while the rest of the college
campus buzzed with excitement and fun just outside their door. Also – you’ve been adamant that you aren’t
going to college when you grow up, which I think has more to do with the “little
kid-ness” of thinking you’ll live with us forever and marry your daddy and all
the other sweet things we adults know will never happen.
Anyways, back to the story. So, when you made this comment Daddy and I
both laughed and I said “Pearly, when you’re in college you’ll be doing lots
more fun things than playing Nintendo…being in college is like having a
sleepover for 8 months! There are no
adults around and you get to decide what you are going to do each and every day”. You asked “But if no adults are around, how
will I know what things I shouldn’t do?”
Big questions for a little kid, and lots more insight than most 9 year
olds if you ask me! I asked you “Like
what things?” and you said “Like, how will I know not to touch the stove”. To which I quickly answered “Well, it sounds
like you already know not to do that….so, cross that off your list of things to
worry about. But, honestly Abby, us
parents have 18 years to try and teach you how to do the right thing, how to
make good choices, what’s safe and what isn’t, how to make friends that are
good influences and how to be a good person.
That’s our jobs as parents. And
then, when you are 18, you get to take all the things we’ve tried to teach you
and start using them in the real world…that’s called growing up”.
It’s a sweet story, and one that I want both of us
to remember in 9 years when you’re turning 18 and about to head off to college,
or, if not college, than whatever you next path looks like. It seems so crazy to me that we’ve had in you
in our lives for 9 whole years. Those
nine years seem to have passed in the blink of an eye, but also we feel like we’ve
lived a lifetime in those 9 years. We’re
half way to you being an adult, leaving home, and the thought of that both
excites me and saddens me. And that, I
suppose is the way it goes for every parent out there. But, all that said, just know that Daddy and
I are and will continue to do the very best we can to prepare you for the
future. You’ve got a bright future ahead
of you and we can’t wait to see how far you fly!
Bears
or Packers? “Um, I like them both”
You’ve taken this stance for a long long time
now. I should probably take this
question off the list because it makes you a little uncomfortable to know that
Daddy likes one and I like the other and I’m asking you to pick sides. But, you are so sweet, and, someday you’ll
pick one (or not! Maybe you won’t ever
care enough to pick).
Favorite Toy: “Owies.”
Forever
and for always, your two sweet owies are part of our day. I love how much you love them and honestly, I
hope you never grow out of them. I think
you’re starting to get a little self-conscious about them, but I can tell that
in your heart of hearts you still want them around, and I will be so sad on the
day that you decide you’re too old of them.
