Happy birthday, sunshine.
Dear Laurel,
Eight years ago today, you were born. In that time, you have more than doubled in height and septupled in weight, developed your own sense of style, and made it abundantly clear that you would like a daybed. (We are working on that last item, but you'll see that when you come home from summer vacation.)
You started second grade at a new school, made a new best friend, and transferred back to our neighborhood school after deciding you were happier there. The photo you entered in last year's PTA Reflections art contest earned an honorable mention at the state level and appeared in the state education association's calendar. Other artwork of yours appeared in a district exhibition, although you were pretty cavalier about it after having that photo in an exhibition in Austin.
Every tooth you lost went into the pocket of your cross-stitched tooth fairy pillow, which held a dollar the next morning. Most of the time you carefully put the dollar into your maneki neko piggybank, but sometimes you'd take it with you when we ate around the corner at Alfredo's so you could spend it on a bag of mini Nutter Butters at 7-11 on the way home. You really, really liked Nutter Butters and Mary Jane-style shoes this year.
You got boxed sets of Amber Brown and Captain Underpants books at Christmas, which you promptly dove into reading and drove Mommy nuts with the Captain Underpants slipcover box, which said "Tra la LA!" every time it was opened. You started reading multiple books at the same time and had trouble reshelving your books, so we put your books in shallow boxes on the bookshelves for easier shelving and you were thrilled that the boxes were yellow, your new favorite color.
You went ice skating at the lake on New Year's Eve, when it was so cold out that the remainder of your soft pretzel froze while we were waiting for the shuttle bus back to Aunt Amy's car. The Easter bunny brought you an enormous box of 50 colored pencils that included metallic gold and silver. You had many happy playdates with your best friend and went to the circus with her, where you oohed over the ringmaster's fabulous dresses and found a perfect plush elephant in a handbag for a souvenir.
You got really antsy at the end of the school year to leave for your summer vacation in Colorado, especially after your cousin was born during your last week of school. Yesterday you celebrated being a big girl by having your ears pierced the day before your birthday, then called to tell me all about it.
Here's to your first cubed year, lalibuttons.
Love,
Mommy
Eight years ago today, you were born. In that time, you have more than doubled in height and septupled in weight, developed your own sense of style, and made it abundantly clear that you would like a daybed. (We are working on that last item, but you'll see that when you come home from summer vacation.)
You started second grade at a new school, made a new best friend, and transferred back to our neighborhood school after deciding you were happier there. The photo you entered in last year's PTA Reflections art contest earned an honorable mention at the state level and appeared in the state education association's calendar. Other artwork of yours appeared in a district exhibition, although you were pretty cavalier about it after having that photo in an exhibition in Austin.
Every tooth you lost went into the pocket of your cross-stitched tooth fairy pillow, which held a dollar the next morning. Most of the time you carefully put the dollar into your maneki neko piggybank, but sometimes you'd take it with you when we ate around the corner at Alfredo's so you could spend it on a bag of mini Nutter Butters at 7-11 on the way home. You really, really liked Nutter Butters and Mary Jane-style shoes this year.
You got boxed sets of Amber Brown and Captain Underpants books at Christmas, which you promptly dove into reading and drove Mommy nuts with the Captain Underpants slipcover box, which said "Tra la LA!" every time it was opened. You started reading multiple books at the same time and had trouble reshelving your books, so we put your books in shallow boxes on the bookshelves for easier shelving and you were thrilled that the boxes were yellow, your new favorite color.
You went ice skating at the lake on New Year's Eve, when it was so cold out that the remainder of your soft pretzel froze while we were waiting for the shuttle bus back to Aunt Amy's car. The Easter bunny brought you an enormous box of 50 colored pencils that included metallic gold and silver. You had many happy playdates with your best friend and went to the circus with her, where you oohed over the ringmaster's fabulous dresses and found a perfect plush elephant in a handbag for a souvenir.
You got really antsy at the end of the school year to leave for your summer vacation in Colorado, especially after your cousin was born during your last week of school. Yesterday you celebrated being a big girl by having your ears pierced the day before your birthday, then called to tell me all about it.
Here's to your first cubed year, lalibuttons.
Love,
Mommy