A Birthday Letter to My Daughter

Happy Seventh Birthday my Baby Girl;
What can I say about my girl now that you're SEVEN! Mikayla, you are an amazing mix of sweetness and quirkiness, you have a huge heart, and are always trying to please. Okay, maybe not always trying to please. I don't know about all the other seven year olds out there, but my darling princess is also working hard on her independence. There are most definitely times when I say "yes", you say "no", I say "up" you say "don't tell me what to do". I'm sure there will be lots of this "headbutting" in our future, and this is just a teeny glimpse of the teen age years!? You know what though, I love that independent streak. I hope it means you will stand up for yourself when you need to with other kids. I hope it means you are gaining an understanding of who you are, and that you are proud of who that person is, I hope you are finding a strong sense of self-worth and confidence.
Even with a little bit of seven year old attitude thrown in, you are still such a joy to be around, you are so genuine in everything you do. You are caring and kind, you show concern for how others are feeling, and are sensitive even to the point of crying when other people are upset. I love how you love your brothers, sharing with them and playing with them, setting a good example for them (most of the time). I love how helpful you want to be, sometimes too helpful, and the look of pride on your face even when you help do something as simple as set the table for me.
Mikayla, you approach life with an energy that sometimes is hard to reign in! This energy (aka loudness) can sometimes get you in trouble, but mostly it makes me smile, you remind me of myself at this age! I just love your crazy personality, I love that you start singing and dancing "Gangham Style" at the drop of a hat. I love how eager you are to learn, how you ask questions to learn more about what's going on all the time. I even love how you never stop talking, even at bedtime (and I have to leave the room with you still talking!).

Happy birthday my beautiful daughter. I am so privileged to have a front row seat to watch you grow into a beautiful person inside and out!

Love you sweetheart!

XOXO,
Mommy