Oh, Sophie...Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. I told you last year to stop growing up so fast!! And already you're ten years old! :)
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! What a fun year this has been for you! Because of year round school this year (yuck!), you've been in 4th grade for a little while now and you love it. You have been happy to go to school each morning, and have so many great friends. You haven't been struggling with the anxiety that you experienced before, and your Dad and I are so so proud of you! You really have worked hard to become stronger and to work through the things that bother you. You amaze us every day! And it makes us so happy to see you smile so easily. Your enthusiasm for life is a blessing to our family!
You continue to grow in your gifts and talents. You still love fashion and anything creative, and still have a great eye for both. You really want to learn how to sew, and I'm sure when we can get that going for you that you will love the creative outlet! You still love to read, and devour books at an incredible rate! I'm having a hard time keeping them stocked for you! :) You're also starting piano soon and you are so excited for that. I love how excited you are about the things you love, Sophie! You have such passion and it really is infectious. You have discovered that you LOVE the Pacific Northwest! We just got back from a weeklong trip to Washington and Oregon, and I'm pretty sure you would have been happy as a clam if we left you there! :) You loved the green, the humidity, the temperate climate, the ocean, the trees...all of it. We fully expect you'll live there someday!
Sophie, you are also one of the most caring and loving people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. There is no end to your love for your people. You and Claire and still best friends. I can't believe how well you two get along, and am happy every day that you have each other. You balance each other out so well! You love playing Minecraft with John, and it continues to be fun to watch you two grow in your relationship...though you still bicker almost constantly. :) And Joey? Well, I think you love Joey most of all! Since you were little, I have always known what a wonderful mother you will make. But as I watch you with Joey, I'm coming to envy your ability to mother! You really enjoy being with small children. You like playing at their level, and are so patient with them. You are incredible, Sophie!! Seriously, you are every bit the mother I want to be and you're only 10!! What a precious gift Heavenly Father has given you and I am completely confident that you will bless many lives with it.
Like I wrote you last year, I'm coming to learn more and more about you and it's helping me understand you so much more! We're starting to build more of a friendship and I love it. I know we'll be good friends and that means the world to me. You still have such a tender relationship with you Dad. You are his little girl, through and through. It warms my heart to know that you have that love in your life! Both your Dad and I have watched as your testimony has grown and we are in awe of the depth of your testimony. You understand the doctrines of the gospel and you love your Heavenly Father and your Savior Jesus Christ. Listening to you pray is a privilege. You really think about what you are saying and remember everyone in your petitions to Heavenly Father. I learn so much from you!
Happy Birthday, Sophie! I know that this next year will be full of so much happiness and growth. I'm so humbled to be your mom and I'm so terribly proud of you! I love you forever!
Love,
Mom
