You Reach, I’ll Hold On

Little Birthday Bean,

The years now say you are 8 but your size says you are still a 6X. You want to wear the clothes made for girls your age but they are too big for you.

You have a big kid bike but often like to take a spin on the tricycles you still fit so comfortably on.

Still fits!

You still enjoy reading books for younger children (and even reading them to younger kids) but can tear through a chapter book better than many adults.

Bean and Her Books

You love playing outside and are probably now old enough to play at the front of the house by yourself but you stay in the backyard where it’s fenced and where you can swing for as long as your heart desires. You are even happier now that your daddy raised your swing up higher off the ground – making you feel like a bigger kid while you sing to yourself as your tiptoes of one foot touch the ground.

Sweetness

You have such big dreams. You say you want to be “an actress who’s an art teacher and who can sing.” You recently asked if you could be all of that and a photographer too. I love that you have a passion for the creative and still have the brain for the scientific, bringing home 100’s on your schoolwork and continually scoring the highest possible on your report cards. For as little as you are, your brain is gigantic and amazes us every day with your smarts and your wit. You tell us jokes on a daily basis, often ones you make up yourself. (I’m especially impressed by this because I can’t ever remember jokes and bomb at telling them.) My favorite of yours is the Poo-Poo Train one…

"I want to be a photographer."

The love you have for your little brother is also enormous. You take care of him when it’s just the two of you while you’re playing outside or at your after school program. Sure, you two nah-nah each other a lot but you also make each other laugh a lot. (Like in the picture below from the zoo where you both were making faces to the hand dryer nozzle to see your distorted, silly reflections.) You are such a caring big sister – often reading Nate a book or trying to help him tie his shoes. Nate is so lucky to have you.

Silly Sibling Faces

This is such an interesting age. Because, like I keep repeating and holding on to, you are still so little and it’s hard for me to connect you to or get used to your interest in older kid things. Like Katy Perry’s CD (which features some songs not appropriate for young ears but you marked them on the CD case and sincerely told me you wouldn’t listen to them) or your first teen celebrity magazine. Your eyes were so wide when you saw it in the store last night and you were so happy when I told you could have it. You immediately started reading me snippets of scoop, seeming so excited to learn it. You couldn’t put it down.

First Teen Celebrity Mag

You also couldn’t wait to tape the poster of the boy band, Big Time Rush, on your pink princess wall. This is probably the most descriptive way to show how you are reaching for those older years but still aren’t quite ready to let go of being little. I asked you about taking down Sleeping Beauty but you told me no. That you liked it there still. I do too, Bean. I do too.

Boy Band vs. Princess

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Bean

Tags: birthday