Letter To Maylin - 10 Years

Dear Maylin,

You made it! The big 10! No matter how much we beg you to stop, you just keep getting older and continue to keep growing.

You started 4^th grade this year with the teacher that you really wanted – Mrs. Alestock. You also got Mrs. Stocker, who you didn't know much about, but you ended up loving her so much by the end of the school year.

You did a fun overnight trip with your Girl Scout Troop to Fossil Rim and earned a badge. Your troop also visited the Bedford Fire Department and took a tour of their living quarters and also the ambulance and fire engine. You also lead one of the meetings to obtain 2 badges in Health & Fitness.

Lucky you! You were the only one in the family NOT to get Covid this year. Your sister got it right before school started and then Dad got it about a month later and then Mom caught it a week after Dad. It ruined Dad's 50^th birthday party plans, but we were able to postpone and celebrate it at a later date.

You have continued to attend the Gutsy Girl Skateboard Clinics with Dad and you even did a big project in Mrs. Villagomez's class this year centered around learning how to do the Ollie trick on your skateboard.

This year you attended a Fall Basketball Clinic at LD Bell and you joined a basketball team. You were on a team with your friend Lily and her dad was the coach. Your team was called the Terriers and you played as #4. Unfortunately, your team didn't have a winning season, but you learned a lot. You got frustrated a lot when your team lost and you would also get frustrated with your team members, but hopefully as you continue to play and learn, you will find the positives in losing as well as winning.

You did some fun things in the Fall like attend a Stranger Things pop-up store at the Mall, celebrated your sister's birthday at Alley Cats, and you dressed up like Edward Tulane for Storybook Character Day at school. On Halloween, you dressed up like Max from Stranger Things and Skye, your BFF, was Eleven. You had fun trick or treating around the neighborhood again with Morgan and her friends and then once you all were back at the house, there was a lot of negotiating and swapping candy.

One amazing accomplishment that you made this year was achieving your Black Belt on the Recorder. You were so dedicated to completing it and you were one of the first ones in your grade to do it. You practiced almost every day, much to the chagrin of Dad and I some days (ha), but you did it!

Christmas season was filled with fun and music. You performed with the Tiger Choir at the Hurst Tree Lighting Ceremony, you performed with the Tiger Choir in a Christmas performance at school, you went with the Tiger Choir on a field trip to LD Bell and Itz and Mom was a chaperone, you attended Family Fun Day at school, you had a Girl Scout Christmas party and gift exchange, our family went to view the Christmas lights in the Diamond Loch neighborhood, you got to hold and cuddle Candi the Elf again this year on Christmas Eve, and we celebrated New Year's Eve with the Ramos family and friends again this year.

You had another great year of selling Girl Scout cookies, even though we hardly had any time to sell at the booths due to your basketball schedule. We sold at O'Reilly's when it worked with our schedule and that's what helped your sales a lot. Your Dad held up the sign on the corner, you danced (ha), and Mom sold at the table. We made a lot of sales that way and we're hoping that it works again next cookie season.

There were a few fun things that happened in the Winter/Spring time. You participated in APEX at school and it was the first year that Mom was in charge of it. Your Aunt Lu visited and while she was here, she had the cross stitch rainbow that she made for you framed at Michael's. You had a few surprise visitors show up at your events: Coach V showed up to one of your basketball games and Ms. King, your 3^rd grade teacher, showed up at a couple of your cookie booths.

You completed a fun project in Mrs. Villagomez's class where you had to reenact a famous Johannes Vermeer painting. You and your sister reenacted the painting “Mistress and Maid”. Mom was in charge of pulling the scene together and gathering the props and clothes. The funniest part of the whole thing was that you used the mullet wig as a proper lady's wig and it worked!

Another fun thing that you did this year was participate in the 4^th grade field trip to Austin. It was the first year that the school allowed this to happen and you had a blast! Mom was a chaperone, along with many other parents and teachers. You went to the State Capitol and to the Inner Space Caverns. Outside of the Caverns, you also got to play on the playground and mine for gold.

Spring Break was a 2 day staycation. We went to Dallas and had lunch at Chet's and toured Dad's office, then went to Rainbow Vomit which was super cool, went to Klyde Warren Park, and finished the day with dinner at Chef Point where you experienced your first Monte Cristo. You LOVED it! The next day we went to the Museum of Illusions and had lunch at Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, and then went bowling at Bowlero. You and sister finished your Spring Break vacation at Auntie's house.

You tried a new sport and attended a Volleyball Clinic at LD Bell with your friend Ana. You really liked it, but decided that you didn't want to join a team and would stick with basketball.

A very big thing happened this year, right around Easter. You kept talking about how you knew that the Easter Bunny wasn't real and that you suspected that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real either. You kept asking about Santa and whether or not he was real. You would mention how your friends said there wasn't a Santa. We would put it back on you and ask you what you thought and you would go back and forth. Eventually, you said that you wanted to know the truth once and for all and that's when I knew that it was time to give you the “Magic of Santa” letter. You read the letter and then had a lot of questions, but you took it like a champ, which means you were ready to know the truth. You did catch me crying afterwards in the office though, but I was crying because it was the end of another chapter. You and your sister are growing up and sometimes it hurts.

Easter was a little different this year. We attended church, you got an Easter Basket, but you only hunted for your golden egg this year, and then you and your sister were surprised with tickets to your first NBA game. You received a Mavs shirt in your basket, so you quickly put it on and off we went to watch the Mavs play the Spurs.

You attended the Fine Arts Night at school and were asked to perform with 5 other Recorder Karate Black Belts, alongside the Performing Ensemble.

A major success for you this year was auditioning and being accepted into the HEB Honor Choir for 5^th grade! You were so excited. You were even more excited to learn that you get to experience it with one of your best friends, Laurel.

There was more Girl Scout fun toward the end of the school year. You participated in the Pinewood Derby and created a custom made skateboard derby car. You had a lot of fun making it and deciding how it would look authentic. Mom and Dad helped with some of it, but you really made it look cool. It didn't win anything, but it got a lot of compliments from people at the race. Your troop also went to Girl Scout Day at Medieval Times and we ended up getting the bad Knight that offended the Queen, but our group didn't care, we continued to cheer him on!

You performed in the school play “GOAL!”, where you sang and had a speaking part. Originally, you were only supposed to sing, but Mrs. Alestock gave you a speaking part because she knew you could do it and you were great!

One of your big 4^th grade assignments this year was to write and illustrate a story based on Cinderella. Your story was titled “Cinder-Jello”. It was really cute and your classmates agreed because you won “Best Story”, voted on by your classmates.

The end of the year 4^th grade awards were wonderful. You acted like a ham up on the stage, which I expected nothing less (ha!) You received so many awards for all of your accomplishments and you should be so proud of yourself! I know that we are proud of you. You got perfect attendance and A-B Honor Roll, which really upset you because one B (an 89) prevented you from getting all A's for the year.

Summer was full of fun and you were busy for most of it! We started off by going to see Josh Gates at the Winspear Opera House. You stood in line to ask him a question and were the next in line, when they decided the close down the questions. You were disappointed, but you had a lot of fun at the show. We all did! You participated in another Scout Day with your Girl Scout Troop at Globe Life Stadium and got to walk to Rangers baseball field before the game. We all got a free Rangers shirt that day as well. You attended your third year of Basketball Camp at LD Bell and won the Hustle Award. You really enjoy doing this camp every year with your friend Lily. We took your friend Delaney to NRH2O with us, along with her sister and her mom. Your sister brought a friend as well, and you all had a blast riding the slides and playing in the water. You spent a week in Athens with the Newtons to attend their VBS this year. You loved it and thought it was a lot better than ours (ha!) They had big tents that each group visited every day and you were very impressed with this. You got a little homesick by the end of the week, but you still had a great time and said you want to go back next year. You attended your third year of camp at Glen Lake and once again, you loved it! I was a little concerned that you would get homesick because of how you were in Athens, but I didn't need to worry. Some other things that you did this summer was celebrate Wyatt's first birthday, attend VBS at our church, celebrate the 4^th of July with the Ramos family – we swam at their house and then watched the fireworks at Bedford Boys Ranch. You attended your first Camp Invention this summer with your friend Laurel. On the last day of camp, you came home with so much stuff that it covered the entire kitchen island! A couple of the cool things that you made were a robot that repeats what you say and a skateboard shop with an indoor skatepark that had LED lights.

Our Family Vacation was so much fun this year! We went to West Virginia and Canada. We got up very early on the first day to catch our flight and by that evening, we were having dinner at Jim & Robin's house. You and your sister swam in their pool while we all sat around talked. The Family Reunion was the next day and you played on the playground with several of your cousins, mostly playing on what you were calling “the wheel of death” HA! We ate a lot of food and dessert and then went on the hayride all through the countryside. That evening we went to Pete and Cheryl's house for Pete's “famous hot dogs” and corn. You were in the pool most of the night and I finally had to tell you to get out so that we could leave. The next day was BIG DAY. You knocked a bucket list item off of your list! YOU FED A RED PANDA! We went to the Good Zoo at Oglebay and walked around for a bit before our appointment to feed the Red Pandas. Once inside, the two Red Pandas came down to eat with us. We got to feed Fia, the female, and Junjie, the male. You were a little nervous and scared at first, but once one of them ate out your hand, you were fine and realized that they weren't going to hurt you. It was such a cool experience and one that we will never forget! That same day, we had lunch at Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Nelson's house and then went to Greyson's birthday party at Tracy and Julie's house.

Our family vacation continued the next day as we drove to Niagara Falls. It was Mom's birthday so Dad upgraded our hotel room and it had an amazing view of the waterfalls! That evening we had Mom's birthday dinner at Table Rock with a great view of the falls and then went back to the room to watch the night lights and fireworks at the falls. You were so impressed with the lights and wanted to use my phone to take so many pictures! The next day was spent mostly getting wet in Niagara Falls! We started with the boat cruise to the falls, then we did the journey behind the falls, which was taking a tour under and behind the horseshoe falls. Then we did Niagara's Fury, which we weren't that impressed with, and then we went to the big Hershey Chocolate Store and filled two big bags full of various chocolates. Before leaving Niagara, we did one last attraction, the Whirlpool Aero Car, which we all enjoyed. Our next stop was a little town called Niagara on the Lake. We visited the floral clock and then ate dinner at the Olde Angel Inn, which is supposed to be haunted and the reason why Mom picked it as the place to eat. The waitress told us that she and some other staff had some experiences with the ghost. You were very interested in the story and got a pamphlet about it. At some point when we were walking around the town afterwards, you lost the pamphlet and were very upset. You would not let it go, even though I kept telling you that the story was online and I could print it for you when we got home. Needless to say, you and I walked back to the Inn to get another pamphlet.

We finally made our way to Toronto and arrived in time to walk around the hotel and take a few pictures. The next day we visited the CN Tower and it had two levels with a glass floor. You were okay with upper level glass floor, but not the bottom level (ha!) Mom wasn't okay with any of the glass floors. Dad and Morgan loved the glass floors and were jumping on them! We then went to the Hockey Hall of Fame and had our picture taken with a Stanley Cup. Dad was very superstitious and told us not to touch it, but we all did anyway. That evening, we did a walking Ghost Tour in downtown Toronto. It was interesting and our tour guide was great, but it wasn't scary. You enjoyed it and were glad that we didn't go inside anywhere. After we returned from the Ghost Tour, you lost a tooth! The “Tooth Fairy” couldn't decide whether to give you American or Canadian money, but ultimately American money won because the exchange rate was better. The next day we visit a castle called Casa Loma. It was huge! It has been used for a lot of different movies and there were lot of underground tunnels and secret rooms located throughout the castle. Apparently there is one secret room that still has not been found. We visited the Toronto Zoo for a short time trying to find the Red Pandas only to be disappointed. It was too hot that day and they weren't outside. We left the Zoo and headed back to our hotel so that we could make our Boat Cruise of Toronto Harbor. I don't think any of us were that impressed with the boat cruise only because we couldn't hear most of what the tour guide was saying and it was very hot inside the boat. The next day was a very long travel day for us. We drove from Toronto back to Pittsburgh, only to learn that our flight was delayed and continued to be delayed. Thankfully it wasn't canceled, but we didn't get home until 1:30 in the morning! Overall, you had a great vacation and a lot of fun with not only us, but with a lot of your cousins. You were very sad when our vacation ended and you were really sad when we left West Virginia. Who knows, maybe one day you will end up living in West Virginia.

Your 10^th birthday started with a BIG surprise. You got your first phone! You were so excited and shocked. After the shock wore off, you got everybody's phone number and started texting them HA! We went to see the movie Elemental for your birthday and then went to dinner at BJ's. You had your birthday party at Classic Gymnastics and your theme was Wicked, which made Mom really happy.

You have had such a great year and have made some new friends. You started hanging out with Avery, Baileigh, Delaney, and Laurel. Unfortunately, your relationship with Skye seemed to drift this year. She made a friend that didn't like you and that caused a rift, but by the end of the year you both seemed to have worked it out.

You have found a love for Ramen, so much so that your Christmas ornament this year was Ramen Noodles. You also got a Ramen cooker for Christmas. You still love Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti O's, Kraves Cereal, Grilled Cheese, Plain M&Ms, and Chocolate. You love Red Pandas (duh), Ellie Mae, Sookie, your family, basketball, ghost stories, video games, and play dates with friends.

Trying to control your anger in a healthy way has been a struggle for you this year. You have a tendency to storm off in the middle of a conversation when you're getting into trouble and you don't like to be told no. You have a tendency to throw things when your mad and you take things very personally. I reached out to the school counselor to see if visiting with her might help and she started meeting with you at the end of the school year. You said that you enjoyed your weekly visits with her and felt like she helped you.

On the flip-side, you are the funniest and wittiest kid I know! You are so entertaining and you make us laugh a lot. You are always dancing, singing, joking, and telling a story. If you're awake, then you're talking, HA! You've got so much to say and can't wait to tell us. One thing that I continue to hear from your teachers is how entertaining and funny you are. It seemed like every time I saw Mrs. Alestock, she had a funny story to share with me about something that you did or said in class. I love your funny personality and I hope it never changes.

We love you so much, Maylin, and we can't wait to see what great things await you in the coming year!

Love,

Mom, Dad, and Morgan

Letter to Morgan - 13 Years

Dear Morgan,

You're officially a teenager! How can that be? The saying goes that “time is a thief” and it's true. My oldest is no longer a baby. You have grown both in mind and body exponentially this year. It's been amazing to see the difference in you, but if I'm honest, also heartbreaking. I don't like watching my baby grow up. You'll understand one day.

We are finally coming out of the strict guidelines of Covid and that's partly because the vaccines are more widely available to everyone of all ages. We had you vaccinated and thankfully you didn't have any side effects other than a sore arm.

You attended your first Dallas Stars game and we were lucky enough to get to sit in box seats. You had a good time and loved getting to eat as many cookies as you wanted!

During the Christmas season, you performed with the Tiger Choir at the Hurst Tree Lighting and you also sang and performed on the drums and xylophone with the Performance Ensemble for the Holiday Show at school. You also volunteered to be a face painter at Family Fun Day and you had a line of kids waiting to get their faces painted. You also performed with the Honor Choir competing at Epic Water Park and achieving a Superior Rating and performing the Winter Concert at Trinity High School. You also went with the Tiger Choir and Performing Ensemble and competed at Epic Water Park and achieved another Superior Rating. Lastly, you participated in the Christmas Eve service at church.

Your Girl Scout troop bridged from Juniors to Cadettes during the holiday season and celebrated at a restaurant. You received a necklace in addition to a new vest.

We finished the year off flying high at iFly and celebrating the new year at the Ramos family's New Years Eve party.

Spring Break this year was in Fort Worth. You went to your first rodeo and we also visited the water gardens, and went down to the stockyards, watched the cattle drive, a re-enacted gun fight, walked through the maze, went to the Ft. Worth Zoo, and then you and your sister went to stay at your Auntie's house.

This year you went to Confirmation classes for most of the school year. At the end of the Confirmation classes in April, the church had a dinner for all of the Confirmands and their families and Pastor Holly had asked you if you would be willing to do the opening prayer for the dinner. I was so proud of you and I hope that you felt proud of yourself that she had picked you to do the honors. You had a faith partner named Courtney, who was your guide through most of the classes and I think you really enjoyed learning more about the Methodist Church and developing a closer relationship with God. On the day of Confirmation, we invited all of the family to come and then we celebrated at home afterwards with food and cake. Dad and I gave you a James Avery charm bracelet with a Confirmation charm that has the date engraved on it.

Field Day looked a little different this year. The 6^th graders were helpers vs. participants and you loved it! You were given a whistle and a game to cover and you had so much fun “bossing” the other kids around. I received so many compliments from various teachers about what a great job you did!

You had some final choir performances before the end of school. You had an Honor Choir performance at LD Bell High School, which totally made me cry! You also had a Performing Ensemble performance where you played several instruments. You've always been musically inclined, but I was so impressed with your ability to be able to play so many different instruments.

You participated in a couple of Girl Scout events before school let out. You went to an iFly event and you also went to an overnight excursion with your sister to NASA in Houston. You had a great time, but you both were so tired when you got back.

You attended the 6^th grade end-of-year dance and I was a chaperone at the event. It looked like you had a good time with your friends and I watched you dance a couple of times. I even convinced you to take some pictures with me in the photo booth.

6^th grade ended with the clap-out and we were there clapping really loudly because we were so super proud of you. You received so many awards that day, including receiving straight A's. It was a great day! You were hugging teachers and friends and saying your goodbyes. It was bittersweet, as you were also saying goodbye to your elementary school.

Summer fun started immediately with a beach trip to Rockport with Grammy, Aunt Robin, and Gracie. We had so much fun exploring the cute town, shopping, eating, and of course enjoying the beach. There were so many other fun things you did this summer including Scout Day at the Rangers Game where you got to walk the field with the Girl Scouts. You attended Digital Anime Camp at Art Castle and made a mug and a button and a lot of digital art. You also went to Glen Lake Camp, which is your favorite thing to do during the summer! You had a blast as usual and even cried with your new friends when you had to leave. You also got braces this summer on June 29^th! You were not excited at all and your teeth hurt for several days. You were living on yogurt and soup for a while.

Our family summer trip this year was to visit Grandma Muriel in Montreal, Canada. We did so many things in the week that we were there. We started with a tour of Montreal, we had many dinners with Grandma Muriel, we attended the International Fireworks Competition and Canada did not disappoint! We did some shopping, we visited Olympic Park, we also got to meet your cousin Christine, we visited the Biodome and the Vans Skatepark, we went to the Barbie Expo, and we went to the Notre Dame Basilica and watched the Aura light show, we went to Old Port and rode the Ferris Wheel and visited the Science Museum, we then took a day tour to Quebec City and saw the Montmorency Falls, and took a cruise on the St. Lawrence river, and walked around the city.

Summer was almost over and Hurst Junior High was hosting Raider Camp for all of the incoming 7^th graders. You and I attended the camp together and they had a big pep rally to start it off and get everyone excited. After the pep rally, they split the students from the parents and each of us learned more about the school. At the end, we toured the school and you got an idea of where all of your classes were going to be so that you weren't completely lost on the first day.

Shortly after Raider Camp, you started feeling sick and tested positive for Covid. We had you quarantined up in your room, which you loved and I hated. From the time we had returned from Canada I felt like something had changed with you. I felt like you were pulling away from me, which made me want to reach for you more. I don't know if it was actually happening, but it felt that way and it was making me really sad. I tried to tell you how I felt, but I don't think really understood. You kept telling me nothing was different. Looking back, I realize now that you were slowly changing into a teenager and when I realized that you were entering Junior High, it hit me like a ton of bricks and made me very emotional. It had everything to do with me and almost nothing to do with you. You were still Morgan and just being a teenager, I was just having a really hard time adjusting to it. I cried A LOT for about a month after you started Junior High just trying to accept things and even now I'm still trying to accept it.

You recovered from Covid and were able to start school without a problem. The school hosted an Open House and we were able to visit with all of your teachers and we found out that your Math teacher had put your name on the wall because you were at 100%.

We celebrated your 13^th birthday at Alley Cats this year with a fun group of friends. You bowled, played laser tag, and played in the arcade.

Letter To Maylin - 9 Years

Dear Maylin,

How are you already nine years old? You've grown so much over the past year and have had so many fun things happen over the year. You started 3^rd grade with Ms. Owens and Ms. King and it was finally a “normal” school year after suffering through a year and a half of the pandemic. You couldn't wait to get started and see your friends again.

They did come out with a vaccine for kids your age, so you were able to get your two vaccine shots before the end of the year and you didn't have any side effects, thank goodness.

This year you showed an interest in skateboarding so Dad started taking you to Gutsy Girls clinics and you have really enjoyed learning some skateboarding skills. You even got a new skateboard and your Halloween costume this year was an injured skateboarder.

You attended your first Dallas Stars game and we were lucky enough to be in box seats, which were awesome! You were up and out of your seat every time a song came on hoping to get on TV. Your Christmas list was packed with Stars stuff after that game!

One special thing at Christmas that you were excited about this year is that you got to hold Candi the Elf for the first time on Christmas Eve. Her letter at the beginning of the season said that Santa was now allowing you and your sister to hold her on her final day before he took her home to the North Pole. You were so excited and couldn't wait for Christmas Eve. You carried her around all day and barely let your sister hold her.

You ended the year on New Years Eve 'flying high' at iFly for the first time and loved it! After that, you spend the rest of the evening with your BFF, Skye, ringing in the New Year at her house.

Mom had surgery in February and you were very worried We tried to reassure you that everything was going to be OK, but until I was finally home and you could see me, you didn't stop worrying – so sweet.

You finally saw the movie “Turning Red”. We had been waiting for a long time for it to finally come out. The main character shared your name and she turned into a Red Panda. It seemed like this movie was made for you! We all really liked the movie and you started calling yourself Maylin Lee, and your friends did too.

Spring Break was a stay-cation this year in Fort Worth. We had a good time exploring the water gardens, going to your first rodeo, exploring the stockyards, watching the cattle drive, going through the maze, watching cowboys re-enact a gun fight, and going to the Zoo. You were even daring enough to ride the mechanical bull!

You did some fun Girl Scout things this year as well. In addition to selling a ton of cookies, your troop took a trip to the Water Gardens, and walked around downtown Ft. Worth to learn about some of the history of the city. You even saw the big, glittery cowboy hat in the square. You and your sister also went on an overnight GS trip to NASA! At the end of the year, your troop bridged from Brownies to Juniors. In the summer, you participated in Scout Day at the Ranger Game and got to walk the field!

You finished 3^rd grade with all A's and your multiplication license! You worked so hard on getting that license and we're so proud of all your accomplishments this year!

Summer was full of so many fun things! We started summer with going to the beach with Grammy, Aunt Robin, and Gracie to Rockport, TX. We had so much fun and you collected some really cool shells. You attended basketball camp again this year and learned more skills and drills and had a lot of fun. You went to Glen Lake Camp for the whole week this year. This was your first time being away from home this long and I was very nervous about it, but you were totally fine. You had a blast and can't wait to go back next year! Your cousin Wyatt was finally born – he was late, but he finally came on June 27.

We took our family vacation to Montreal, Canada to visit Grandma Muriel. We did so many fun things including: a tour of Montreal, the International Fireworks Competition, lots of shopping, the Olympic Park, met and hung out with cousin Christine, visited the Biodome, checked out the Vans Skatepark, went to the Barbie Expo, went to the Notre Dame Basilica and watched Aura (the light show), went to Old Port and rode the Ferris Wheel, went to the Science Museum, took a day tour to Quebec City and visited the Montmorency Falls, took a cruise on the St. Lawrence river, and walked around the city.

It's been a very busy year! I think we have been making up for all of the stuff that we couldn't do during the pandemic.

You still love to be active and moving and you are always dancing! You love hanging out with your friends and cracking jokes. You talk A LOT and have a hard time letting others talk sometimes, but it's only because you have so much to say! We love your funny and witty personality and we love watching you grow into the young lady that you are becoming.

We love you, Sweet Pea!

Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter To Morgan - 12 Years

Dearest Morgan,

You have grown up so much over the past year and it is really hitting me hard that you're no longer a baby. You are starting to develop into a young lady and puberty has started to take over your body. I've told you numerous times to stop it, but you just keep growing!

So much has happened over the past year and you've been able to do quite a few things since life went back to semi-normal (Covid-19). There have been some ups and downs, but you've handled everything really well and continue to be a very positive kid. It's one of the things that I love most about you. 

We had to say goodbye to Quinn this past year and it was very hard on our little family, but thankfully we had planned a Halloween trip to Jellystone with the Newtons shortly after her passing which helped take some of the sadness away. Your costume this year was Hermione from Harry Potter. You were able to trick or treat in the neighborhood, but it was definitely different this year due to the pandemic. Many neighbors were handing out candy in their driveways vs. in their doorways. The plus side is that we got around the neighborhood pretty quickly! 

Shortly after Halloween, Uncle Ed got very sick with Covid and we thought we might lose him, but thankfully he began to get better after a couple of weeks in the hospital. 

After the year that we had, we decided that we were going to decorate for Christmas early, so shortly  before Thanksgiving, we put all of the decorations up and had a small Thanksgiving with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lisa. 

During the Christmas season you helped come up with ideas on where to put Candi the Elf. You really enjoyed helping this year and you came up with some cute ideas. We had a small Christmas with both sides of the family and although we didn't get to see everyone, we had a very nice holiday.  One of your favorite presents was the Saturn V LEGO set. You loved putting it together and you have it displayed on top of your bookcase in your room.

One history-making thing that happened this past year is that we have our first woman Vice President of the United States. Not only is she the first woman, but she is also the first woman of color to be VP. 

In February we had a major snow storm for several days and although we couldn't really go anywhere, we had a blast playing and sledding in the snow. We played with friends and made Snow Ice Cream! 

We had a short family trip to Fredericksburg during Spring Break this year and we climbed Enchanted Rock. We unfortunately chose the windiest day of the year to climb the rock, but we did it.

We added 2 new members to the family – Ellie Mae and Sookie Sue! They are so playful and fun to watch. They love to play and hang out with you and your sister. You are in love with both of them, but you tend to favor Sookie just a little. 

You were in the gifted and talented program again this year in school and you did really well and made straight A's. There were still no extra-curricular activities this year, but you did apply to be in the HEB Honor Choir for the next school year and you were accepted!

This past summer was jam-packed full of fun things that you got to do. You attended an Anime Camp for a week and produced some great artwork of some of your favorite characters. You also did some physical therapy for your ankle, which seems to be improving. You attended VBS with your sister at various parks around the area and we visited NRH2O several times. You were able to go to Jellystone Park in Tyler with your sister's GS troop and made friends with Macey, another older sister of a GS. We spent 4th of July with the Newtons in Athens and Uncle Ed and Daddy set off fireworks in the field close to the house. You attended Glen Lake Camp for a week with your friend Lily and had a blast. We took a family trip to West Virginia for Daddy's family reunion and we stayed at a resort that had a zoo and other fun activities. We visited the zoo and got to see our favorite animal – red panda. Summer ended with a GS trip to Falkenstein Castle. Your troop made enough money selling cookies over the past 2 years to rent out the entire castle and stay there for 2 nights. You did an escape room challenge in the castle, you had a day at Inks Lake Park where you learned how to kayak. You also jumped off a cliff into the water at Devil's Hole while at the park. You participated in a Murder Mystery Dinner one the nights at the castle and your character was Snow White who had to sing all of her lines – there wasn't a more perfect character for you! You got into it and did a great job of singing and playing your part. Your troop was also able to take a tour of the Longhorn Caverns and see some really cool crystals and bats.

When school started, things looked a little more normal. Masks were optional and no longer required. Daddy and I wanted you and your sister to continue to wear your masks and you were fine with it and didn't fight us. You began rehearsals with the HEB Honor Choir and I got roped into being a parent volunteer, so I attend the rehearsals with you every week. 

We took you and your sister to your first Broadway play at Fair Park. We saw Wicked, my favorite, and you really enjoyed it. You thought the production was great and your favorite part was the moving parts of the giant Wizard. After the play, we went to Rise No.3 in Fort Worth and you had your first souffle. You had a mac and cheese souffle for dinner and a chocolate souffle for dessert. You LOVED it and can't wait to go back!

Your GS troop worked hard during the month of September to get your Bronze Award. You collected donations for the Hurst Animal Shelter and completed other tasks necessary to earn the award.

Your birthday was celebrated a little differently this year. You have officially reached the age where birthday themes and specific activities/locations are not what you want. This year you asked to go out to dinner with friends and have a sleepover. We took you, your sister, and 4 friends to downtown Fort Worth to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, then we walked to ITSugar to get some candy, before heading home for the sleepover. Your friends Karsyn and Lily stayed for the sleepover and we had birthday doughnuts the next morning. You opened your gifts later that morning and found out that you were getting your own cell phone. You were so shocked that you were speechless for about a minute!

Things you love: Anime, chocolate, friends, school, Genshin Impact, My Hero Academia, drawing, singing, and YouTube.

We're so proud of you, Pumpkin. You're a good girl, a loving daughter, and a sweet friend. This is your last year in elementary school and soon enough you'll be in junior high. Why does the time have to go so quickly?!

We love you!

Mom, Dad, and Maylin

Letter To Maylin - 8 Years

Dear Maylin, 

You have completed another year around the sun and you’re a big 8-year-old! You started 2nd grade online for 3 weeks before finally going back to school full-time. Your teachers were Ms. Stroud and Mrs. Cazares. School was different for you this year because Covid-19 was still a threat. You were required to wear masks every day, use desk shields, eat lunch in your classroom, and stay in a certain area of the playground without playing on or with any of the equipment. You made the best of this situation and were so happy to be able to be back at school with your friends. You were fine with wearing your mask and never complained. I think it was because wearing the mask allowed you to return to school. 

Before school started, we watched all of the Marvel movies as a family and you became a big fan of Black Widow and are super excited to see the upcoming Black Widow movie. We also took a trip to Galveston before school started because we were tired of being cooped up in the house during the pandemic and wanted some beach time. You went on your first ghost tour in Galveston and you got scared a few times, but handled it well. Now you search YouTube for ghost stories and tours that other people have been on. 

You went through a beatbox phase where every song became a way for you to practice your beatboxing skills – ha! You love to do puzzles and are currently up to 500 pieces! You also love to dance and will at every opportunity possible. If a song is on the TV, you’re dancing to it! Your best friend is still Skye and you both enjoyed some play dates and sleep overs together. You also had several Face Time chats with your friend Annabel, who recently moved to Houston.  

You are still in Girl Scouts and bridged to Brownie at the end of the school year last year. You and your troop sold a lot of cookies and got the chance to go on a weekend trip to Jellystone Park in Tyler in June. The moms (and older sisters) got to go too and we had a lot of fun!  

This year we had to say goodbye to our Quinny Girl and you really took it hard. It broke my heart to see the pain that you were going through. You loved that cat with your whole heart and you struggled with her death for some time. There’s a song on the radio called “Memories” by Maroon 5 and when it plays you always say how much it reminds you of Quinn and makes you sad. You have a lot of pictures of her on your tablet and every now and then you’ll flip through the photos just to see her again.  

Trick or treating looked a lot different this year, but you actually really enjoyed yourself. Many neighbors were outside of their homes handing out treats or leaving treats outside for kids to pick up. Because you weren’t having to ring doorbells and wait this year, we were able to get through the entire neighborhood for the first time!

During the Halloween season we met up with the Newton’s and camped with them at Jellystone Park in Burleson. We all had a great time and participated in some fun Halloween activities. It was shortly after this trip that your Uncle Ed got deathly sick with Covid and things were touch-and-go for a while, but thankfully he recovered. While he was sick, you wanted to write to him to cheer him up, so you wrote him letters and colored pictures for him. You have such a good and tender heart.  

One of your big accomplishments this year was learning to ride your bike without the training wheels! Daddy took them off and in no time, you were riding like a champ.  

We had a crazy winter this year and for about a week the temperature was near or below zero with several days of snow. You and your sister (and Daddy and I) had a blast playing in it. We used one of the pool blowups as a slide and slid down the big hill in our neighborhood. We also played with friends one day on the hills by the lake.  

This year also brought a big accomplishment for women in the United States. The first WOMAN Vice President was inaugurated into the White House!  

In addition to watching all of the Marvel movies (last summer), we also had a Harry Potter movie marathon during the snow storms. You and sister really enjoyed all of the movies.  

As a gift for you and your sister for Valentine’s Day, we bought tickets to go and play with the cats at Casual Cat Café. This led to an eventual adoption of 2 cats from the same litter, Ellie Mae and Nala (whom we renamed Sookie). They have brought so much joy to our family and you have had so much fun with them.  

The Covid vaccine was released this year, so your dad and I were able to get vaccinated. A vaccine for children under 12 has not yet been developed, but we’re hoping soon.  

During Spring Break, we took a trip to Fredericksburg. We went to Enchanted Rock and about half way up the rock, you started freaking out and wanting to go back down. In your defense, it was extremely windy that day (wind advisory) and it was trying to blow you off the rock! Daddy and I kept encouraging you and held your hand and eventually we made it to the top.   

You finished 2nd grade with all A's for the entire year! We’re so proud of you.   

This summer was filled with SO MANY fun activities! We started the summer hanging out at NRH2O with Aunt Robin, Gracie, Brittany, and Eddie. You attended several of the VBS activities at local parks around the area. We went to Jellystone in Tyler with your GS troop. Then you went to Basketball Camp at L.D. Bell HS and won the Lay Up Award for your grade level. You decided that you want to play on a team, but want to wait until next year. We went to Athens for July 4th and then you and your sister stayed for a few extra days. You went to Glen Lake Camp, which was your first overnight camp by yourself and you loved it! You can’t wait to go back next year.

After returning from camp, we took our family vacation to West Virginia for the family reunion. What a fun time we all had! You had a good time playing with your cousins and enjoying the activities at the resort (including seeing the Red Pandas at Good Zoo).  

You celebrated your 8th birthday at NRH20 with Skye, Lily, Morgan, Gracie, and Mason. Your theme this year was Black Widow, which included a cookie cake of Black Widow. The following morning, we went to IHOP to celebrate your birthday with Grammy, Pap, Aunt Robin, and Gracie.  

We finished off the summer with a trip to Burnet where we stayed in Falkenstein Castle for 2 nights with Morgan’s GS troop (cookie reward trip). On this trip you learned how to kayak and you also jumped off a cliff into Devil’s Water Hole on Inks Lake!  

I’d say that you’ve had a very good and active year despite the pandemic. You’ve grown so much over the year and we’re so proud of you. You’ve become more independent and enjoy physical activities. You are so funny and love to tell jokes and make people laugh. You always have something to say and talk non-stop! We have to remind you to wait for your turn to talk, but it’s very hard for you because you want to tell your story. You still like to cuddle in the evenings while watching TV and I treasure those moments because I know at some point, you’ll not want to cuddle anymore.  

We love you sweet girl and we’re looking forward to the coming year to see what is next for you.  

Love,  Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan 

 

Letter To Morgan - 10 Years

Dearest Morgan,

It’s been 10 years since you came into our lives, kicking and screaming and stealing our hearts. We are still in shock that you are now in the double digits! How can it be that our first baby is already 10? It’s true that time seems to pass more quickly when you have kids and although it makes me very nostalgic when I think about you as my sweet chunky baby, I wouldn’t go back and change anything. I’ve loved every minute of watching you grown into a sweet and confident pre-teen.

Your love of the arts continues to grow. You enjoy singing in the school choir and you’re looking forward to participating in the Christmas show again this year. You also love to draw, especially female anime characters. You are starting to appreciate the various mediums of art and visiting museums is interesting to you now.
You love school and really enjoy learning new things. You are an excellent student and continue to receive A’s in all your classes. You’re so smart and you actually enjoy doing your homework. This is your first year in the ‘gifted and talented’ program at school and you are excelling. You love to read and are currently interested in reading mysteries and anything with unicorns.

You have decided that you want to be an Astronomer when you grow up because you enjoy learning about space, and you want to explore the unknown. Earlier this year we went to NASA in Houston and you decided that you are going to work for them one day. Your Daddy would be so excited to see that happen.
There have been some health issues for you this year, but things seem to be getting better. You are seeing an Endocrinologist because at your last check-up with your Pediatrician you hadn’t grown, which was a concern. Over the next several months, you had to have many tests done, including a half-day long procedure of injections and taking blood. Ultimately, you ‘failed’ that test, BUT because you were starting to grow again the doctor suggested that we wait and see if you continue to grow. Good news, you are continuing to grow! In addition to the growth issues, you got Strep and the Flu over the last year which ended your 4-year streak of perfect attendance at school. You were disappointed to say the least.

We recently let you in on the secret of there being no Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, etc. You already kind of knew, but you took the news like a champ and said, “but I can still believe, right?”. That’s my girl!

Things you love: your computer, reading, singing, movies, pizza, chocolate, Cocoa Pebbles, school, family, friends, chocolate, Justice (the store), leggings, games, and did I mention chocolate?

When you were my fussy and colicky infant, I always wondered what you would be like at 5, 10, etc. You have exceeded my expectations, Pumpkin. You are such a sweet girl and so respectful of others. We couldn’t be prouder of you. We love you with all our hearts.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Maylin

Letter to Maylin - 6 Years

Dear Maylin,

You turned 6 earlier this month and what a year it's been for you! You completed Kindergarten like a champ and made so many sweet friends along the way. Your best friend is Skye Ramos, but you claim that all of your friends are your best friends (ha). Your teacher, Mrs. Bettis, told us that you were the class favorite for many of the kids in class. This was a proud parent moment for us because we knew that you were being a sweet and kind friend to your classmates. You LOVED Kindergarten and you LOVED Mrs. Bettis. You had so many stories to tell throughout the year of cool things (and not so cool things) that happened at school. The BEST part of Kindergarten was that you learned how to read! You're an excellent reader and can sound out big words really well.

It's crazy how much you've grown this year! You're getting taller, your face is thinning out, and losing your baby fat - this makes Mommy sad. You've lost 4 of your baby teeth so far and you have no problem pulling your teeth out on your own. You actually like to do it! You lost your first tooth at school and you were pretty excited to visit the nurse and get a treasure box to hold your tooth.

This year you started showing more of your personality and your humor. You love to be funny and crack jokes. Even though your jokes aren't funny, because you haven't quite grasped the concept of what a joke is yet, it still makes us laugh because they usually don't make any sense. I love the fun and humor that you find in most everything around you. You're silly and crazy and we wouldn't have you any other way. Along with the silliness is a very sensitive side as well. You get your feelings hurt easily and you have a very short temper. You don't like to be told what to do and when we ask you to do something, you typically groan and whine about it unless it's something that you want to do. You hate being told 'no' and you hate getting into trouble. You cry easily, but you also laugh easily at something goofy that we say or do. We love your funny, sweet, sensitive, and moody personality - it makes you who you are!

You enjoy being active. You like to play on the playground, toss a ball around, ride your bike, and do lots and lots of cartwheels. Sitting is not something that you enjoy for long and we constantly have to remind you to sit in your chair during dinner. You've got energy and you want to use it up! Your favorite foods right now are macaroni and cheese, Spaghetti O's, Chocolate Krave cereal, Cocoa Puffs cereal, cheese, and watermelon. The word that you say the most right now is "disgusting" HA!

You had your first year as a Daisy Girl Scout and you really enjoyed it. You got to sell Girl Scout cookies with your troop and your best friend Skye joined the troop which was extra exciting. You earned some fun badges this year and you got to attend your first Rangers Baseball game AND walk the field for Troop Day.

Over the summer, you got to spend a couple of weeks at Children's Courtyard and saw some of your old friends. You also attended Vacation Bible School, Triumph Sports Camp, and Music & Arts Camp at church. One of the great things that happened this summer was mommy quitting her job and getting to spend the rest of the summer with you and your sister. We did a lot of fun things together including NRH2O, Urban Air, Central Arts, Medieval Times, and Six Flags. We went on a short family vacation to Paris, Texas and saw a small version of the Eiffel Tower with a red cowboy hat on the top. You love going on trips, mostly because you like staying in hotels.

I can't believe how much you've changed over the last year, Maylin. You're growing up so fast and we're trying to cherish these childhood moments in every way that we can. We love you so much Sweet Pea and can't imagine life without you in it. Let's see what your 6th year brings!