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!

Letter to Morgan - 9 Years

Dearest Morgan,

You are now 9 years old! How can that be? I look at you and wonder how that fussy baby turned into such a fun-loving and happy kid. You love life and everything about it. You’re outgoing and love to spend time with your friends. You enjoy hanging out at home, but you also like to go out and do things especially if it involves shopping for you, ha!

School is fun for you. You enjoy learning and telling us all about what you’ve learned that day. You are super smart and remember so many details on various subjects. So far you’re getting A’s in all of your classes again this year. You’re very involved in after school programs like Beach Club, Tiger Choir, Art Club, and the Christmas Pageant. So much so, that we will be cancelling your piano lessons at least for the school year.

You have a love and passion for all things Paris. Your room has so much Paris stuff and I think you may actually hold me to my promise of taking you to Paris when you graduate high school. That may change as your interests change, but I love that you have such an interest in a place you’ve never been but want to learn all about it.

You and your sister are starting to argue a little more as you both grow older, but I can still see the love that you have for each other. Maylin is always concerned about where you are and making sure that you’re involved in what’s happening. You get irritated with her sometimes when she does this, but I know one day you will appreciate that your little sister wants to be with you. I love to watch you play together and see the things that you all create and imagine in those wonderful minds of yours.

You are drawn to Art, Music, Math, and Science. These are your favorite subjects at school and you excel in all of them. You have great artistic abilities in your drawings and you have a creative mind when it comes to making things. You LOVE to sing and you have inherited your love of space from your daddy. You are so inquisitive about the planets, the universe, and how it all works.

You went to two camps this year. Your first camp was a 3-day Girl Scout camp called “Mischief Managed” which was a Harry Potter themed camp. You shared a cabin with 3 of your Girl Scout friends from your troop. You had a such a good time, but we sure did miss you while you were gone. You received a Bible from church this year and we had the privilege of going to Bible Camp together. We had a great time! You made some new friends and learned how to use your Bible to find books, chapters, and verses.

We are celebrating your birthday this year with a craft party at Michaels and then your first sleep over with 4 friends, plus you and your sister. You are so excited about your sleep over and have so many fun things planned, including a ‘build your own sundae” activity.
We couldn’t be more blessed to have you as a daughter, Morgan. You are a shining star in our universe and we’re so incredibly proud of you.

We love you, Pumpkin!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Maylin