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