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

Letter to Maylin - 5 Years

Dearest Maylin,

My sweetest of the peas! What a year it’s been for you! I still can’t believe that you’re 5 years old. My baby is gone and has been replaced with a sweet and loving little girl. You start Kindergarten in just a couple of weeks and I can’t help but get sentimental about how quickly time goes by. In the blink of an eye you went from a tiny 6-pound baby to a kid who likes to climb and jump on everything.

You continue to amaze me with your ability to empathize at this age. You are always aware of how people are feeling, and it makes you sad when someone else is sad – especially when your sister cries. You immediately want to make things better for her. We had to say goodbye to Aidan this year and you still talk about him and mention that he is up in heaven with the rest of our family. I love the sweet and kind heart that God has given to you. You are so loving. You want to cuddle, hug, and kiss me all the time and I treasure each of those moments. I hope that you will always want to 'give me love' even as you get older. In addition to that sweetness though, you are very stubborn. You don’t listen when you’re told no and you get mad when things don’t go your way. Just like your sister, you like things done a certain way and if that doesn’t happen you get upset. You still have a shy personality, but you are much more open to meeting and making new friends. You’ve made some good friends in daycare and I have no doubt that you will make some lifelong friends when you start school. You are so excited to start, and you can’t wait to be in the same school as Sissy.

You love to swim and are still taking swim lessons (and getting better every week). You were also in soccer and dance at daycare. You really enjoyed performing in your recitals this year and you did such a great job of showing us all the moves that you learned.

Did someone say candy? You love candy! More than ice cream, cake, cookies, pie, etc. You will pass up just about anything for a piece of candy. M&Ms and suckers are your favorite. I love that you will try just about anything once. You may not like it, but you’ll try it. You love mac-n-cheese, spaghetti, McDonalds, Cocoa Puffs cereal, and milk. You also love to be outside. You like playing on your bike and on your scooter. You also love to climb on things and really enjoy going to the park to play on the playground. It's difficult to get you to stay seated during meal time. You are so squirmy and want to get in and out of your chair during every meal. We are constantly telling you to 'sit correctly'. You'll do it, but then you're right back to squirming out of your chair - ha!

You really have grown so much this year and we couldn’t be prouder of you. We love you so much and are such a joy to this family.

We love you, sweet pea!

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan


August 1st


Day of birthday party

Letter to Morgan - 8 Years

Dear Morgan,

Happy birthday to our big 8-year-old! You just keep growing and getting older every year. We tell you to stop, but you just don’t listen!

Over the past year you have done so well in school and even received an award for all 3’s the entire school year in the 1st grade (this is equivalent to all A’s). This year in 2nd grade, you are receiving real grades and currently have all A’s. You push yourself to do well and we’re so proud of you, Pumpkin. In addition to your school work, you are also very creative and quite the artist. You love to draw pictures of yourself and your sister doing things (singing, playing, dressing up, etc.)

You started taking voice lessons this year and you’ve really enjoyed it. Your singing has improved and you have your first recital in October. You are singing “Homeward Bound” and are nervous about singing in front of an audience, but you will be great! You have also expressed an interest in joining Cub Choir at school, which you will audition for in the coming weeks. In addition to voice lessons, you are still taking swim lessons and have progressed to level 6!

You joined a new girl scout troop this past year as a Daisy and have done so many fun and exciting things with this troop. You’ve made some new friends, sold a ton of cookies (with the badges to prove it), had a sleep over at Great Wolf Lodge, attended Pony Pal Camp where you learned how to ride a horse, and earned a ton of badges with each exciting event. At the end of the school year, you attended the bridging ceremony where you officially became a Brownie.

You are very inquisitive. You want to know about everything that is being said even if the conversation doesn’t involve you. You ask for an explanation on anything that you don’t understand and you will continue to push until you get an answer that satisfies you – ha! We love that about you and I hope you continue to be that way throughout your life. Seeking answers will only help you learn and understand the things that are happening in the world.

Along with being inquisitive, you also have a tendency to be bossy and demanding when things aren’t going your way or if someone isn’t doing what you’ve asked them to do. This particularly holds true when you are playing with your sister. Even when you’re bossy though, there is no doubt how much love you have for your sister. Many pieces of your artwork tend to be about your sister and you’ve made up math problems involving your sister. My heart melts when you tell each other “I love you”.

You have a very happy, fun, and outgoing personality. You make friends easily, as was evident at your birthday party this year of 15 kids. You love to dance, make people laugh, act silly, and play games on your tablet. You also love to have movie night in the media room, which is our typical Friday night routine. One of your favorite things to do is to watch Go Noodle videos on YouTube. Your favorite foods are strawberries, yogurt, BBQ meatloaf, chicken parmesan, pizza, and anything with chocolate.

The past 8 years have gone by way too fast, but you’ve made us so proud. We love you with all of our hearts and couldn’t imagine life without our girl. You’ve made our lives complete. Happy birthday, Pumpkin.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Maylin

Letter to Maylin - 4 Years

Dear “Sweetest of the Peas”, “Littlest”, “My Maylins”,

You are now a big 4 year old and have changed so much over the past year. You’ve really come out of your shell and have shown others (not just us) your sweet, funny personality. You are still shy at times, but you will talk to people, smile, and act silly like never before! You have a very sweet and caring heart and are already showing empathy for others. You tell us you love us all the time (at least 5 times per day) and we never tire of hearing it, even when you say it just to get out of trouble (ha!)

The things you love the most: playing outside, swimming lessons, playing in water (pool or sprinkler), cuddling your favorite buddy E E (Lee Lee), playing with your sister, playing with your cousin Gracie, playing on your tablet, watching Masha & Bear on Netflix, Moana (your birthday party theme this year), chocolate cheerios, macaroni and cheese, pasketti (spaghetti), chocolate, cheese, and grapes.

You DO NOT like to be told no or anything close to no. You cry VERY loudly and produce big crocodile tears when you don’t get to do what you want to do. You can be very stubborn and pout when you’re not getting your way, but you are also VERY loving and like cuddles and kisses and sitting in our laps. You’ve recently stopped calling your sister “Sissy” and she’s now Morgan. We asked you why, and your reply was that you are no longer a baby and her name is Morgan (ha!) I’ll admit, it makes me a little sad that you no longer use it.

You started developing friendships this year at school and it’s been fun to watch you interact with your friends. Every one of them is your “best friend” and it’s funny to hear your daily stories. You started taking dance class this year at school as well. I’ve never seen you so excited than on recital day. You were so excited to show us what you learned and you were so stinkin’ cute in you little tutu leotard.

You accomplished potty training like a champ this year! You were a lot easier to train than your sister. You rarely have accidents and you are good about letting us know when you have to go. You have learned your ABC’s, but still haven’t mastered how to write your name yet. You can write the first letter without assistance, but just not the rest. I’ve got a feeling you will conquer writing your name this year!

It’s bitter sweet to watch you continue to grow up, but you are such a joy in our lives and we look forward to watching all of the new things that you do in the coming year.

Happy 4th birthday, Sweet Pea. We love you!

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Morgan - 7 Years

Morgan,

Happy 7th birthday, Pumpkin! I couldn’t be more proud of you over the past year. You have really shown what a good heart you have for your baby sister and your friends. You started Kindergarten this past year and made friends immediately. You knew that you would only be attending Shady Brook for one year, but it didn’t matter to you. You loved every minute of it and you even established a friendship with your teacher, Miss White.

You did great academically in all of your subjects and you particularly loved to sing. Miss White would sometimes have to scold you to get you stop singing in class. You truly enjoyed your year at Shady Brook and even got a Perfect Attendance award at the end of the school year.

You also joined Girl Scouts and became a Daisy. You were in a brand new troop with about 7 other girls and you earned all of your petals for your Daisy flower. You were the first to be able to recite the Girl Scout pledge and song from memory. I still remember the day that you memorized them, you were so excited and couldn’t wait until the next meeting.

Everything and everyone is your “favorite” right now. When you talk about a movie, a toy, a television show, a character, etc., it is always your favorite. When talking about a friend, you will say that she’s your best friend. Daddy and I think it’s funny that you can’t nail down one favorite thing or one favorite friend. You always tell us that you have “lots of favorites”. It’s actually really cool that you have such a passion for so many things in life. Don’t ever change, Pumpkin.

In addition to Girl Scouts, you are also taking Swim Lessons once a week. You absolutely love it and have progressed from level 3 to level 5 in three short months. You enjoy learning from your instructor and like to goof around with the other kids in the class sometimes.

Over the summer, you participated in the Children’s Courtyard summer program and got to go on many field trips around the area. You also participated in Vacation Bible School and Music & Arts Camp at church. You had a blast and you can’t wait to do it again next summer.

You’ve lost several teeth this year, so many that I can’t remember, and you even lost one while we were in West Virginia on vacation. The West Virginia tooth fairy didn’t let you down though. You currently have one that is loose right now, and it’s due to come out at anytime.

I’m proud of you for so many things, Morgan. You independently get yourself showered and dressed, you’re getting better at fixing your own hair (you’re learning how to put your hair in a ponytail). You can tie your own shoes. You’re smart, funny, and sensitive. What I’m most proud of though is the way you are with your baby sister. Yes, she gets on your nerves, but you love her and coddle her when she needs it. You play with her and share your toys (most of the time). The majority of the artwork that you bring home from school is about your baby sister. It fills my heart to see how much you love her. You’re a wonderful big sister.

Things you love: Singing, Maylin, Chocolate, Burgers, Apples, Strawberries, Yogurt, Pink, Purple, Shopkins, Barbies, American Girl, Elena of Avalor, Rey from Star Wars, Mini-Golf, Swimming, Dancing, Vacations, Hotels, and Girl Scouts.

I think that you can tell how much love we have for you and how much pride we have for our oldest daughter. I know that there are so many big things planned for your future and we are going to be with you every step of the way. We love you, Pumpkin.

Love Mommy, Daddy, and Maylin

Letter to Maylin - 3 Years

Dearest Maylin,

You are now 3 years old and such a sweet and feisty little girl. You are talking so much now and some of the things that you say are so cute that we can't help but laugh. You call flamingos "mingos" and your bathing suit "bathing soup". You love to sing, but you don’t want anyone singing with you. Your favorite songs are: ABC’s, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or as you call it “Tinkle Tar”), The Farmer in the Dell, and Fishers of Men (church song). You still call yourself May May even though you know how to say your name now.

Your little personality is really starting to show now. We get to see your sweet and stubborn sides quite often. You apologize immediately when you accidently hurt someone, but when you’re mad you hit, pinch, and scratch. Typically your sister gets the brunt of this. You get in trouble for it and then get your feelings hurt and start crying (ha). You have learned the drama from your sister, I’m afraid.

You love to cuddle, give kisses, and sit in my lap. You also want to hold my hand when we go down the stairs together. On the other hand, you are fiercely independent and want to do everything by yourself. This includes dressing yourself, changing your pull-up, putting your shoes on, and pretty much anything else that still requires some assistance.
You copy everything that your sister does and you think you should be ABLE to do all of the things that your sister does. We have to keep an eye on you constantly because we’re never sure what you’re going to attempt next. Typical of this age, you tend to get hurt a lot and it’s usually your mouth. You have had so many bloody mouth incidences this past year that it’s hard to keep track. Thankfully none of them were serious.

You are truly a happy little girl and give us such delight and pleasure on a daily basis. You enjoy playing with your “Sissy” and you’ve really shown an interest in the cats over the past 6 months or so. You like to sit next to Aidan while he eats his meal and you will give us a report on what the cats are doing when you see them around the house “Mommy, Aidan is in the bathroom”.
You are so proud of yourself for graduating from taking a bath to showering with Sissy. You tell us that you are a big girl now because you are taking big girl showers. You are still getting used to it, but you love it and get very upset when it’s time to get out. You would stay in there all night if we let you.

You are slowly getting the potty training down. You do well at school, but at home you won’t go on your own and you aren’t motivated to tell us when you need to go. We will be working with you over the next few months to get you fully trained (we have been slacking off and not pushing it like we should).

You are currently enrolled in swim lessons every Wednesday evening and you absolutely love it. You are able to hold your breath, swim to the side of the pool, float on your back (with assistance), and swim down to the bottom of the pool to pick up a toy (with assistance). You are doing so well and we’re so proud of you.
One thing that we can’t seem to break you of is the fact that you won’t smile for any pictures that are taken by anyone other than me and Daddy. You love to smile for the camera, but if anyone else decides to take your picture you’re not having it, ha!

You like: your stuffed toys (Tutu and Lee Lee seem to be your favorites), Sofia the First, Minnie Mouse, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, pizza, grapes, french fries, cupcakes, yogurt, juice, your blanket, and swimming.

You dislike: strangers (or pretty much anyone not in the family), dogs, Malcolm (a boy from school who bites), apples, strawberries, bugs, dirty hands (including cat hair that gets stuck on your hands).

I honestly can’t believe that it’s been 3 years already. You have been such a joy to us, Sweet Pea. You continue to amaze use with your sweet personality and spunky attitude. We love you so much and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this coming year. Happy birthday, my ‘sweetest of the peas’.

Love Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Morgan - 6 Years

Dear Morgan,

Happy 6th birthday, Pumpkin! How can you already be 6 years old? I was recently looking back at some of your baby pictures and it seems like it was only a short time ago that I was rocking that sweet baby to sleep.

You have grown up so much over the past year. In one short year, you’ve become much more independent and are taking the initiative to try new things. You are an amazing little girl full of so much energy and life. You talk and sing non-stop and love to boss your little sister around as much as possible.

I’m so amazed by your ability to adapt to new situations and accept change. In a matter of a month, we moved from our house that had always been your home, to an apartment. You went from having your own room and bathroom to sharing with your sister AND you started Kindergarten. You have loved and accepted every minute of it.

You started Kindergarten one month ago and you absolutely love it. Every day you have a great story to tell us about what you did in class, a song that you learned, or a game that you played during gym class. You are so smart and excelling in school already. You get wonderful comments on your homework from Miss White, like “Beautiful Job”. Your penmanship is excellent and looks like it was written by a child much older than six. I’m so proud of you, pumpkin!

In the last couple of months, you have lost your first 2 teeth, your two bottom front teeth. Your first tooth came out very quickly – you told us it was loose and within 3 hours and it came out while you were eating dinner. You were so excited! The Tooth Fairy visited that night and put glitter all over your dollar bill and left some fairy dust on the table (which you quickly scooped up and put into a baggie). I had to explain to you that she didn’t leave enough for you to be able to fly, which disappointed you tremendously. You lost your second tooth earlier this week, which Daddy pulled out for you right before bedtime. Once again, you were very excited and the Tooth Fairy left you a glitter dollar again (without the fairy dust this time).

You are starting to make friends in school, but no new BFF yet. You still talk about your old friends from Pre-K (Cassidy and Megan) and you are looking forward to seeing both of them at your birthday party at American Girl. You have been asking for an American Girl doll for over a year and have wanted to have your birthday party there for even longer, so this year you are getting your wish. You are so excited and it will be your first time in the store. I’ve got a feeling you may explode from sheer joy.

You’re a good big sister to Maylin. You play with her and show her how to do things and help her when she needs it. You struggle with sharing your toys with her, which is typical for most kids, but I think you have fun being able to boss her around. She listens to most everything you tell her to do and she copies everything you do and say (good and bad, ha!) I love watching the two of you play together and I can see how much you love each other. I pray that you both have a lasting bond for life.

You recently got a ‘big girl’ haircut where 8 inches were cut. We plan on donating your hair to a good cause. You handled it like a champ and you were actually excited to get it cut. It’s so much easier to wash and brush.

You are now taking showers and you’re no longer interested in taking a bath with your sister. You still need a little help, but I’m guessing over the next year, you will be showering without any of our help.

Your favorite things right now are: Topsy-Turvy Elsa/Anna doll, Disgust doll (from the movie “Inside Out”), stuffed Dolly (which you’ve had since you were born), the Kindle, Television, McDonalds, Cheeseburgers, Gym class, and playing in the pool.

We are enrolling you in Girl Scouts this year and you can’t wait to learn all of the songs. You associate Girl Scouts with music because I’ve sang and taught you many of the songs that I learned while in Girl Scouts. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Daddy and I couldn’t be more proud of you and the things that you’ve accomplished this year. We love you so much and although you’re not a baby anymore, you will always be our baby girl.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Maylin