11!

Dear Nora,

We kicked off our summer with such a special weekend of celebration for your eleventh birthday! You wanted to have a Wicked themed party at home and it was a smashing success. One of your friends said it was the best birthday party she'd ever been to! Our house was full of 10 darling tween girls, alongside Luke, Daddy, me, Honey and Grandpa. You helped quite a bit with the planning and preparations! We played Bingo, Pin the broom on the witch, and a Witch hat ring toss game. We had the Wicked Sing-a-long playing so you girls would burst into song throughout the party. :) You girls also made pink, green, and white bead and rubber band bracelets and pink and green paper loop chains. For snacks, you wanted cheetos, red strawberries and green grapes, to be followed by chocolate chip cookies and Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. You were absolutely thrilled with how the decorations and celebration came together! On your birthday, the next day, we had chocolate chip banana oatmeal cups for breakfast, opened more presents, then went to lunch at Tacos 4 Life. Luke had a swim meet later in the day, but you requested to skip since it was your birthday, so you stayed home and enjoyed some extra time while Honey and Grandpa were visiting.

At 11 years old,

You are simply delightful! Everybody loves Nora. Your teachers and friends have the best things to say about you, and we agree with all of them. In addition to being Student Ambassador at school this past year, you also received straight A's and the Music Award for your class. 

You have started to enjoy some roller coasters! I took you and Luke to Carowinds on Memorial Day and basically told you that you needed to ride Snoopy's Racing Railway, and that I would reward you with Bruster's ice cream. You were shaking and crying next to me as the ride started and I wondered if I'd made a mistake. Once the ride started, you went from screaming and crying to screaming, smiling, and laughing in the blip of an eye, telling me, "I like it!" That was just the start... now you've ridden two other roller coasters with Luke and are having so much fun doing it!

You love to spend time at your desk, next to your window, reading, drawing, coloring, crafting, playing, and even talking to Abril through the window. This started during the winter snow storms we had earlier this year. You'll write messages to each other on whiteboards or stick notecards up on the window to communicate. You often ask me to text Ms. Mariana to see if Abril can come to the window.

You sometimes ask to wear mascara or lip gloss and I will let you for special occasions, like your birthday, Easter, a cheer showcase, awards day at school, etc. You've asked when you can start shaving your legs, but I'm trying to push that one off as long as possible, telling you that once you start, you will never stop, and it's a lot to keep up with!

You often fix your own hair. Your preference is usually to wear it down, but other times you will do some detailed braids, like 3 small braids in one pony tail holder, or make bubble braids. You and your friend Vivian would often make plans to match your outfits and hair styles for school. You also like to put your soft curlers in and sleep on it to have wavy hair the next morning.

You've now played 6 seasons of softball. You show a lot of natural talent and have enjoyed it through these years, but we've noticed you getting less enjoyment out of it over the past season. You're going to participate in a volleyball camp in July and we are praying about whether you might play volleyball or softball in the fall. You are also good at and interested in cheer. It will be neat to see what the Lord has in store for you in this area.

You are still so generous. Last night we went to a Ghost Peppers baseball game. Throughout the course of the game, you, Daddy, and Luke each got to walk away with a baseball to take home. I jokingly said I was the only one who didn't get a baseball. A few moments later, you turned to me with your ball in hand and asked me if I wanted yours. Of course I told you that you could keep it, but it melted my heart.

You are thrilled to be going to your first baby shower with me this summer. We are throwing one for Haley, our young adults pastor. When you heard me telling Honey about it in the car, you immediately piped up and asked me if you could come, then when we got home, started painting a bunch of pictures for decorations. You are going to help me make fruit skewers and we are going to make a gluten free bundt cake as well.

You've decided you like salads. The four of us had lunch at Bad Daddy's about a month ago and you surprised me by ordering a salad instead of burger! You were also delighted to make us a fruit salad on my birthday. I told you we could go to some fancy salad restaurants together now that you enjoy this, because I certainly love a good salad, too!

We are so incredibly proud of you, Nora, and love you with all our hearts!

Love,

Mommy

Double Digits

Dear Nora,

You've officially been double digits for 6 days now! You were so exhausted today after our first week of summer, preceded by all the celebrating after a busy May finishing softball playoffs, starting swim team, and wrapping up the schoolyear, that you asked me if you could go to sleep at 4:30 today. So we decided an early night was in order and your lights were out about 6:20. 

We celebrated you all day Sunday and you were very involved in planning the order of the day. You requested softball themed decor at the table, blueberry pancakes for breakfast, to be followed by opening family presents. Then you helped me frost your cake before we had your favorite cheese pizza with orange crush. We watched Holes in the afternoon before getting ready for your art party at Creatif Studio, and finished out the day with oatmeal and House Hunters while Luke was at Youth Tribe.

You also got to take some special trips surrounding your birthday. The weekend school got out we went to Atlanta to take you and Luke to your first MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. You and Luke had so much fun dancing to the music and trying to get on camera while taking in all the sights and sounds at the stadium. Over Memorial Day weekend Daddy took you on a special 10th birthday trip to Greenville, where you got to ride your bike on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. You had the best time and told him the first night that you felt like you'd been smiling ever since he picked you up at school!

At 10 years old,

You are content to play in your room and entertain yourself by playing with dolls, coloring, singing, and using your imagination.

You will play for hours and hours in the backyard with Abril, often requesting to listen to Taylor Swift or Forrest Frank on the speaker.

You have learned to ride your bike and love to ride up and down the street or around Field Day Park.

You want to be a Christian singer and even wrote a song that you perfomed with Abril for our families in the backyard.

You are sensitive to how people are feeling and if I am upset or stressed about something, you will come give me a hug and tell me "Ava" for "I love you." If you have had a bad attitude and gotten in trouble, you will sometimes come find me on your own soon after to apologize.

You got your ears pierced in January. You aren't in the habit of changing out the earrings, but like keeping in the original pair. Whenever we drive by the place you got them done, you excitedly say, "Tattoo Bills!"

You earned SOAR Student for the year out of your 3rd grade class, which was an honor you very much earned and deserved.

You have been working hard to overcome anxiety surrounding bad reactions to gluten that took place over the course of a year. You've come a long way and are enjoying going out to eat more again.

You move at your own pace and I so appreciate how you are not a perfectionist about things. 

After initially being afraid of the Nightmare before Christmas, you've really fallen in love with it and are all about Jack & Sally.

You love to go to Carowinds and ride the rides in Snoopy Land. You've also worked up to the Zephyr swings and like the carousel, but cried your way through the Rock-n-Roller with Daddy. You get excited about Luke riding the roller coasters, but have no interest in them yourself!

We sure love you and thank God for you, Nora!

Love,

Mommy

Nine Years Old

Dear Nora,

A couple weeks ago we celebrated your 9th birthday! You had been making plans for over a month ahead of time. It started with an adorable birthday wish list, including a real diamond, a new brother, and a boat (so we don't have to rent next time we ride one ;). Then you started making party decorations and writing out a plan for the order of the day. You also made bracelets to hand out to your friends as party favors. We ended up deciding on a Bluey themed pool party and it turned out perfect. You went to Walmart with me the day before your party and we bought Capri Suns, grapes, cheese sticks, Kind granola bars, and pop it chips. A few weeks prior you had helped me with a double batch of gluten free chocolate chip and m&m cookies which we turned into sandwiches with frosting in the middle. Yum! You got to open more family presents after your party, then we went to your favorite restaurant, Nothing but Noodles, for dinner. You were delighted with all of it!

At nine years old,

You are quite the artist. You will happily make a mess in your room with paper, scissors, markers, tape, and come up with all sorts of creations. You were even awarded 2nd Grade Artist of the Year at school.

In addition to making art, you will spend hours in your room using your imagination. It's not uncommon to find you in there with the door locked, using voices and playing with your new Bluey dollhouse, stuffed animals, baby dolls, anything really.

You are generally a content, compliant, and trustworthy girl. There was one day a few weeks ago when we were sorting candy at the kitchen table and I noticed some of your smarties were missing. I went to find you in your room and ask if you had taken the smarties, as that would really be out of character. Your eyes welled up with tears and you confessed to taking the candy. You have such a sensitive heart and I know I can trust you to come out with the truth!

You are excelling in softball, cheer and swim. It's been fun to watch you try new sports, and sometimes be the youngest on the team because of when your birthday falls, but do your best and grow!

You have made so many friends this year, in such a quick timeline. I hear other girls at swim and school excitedly say, "Nora!" when they see you. You are a fun and sweet friend to others and it has really helped us all feel connected here.

You are very much a gift giver. Last week you bought a book for yourself and still had the gift bag and tissue paper the store wrapped it up in. Luke was helping you out with cleaning your room and you put together a goodie bag for him with the reused bag and tissue paper with miscellaneous toys from your treasure drawer as a thank you.

You are into all the girly things. You frequently ask me if you can paint your nails, want me to braid your hair and have an opinion about your outfits.

Every night you say "Ava" for "I love you." We have a favorite video of you when you were a toddler, saying "Ava" so when you saw it several months ago, it stuck.

You are simply very sweet. I recently took some Pink Pineapple Surprise hand cream that Harley had given you for your birthday. You weren't really using it and it's not the best for your sensitive skin. You were surprised to see it in my purse and looked slightly sad. I asked you if it was ok that I took it, and you quickly said, "Mommy, do you want to keep it?" I apologized for using it without your permission and you were really happy for me to have it. :)

You often get around by skipping, twirling, or prancing, as opposed to simply walking. 

We sure love you!

Love,

Mommy

A Different Kind of Summer

Dear Luke & Nora,

Today marks exactly 3 months since we moved to South Carolina! We've been in our house now for 5 weeks and you've completed 4 weeks at Crowders Creek Elementary School. The past summer was so full and unique. I had underestimated the monumental tasks we would face when we arrived related to finding doctors, registering for school, getting our drivers licenses, etc. Thankfully, we found our house only 3 days after arriving and on day 2 of house hunting. That enabled us to get the ball rolling on many other dominoes to follow and try to enjoy the lake house as much as possible. 

The lake house started out almost magical for you two... playing baseball in the yard, running around for hide and seek tag, playing fetch with Millie (Ms. Ellen's dog), catching fireflies, and jumping off the dock into the lake. We never hooked up our TV, and while you weren't thrilled with this original plan, you adjusted just fine. We watched a couple movies on the ipad and you enjoyed your switch, Luke, but you also got to play outside and read a lot of books and spend time in the sunroom. We ate almost all our meals out on the deck and loved having Daddy grill burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, pineapple, frozen pizza... We sat out there our last night in the lake house and shared so many things we were thankful to God for as we reminisced on our summer experience there.

We didn't get out and explore Charlotte as much as I expected, due to all the moving related work and the fact that the lake house was such a nice place to be. You did get to participate in some camps though: Camp Thunderbird and baseball camps for Luke, art and softball camps for Nora. We got library cards and made a habit of checking out lots of books. We went out to eat as a family and found several delicious gluten free restaurants. We enjoyed our membership at the Discovery Place Science Center, thanks to the Jones family! Going out to tube on the Meyer-Cunos' boat was definitely a highlight, along with fun visits from the Pellerins and Justices, followed by Ms Katy, Michael and Anna. 

We got to travel quite a bit, even after all the travel that brought us here. Gramps went to be with Jesus the week after we arrived, so we traveled to California in June. Aside from the incredibly complicated time we had getting there, including an unexpected night sleeping in the airport, it was so special to celebrate his life and get to introduce you to so many family members and second cousins. I'm also very thankful we got to travel to Dallas for the 4th of July birthdays, since that has been a meaningful tradition over recent years. This year Wesley turned 10 and Grandpa turned 70!

As wonderful as the lake house was in many respects, it also grew old on us and we were very ready to move into our own permanent space by the time our house was ready. You two enjoyed sharing a room initially, but it was time to spread out and start connecting with other kids in the community. You both seem to have adapted incredibly well to school, sports, and church, and I could not be more grateful. We are certainly still finding our way at home with our routines, establishing friendships, and trying to get enough sleep. But I'm so thankful to God that you seem to be feeling at home here and making connections so quickly with other kids. Thank you, Lord, for guiding all our steps and help us to keep following!

Love,

Mommy

Eight is Great!

Well, Miss Nora, you are now 8 years old! And what a busy time in life as we celebrated your 8 years! 

I had promised you a friend birthday party after you didn't get to have one last year, due to my tendonitis. So, even though we were preparing to move across the country, I planned a little celebration at our Creekside Ranch neighborhood splash pad and park the Saturday before we moved. Honey and Grandpa got to be there, along with Nana, and a mix of friends from school and Grace Fellowship. The weather was perfect and you were delighted with the whole thing. Then we got to have a family celebration at Bicentennial Park in Southlake with Honey and Grandpa, all 4 aunts and uncles, and all 4 cousins! 

June 1 fell in the middle of our drive to South Carolina, but you had asked me specifically if we could please not drive on your birthday. So, we planned to spend the whole day in Nashville and what a special birthday it was. We stayed in the coolest 3 story air bnb called "the treehouse," and you and Luke had a ball exploring and climbing the stairs. We went to an Adventure Science center in the morning, then had lunch at True Food Kitchen, one of my absolute favorites. 

Over lunch we each went around the table and listed 8 things we love about you. It was especially meaningful to hear what Luke had to say... "I like the way you style your hair"... "You're smart"... "You're tough, not like some other girls"... "You have a strong voice"... "You're trustworthy." You later told me hearing what we had to say was the highlight of your day, and that you had never thought of some of those things about yourself. :) Grandpa met us in Nasvhille that afternoon, then after opening your presents, we went down to Broadway for some Jack's BBQ. Afterward, we returned to the air bnb to stick a candle in some gluten free oreos. A fun and unique birthday indeed!

At 8 years old,

You are starting to look older. You've always looked a bit on the younger side for your age, with some adorable chubby cheeks, but you are starting to lose some of the baby look and just looking older in your smile and expressions. We have mixed feelings about this. ;)

You are getting taller and slimmer as well. You grew 5 pounds and 2.5 inches this past year. Dr. Batchelor was pleased to see this and gave you a hug at your last well visit with her. I can tell she's going to miss you!

You have started to show some sass and are needing more reminders about your attitude. You are still very sweet and really respond very well to correction, returning to your cheerful self pretty quickly.

You have started dealing with some car sickness. I was worried about it for our long drives across the country, but very thankfully you did well wearing the bands and used a behind the ear patch some, too.

You will now eat broccoli, so peas aren't your lone vegetable. ;)

You continue to make such a good impression on your teachers and coaches. I hear nothing but good things about you from them. What an example you are to others, a model student, a great listener, so good at following instructions. One of your softball coaches said how much he loved coaching you and that he'd love a team full of Noras!

On that note, you have become quite the softball player. Something really clicked this past season and you became a consistently strong hitter, getting on base just about every time you were up to bat. You also played third base on defense. I was really proud of you for sticking with your new team, the Rangers, when you started out feeling like you missed your old team, the Outlaws. By the end, you had made new friends and had a great experience. 

You seem to have processed this move really well. You expressed plenty of sadness over leaving your friends, our church, your school, etc., but it also showed me what a happy and secure life you have. And you have been adapting well, already excited about our summer lake house, our new church, and new home. 

You've been such a good friend to so many. I've noticed how well liked you are by your peers, both girls and boys. Several wanted a picture with you at the end of the year, wanted to be pen pals, and I could tell they were genuinely going to miss their good friend.

You love dogs, even though you still feel timid around them. You told us recently you have a collection of imaginary dogs (huskies and Pomeranians) that follow you around. You really took to the Meyer-Cunos' pets and love to talk about them. And you keep asking me when we can go swimming at their pool!

I love you, dear girl, and am so thankful I get to be your mother.

Love,

Mommy

From Summer to 1st Grade

Dear Nora,

This week wraps up the 3rd week of 1st grade and you have already missed some school due to a fever and ear infection. :( Otherwise, you are loving school and thrilled to be in Mrs. Linebaugh's class! You have a few friends from your kindergarten class, and have started to talk about making new ones. I ran into your teacher at school the other day and she said, "Nora is such a doll. She is God's gift to a teacher." We are so proud of you! When I took you to school for the afternoon on Tuesday, after you'd been sick over the weekend, you cried and told me you didn't want to go because you missed me. I miss you, too, especially after the special times we had together all summer!

When asked about the highlight of your summer, you often say it was your birthday at Honey and Grandpa's house. Other fun memories include riding in your first limo for a birthday party, getting girl time at Ms. Devyn's house, operating machinery at Dig World, lots of jumping at Altitude and going to see summer movies. You also talk about how much you loved our Surfside Beach day and riding bigger slides than you're used to at Splashway Waterpark. It was so exciting to see you grow in your confidence and swimming abilities through participation in swim team this summer. At home, you and Luke played lots of "loft ball" in the game room and you made lots of rubber band bracelets, after being introduced to them by the other girls at swim meets. You two would write out a plan, choosing one activity you wanted to do, something Luke chose, then something you both wanted to do. It was a good rhythm when it worked out well!

At the end of June you were baptized by Daddy and me. Honey and Grandpa and Nana and Papa were there, along with some good friends, Peyton and Avery, and Graham and Brenlynn. After church we came home for pizza, caesar salad, and chocolate cake and ice cream. It's the first "gluten free" meal I'd hosted like that and I was happy with how it worked out. Speaking of gluten free, we learned in June that Daddy has it, too. When he told you, you looked at him stunned and said, "you have an allergy??" When he said yes, you joyfully cheered, "yay!" and gave him the biggest hug. It was so sweet! Now we know Luke has it as well, so I'm the odd one out without the gluten allergy, instead of you being the only one with an allergy. :)

You've started softball this fall and are doing really well with it already! It's so cute to see you in your hot pink gear and you are having a lot of fun playing a sport. Luke was cheering you on quite a bit at practice this week and you know it's special that we are all there for you, when you've been the little sister at Luke's events so many times. We love you and are excited to watch you continue to grow this schoolyear!

Love,

Mommy

Now You're Seven!

Dear Nora,

A few weeks ago we celebrated your 7th birthday in Carrollton with an Encanto themed party! The plan had been to be in San Antonio, but that got derailed by my tendonitis. You were perfectly happy to travel to Carrollton instead. You had a party complete with balloons, presents, pizza, and a very hot pink gluten free cake that you helped to bake. You played with cousins, got to watch Encanto, and we took you to the Rosemeade Rainforest community pool where Daddy and I went growing up! It's much fancier now than when we were kids, but it was still very nostalgic to be there with you. In the lazy river with Daddy at the end of the day, you said, "this is the best 7th birthday ever!"

At 7 years old, 

You are still a gift giver. You regularly give me your special stickers from the doctors office.

You are constantly putting beads and headbands in your hair and love to fix your own pony tails.

You love to color, draw, and write "yay!" In addition to the stickers, you give me lots of special pictures.

You still like to play baby and talk like a baby.

You're generally not in a hurry. You go at your own pace, especially when it's time for a shower, to eat dinner, clean up, etc. ;)

You love to pick out your clothes and get dressed in the morning. You also love to wear dress up and will often go through multiple outfit changes throughout the day.

I love how you spell phonetically. I will miss this once you learn proper spelling. :)

You are a good friend to others and that's probably why you have lots of friends!

You say you want to be a teacher and a mommy when you grow up.

You are a bright ray of sunshine in our family and we sure do love you!

Love,

Mommy