Happy 7th Birthday, Matilda!

Dear Matilda,

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Today you are 7 years old (which feels very weird to say)…….it seems hard to believe how quickly you are growing up. I know they say ‘the days are long and the years are short’, but it just seems like the years are getting shorter and shorter.

Here are 20 things that I would like to remember about you when you turned 7 years old and you might like to know about your 7 year old self……..

You are really into space, stars and anything related to astronomy.
In lieu of a big birthday party, your big sister Savannah, you and Mama are going to spend the night in downtown Chicago and visit the Adler Planetarium.
You got a telescope and several space-themed Playmobil toys for your birthday (yes, you REALLY love space).
You took piano all last year and you loved it. You can’t wait until you reach 4th grade at school so you can join the band. I’m happy that you think you’ve found your passion in music.
You were a Daisy this last year and just bridged to Brownies. You enjoy all the new friends that you’ve met in your Daisy troop. You went to one full week of Girl Scout Camp this summer and have another week long camp coming up soon.
You did a great job transitioning to a new elementary school this year. You made friends easily and your teacher loved having you in class.
You struggled with reading at the beginning of first grade, but you got some wonderful help at school and are now reading in the 90th percentile. We are very proud of how hard you’ve worked this last year and I know you’re going to have a great year in 2nd grade!
You are currently wanting to be an astronaut, veterinarian or doctor when you grow up. You are going to Jr. Dr. camp soon and can’t wait to learn all about the human body!
You like to express yourself through touch. I think that’s your love language……physical touch. Whenever you need attention you like to hug, cuddle and be close.
Your favorite food is still chicken fingers and french fries. I’d say you’re still the pickiest eater in the family but you did recently try salmon and a few other new foods, so we might be turning a corner soon (fingers crossed).
You love to take showers and baths. I think you just love water, in general. But if there is an opportunity to take a nice, long shower, you jump at the chance!
You like to sleep with your big, giant stuffed giraffe as your pillow.
You are really funny. You have some of the best ‘one-liners’ in the family.
Some of your favorite friends right now are Reese, Quinn and Emily.
Your favorite colors are pink and blue.
You are very thoughtful and sweet. And though you are feisty sometimes, deep down you are so sweet and will put others before yourself (most of the time).
One of the things you always say before bed to me is ‘Sleep with me!’. You think it would be SO fun to sleep with Mama and, since we don’t have kids in our bed at night, you are so excited for our trip to the city for your birthday because you will be sharing a bed with Mama and we can sleep together. You like to cuddle any chance you get, so you can’t wait for all night cuddles!
You have become very good at helping Mama with shipping pattern orders. You know which pattern is which (though you love when people order the patterns with you on the cover) and you know which envelope we need depending on if someone ordered 1 pattern, 2-3 patterns, 4 + patterns and/or Mama’s book. You are such a great helper and working on shipping with you makes it much more fun.
I think sometimes it’s hard for you to be one of our ‘middle’ children and knowing exactly what your role is in our family since you aren’t the oldest or the youngest. Mama and Daddy are constantly trying to figure you out and make sure that you know how loved and important you are to us. We do this by trying to pay extra attention to you and trying to take you to do one on one activities.
You use to have an imaginary friend named ‘Flower’, but ‘Flower’ isn’t around anymore. I’m not sure where she went, but you don’t seem to need her anymore.

Matilda Jane, we love, love, love you so very much! You keep Mama and Daddy on our toes and definitely keep our family lively and fun. I don’t know what we would do without you and your sense of humor, wild and silly fun, thoughtfulness, sweetness, spunkiness and warm cuddles.