PEYTON GRACE: NINE {AND A HALF}

My Beautiful, 9 year old girl,

Somehow I blinked and you went from 7 lbs. 10 oz. to THIS! Its hard to believe…and, when I look at you sometimes I’m still in disbelief that your mine. It may even be more shocking than when you were tiny…that all of those lanky limbs and scraggly teeth…all of that sassiness and whit.. started with you in my belly and into my arms. it brings me such joy to look at you..and to watch you grow into being Peyton Grace True more and more everyday.

I do feel like 9 is a funny age…stuck between being a little girl and a big girl. (that, thankfully leans toward the little girl most of the time!) you still love to play with your American girl doll. But you do really enjoy your iphone, ipod, wii, ipad all the technology stuff too, but some of those are playing girly kid games that sparks your imagination, its one of those things that keeps you little and I’m thankful!

you really enjoy sports, you are definitely a tomboy at times! you love most all kinds of sports from girly ones to rougher ones.. you are really wanting to try basketball this next year.. so guess we will see! you enjoy riding your bike so much, which is something ryley and bailey really never cared much about. so again, I love it because it keeps you little : )

you enjoy school for the most part, you have lots of friends and really have come out of your shell the past year, you like to play with the boys on recess even. You are a pretty good eater, you like all fruit and most veggies, not a big meat eater but neither is mama so I’m sure you get that from me. you still get growing pains which you have been getting since you were 3 so I pray they will go away soon.

we adore you…most people do! you're smart, compassionate and such a good helper. your favorite color is purple, you would choose mcdonalds if we let you pick where to eat at. you prefer baths over showers, you would rather not sleep alone, you are used to always sleeping with your sister and now that she has her own room you share with brody.

overall, I’d say that I’m the lucky one. I get to be your momma and get a front row seat to watching you grow. thank you for loving me back, always being a momma’s girl, being good about apologizing, for still holding my hand… and for giving me so very much to be thankful for.