Lydia Elise. Nine Years Old.
What a lovely, kind, energetic, smart, emotive girl you are. You're the best big sister, the funniest friend, the most helpful, loving daughter. She woke up the morning of her birthday and nothing had really changed. She even commented "I still feel the same as I did when I was 8." But by the end of the day, I was in shock over how much she had seemed to age. Years! She may have woken up as a "most-recently-8-year-old" but she went to bed as a notably older nine year old. I don't know exactly what it was, but she just feels so much bigger. Taller? More aware of the world around her? Whatever it is, I'm grateful that I'm the Mama that gets to go on this growing up journey with Lydia. (And I know her Daddy feels the same way.)
Stats: We share the same adult-sized socks, although our shoes are still different sizes (not by much though!). She's lost "more teeth than she can count" and they are growing in beautifully.
Some NINE year old pictures of this special girl.:
Some things we want to remember about Lydia at this age:
-She loves to play the piano. Her favorite song from her lesson book is "Sword Dance". She has memorized it, and will often go over the the piano and start playing. It's something that brings her joy and I hope that she continues to find joy in the music she makes at that piano.
-She still loves dogs. Big ones. Little ones. She knows most breeds by name. She lives for the day that she can own her own dog- and I happily encourage her knowing that she'll be a great dog owner when she grows up. It's just too bad that her parents would make such poor dog owners. To be honest, I've almost caved a few times (owning a dog would make her so happy). But it just wouldn't be good for us, especially right now. I take most of the heat for not letting us own a dog, and the kids think it's my fault, not David's. But Lydia, when you're a grown up and you randomly are reading through this blog post, please know that we love you and even though we wouldn't let you own a dog, we did everything that we could to support you and the things that are important to you. I take you to the Puppy Store to play with puppies, I volunteer for opportunities to watch/walk other people's dogs, I buy you books, provide you with supplies, and encourage your interest in this subject. Maybe you'll grow up to be a successful dog trainer, maybe you'll just grow up to own a small puppy. Maybe you'll grow out of your fascination with dogs. But right now, this is important to you and we care about the things that are important to you.
-She's doing great at school. Homeschool has been a boon for her. She's been very successful academically and her confidence and personality are blooming. This year we had several friends homeschooling and that was amazing for her and for all of us.
-This year has been tricky. Lydia- you just lived through a Worlwide Pandemic! It's something that will be recorded in the history books and while I hope you don't remember some of the scariest things (attacks on the US Capitol by extremists), we tried to be open with you about what was happening without worrying you too much. Here are some things that you personally lived through:
-An earthquake
-Having to isolate away from your friends and family to protect both you and them
(sometimes this looked like talking to Lilly from 6 feet away on each side of the fence)
-Quarantining to our house for two weeks when we were exposed to COVID-19.
-Not being able to get some of our regular food items due to food shortages
-Not being able to go on our regular spring hikes because of how many people who were normally in school/at work were on the trails.
-Your dad working from home.
-Wearing masks over your nose and mouth to prevent the spread of the virus.
-Virtual EVERYTHING: piano lessons, play dates, primary, etc...
It's been an "unprecedented year" but you've been a champion through it all and we are so grateful for your positive attitude, your hard work, and your presence in our lives.
-Lydia took 2nd place at our homeschool science fair. Even though I wasn't sure how we'd make her initial science project happen (make rootbeer go through a hose, maybe the garden hose), she persevered and planned how to make rootbeer flow through tubing. She researched different types of forces and pumps and completed an excellent project.
-She is funny. Her sense of humor is just the best, and it's getting even better now that she's reading joke books all the time.
-She's such an amazing big sister. Words can't explain how true this is.
-Along with that, we've spend a LOT of time with the Haderlies this year. When the world is shut down and you can't spend much time with others - you end up spending a LOT of time with your cousins. Even though Lydia is the oldest and sometimes has aged out of the games the younger ones want to play, she's such a great cousin and sister. She's helpful and kind and is the best leader for this little group.
Some photo highlights of her last six months:
Happy 9 Years, Lydia!
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