Dear Abigail Grace,
What to say to you…
It’s September 17th again!
Your 9th Birthday!
How exciting is that?!
You’ve been asking for days what time you could wake up this morning, since you wanted to get the celebration going as early as possible…
In part because you wanted to be sure there would be plenty of time, before school, for us to give you your birthday gifts!
That said the party really started on Friday, when you got to have four of your besties here for a sleepover. From ordering Fox’s thin crust cheese pizza for dinner to Baskin-Robbins Oreo ice cream cake for dessert, you loved getting eat some of your favorite things.
We are glad that you have found such great friends in your third year/third grade class at Keller, as well as your fourth grade friend, who you take the bus/walk home with and hang out a lot in our neighborhood with, since her family lives so close to ours. You were so proud on the first day of school this year, to be heading upstairs to your classroom, after two years on the first floor.
Its fun to see the creative ways you play with your friends and how much fun you have together! Some of your adventures remind me of my own childhood, when I see you exploring our backyard and making up games.
It was so cool, recently, when you and your neighborhood friend discovered and eventually named “Mark Dots,” a Monarch butterfly, who had just emerged from his chrysalis in our sandbox. Our whole family enjoyed getting to watch Mark Dots grow and learn to fly that weekend. And you talked about how it was “one of the coolest things (you’ve) seen in your life!”
Watching you, and your brother, grow and learn has been one of the coolest things I’ve seen in mine!
To quote one of my favorite writers, Lin-Manual Miranda, “Pride is not the word I’m looking for, there’s so much more…”
This year you, and our family, were lucky that our adventures weren’t limited to our backyard, or even the Chicago area. It was so awesome to bring Sean and you, with Daddy and me, to Riviera Maya, Mexico in April. I didn’t get to go to Mexico, or an all-inclusive resort, until I was 40. I am happy that you got to experience your first time with both, at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya, in your first decade of life, with our family.
And then there was our epic trip to Lake Tahoe last month, with Grandma and Grandpa Axe, including some incredible hikes and views, that I’m sure none of us will ever forget! I was so proud of your determination and stamina, when we took on the Shirley Canyon Trail there with Daddy and Sean.
I continue to be grateful that you get to see and spend so much time with your Axe and Benson grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, living relatively close to them, as well as the time we spend in the summer, at the Lake in Michigan with Grandma and Grandpa Benson.
This past year you have continued to shine at the Dance Gallery in your ballet, tap and hip hop classes. You also got to perform in three musicals: My Son Pinocchio Jr., Shrek the Musical Jr. and Madagascar Jr. at the Beverly Arts Center, the last actually being the Keller bi-annual school show. Though you still haven’t felt ready to audition for a lead role, you love being part of them ensemble and are getting more lines to say and confidence in every show you do.
After swimming with the Ridge Park Water Rats team last fall and then taking the winter season off, as not to have too much on your plate, you are excited to be back at it this year.
You love to swim and play in the water, every chance you get, and are getting more brave when we go to the Lake, including tubing and learning to water ski Labor Day weekend!
I love getting to co-lead your Brownie troop with some of your friends’ moms, which allows me to spend more time with you, as well as get to know so many awesome girls who live in our neighborhood from Keller, as well as other local schools.
This was a big year on your faith journey, making your First Reconciliation in December and your First Communion in May! You looked so beautiful in your First Communion dress and it was so fun shopping for it, along with all the accessories with you and Grandma Jacquie! I love how you pay more attention during mass these days, following the readings, singing along, and understanding more of what’s going on.
Whether talking about God, what’s going on in the world, or anything else that comes to mind, you ask such interesting questions and I really enjoy the conversations we have.
I love watching American Ninja Warrior, Beat Shazam, and especially So You Think You Can Dance together and can’t wait to see the Season 15 cast on tour with you, here in Chicago, next month!
It’s bittersweet that your big brother Sean and you are no longer at the same school, since he graduated in June. But I am so glad you had two years together at Keller, something I didn’t expect you ever having, with your 6-year age difference. And I am grateful for the ways you continue to honor your big sister Molly’s memory, even though you didn’t get to meet her in this lifetime.
My mom/your Grandma Jacquie recently told me that there was a time when she thought my dad/Grandpa Kevin and she might not be able to have another child, a few years after Aunt Meg was born. She shared how it was around then, that they found out they were pregnant with me and how happy she was. Grandma Jacquie said that in many ways she felt like I was a “bonus” and how much joy I have brought to her life ever since. I feel the same way about you.
You bring so much joy to my life, and everyone around you, my dear Abby.
I am so very grateful that you got to join our family 9 years ago today!
I wish you so many wonderful adventures in this next year of your life and look forward to experiencing many of them with you.
And maybe I’ll even get to read about some of them, as you use the typewriter we gave you this morning, to tell some of your stories…
Happy 9th Birthday!
Love,
Mommy
{ 0 comments… add one now }