Giggles, My Giggles

You turned 11 on Saturday.

Giggles, you amaze your Dad and me every day. There is so much inside you that makes you special. Your sweetness of heart. Your creativity. Your independence. Your gentleness. Your strength of mind. Your stubbornness. Sometimes you draw a line in the sand and refuse to budge. Steely resolve emanates from you when you've chosen your position. This sense of self you seem to have been born with is intense. While sometimes it makes me insane when you question EVERYTHING, this trait is already forging the woman you will be and that woman will be strong and certain. You have no idea how beautiful you are, inside & out.

Your sense of fun and mischief sparkles from your eyes. Those beautiful ethereal eyes of misty grey that can glitter with glee when you're happy and freeze like ice when you're angry. Sometimes I can see the dreams swirling inside those eyes when you're daydreaming. I hope all of those dreams come true for you, whatever they maybe.

Sometimes you want to be a comedienne. Sometimes a cartoonist. Sometimes a sculptor. Whatever you do in your future, I know you will give it your focus and that innate creativity you have will see you through.

Your current favorite thing is to watch the Carol Burnett DVD's you got for Christmas. Make sculptors with clay and give them to people as gifts. I love to watch you work on a new project, the focus, the intensity and the happiness that shines from you when you're done. I also admire the way you try again if it doesn't work out the first time. You also love the trampoline. I think you've been on it every day since it was put together. You'd go jump on that thing in the rain if we let you.

You love to laugh and your sense of the absurd lets you, even at such this young age, find humor is so very much.

One day last month, you brought me breakfast in bed. No reason. Just because you wanted to. When you kissed me and left me to go get your own breakfast, your generosity and simple kindness made me cry.

You leave notes for your Dad and me all over the house and sign them "Your Favorite Little Girl". I tuck these notes away.

You have a quick and wicked temper. When you get mad, you get MAD. I imagine by the time you're 20, you'll remember that smacking your brother when you get mad at him is not an appropriate way to express that anger. For the rest of us, you need your space to cool down and then you want to discuss why you were so angry. Your father and I respect how well you articulate your feelings, angry or happy ones. You express yourself so very well.

Giggles, there is such pleasure in watching you grow up and see hints of the young woman you are becoming. It makes us so proud to be your parents.

I hope you always fly high in the sunshine, my favorite little girl.

"picture removed"

Update** Giggles read this this morning and the only thing she had to say was "Please take out that last picture." the line was drawn.

sigh...