7th Birthday
I truly cannot believe you are now 7 years old. Seven! It seems so old! Seven is like the real deal kid stage...no longer a little kid...but just a kid now. Where has the time gone? You are growing into the coolest, unique human being. You are so comfortable being you and I never see you trying to be anyone other than your self. I love that about you.
It has been a huge year for you. This year we moved to Fiji. When we told you about the move, you were excited about the adventure, but you also cried a bit too, knowing it would hurt to leave
Atlanta. You have a good understanding of your emotions and you are able to articulate them in ways that many adults cannot even do. You told me that while it was exciting to move to a fun, new place that a part of you felt sad too. You said that you had two feelings at the same time. ( Exactly. I did too Andie! I still do!) You were six when you told me that. In my experience, most six year old kids do not articulate themselves like that. Since we have moved here, you miss your friends, dog, family, and home in the states You talk about them often and long to see them. But, at the same time, you are thriving here! You have made so many friends and love your new school. Just this week you told me, "I am going to miss Fiji and all of my friends here when we move back to Atlanta." The wonderful thing is you connect with all of these friends, experiences, and places so that when you leave, you miss them and they miss you. You are sad because the connections are real. You make true, deep friendships instantly. That says so much about who you are.
Whenever we go anywhere, you immediately talk to those around you. You are anything but shy! Sometimes you are so forward Mommy feels she needs to hold you back so that you give people their personal space, but usually people don't seem to mind. People are drawn to your openness and your bright smile. They are drawn to your energy! Andie, you have a young spirit about you. You don't worry what others think and simply being around you can be refreshing. You laugh freely and live fully! You are 100% in the moment of whatever you are into at all times. Sometimes this can drive me crazy because if you are into your art, or your legos, or your imaginary game... you don't hear me when I speak to you. You cannot be bothered to pick up your belongings because that doesn't fit into your game in that moment. At home, you frequently leave your shorts and/or underwear by the toilet because you can barely be bothered to pull them back up again! You don't even notice that you are not wearing your clothes because you are so in your moment. While it may make me batty at times, I love this about you too. You put 100% of yourself into whatever you are into. This makes you the best 7 year old artist, dancer, lego-builder and puzzle expert that I know!
Last week you had a dance recital. You rocked it! You had a huge smile and danced perfectly! You have amazing stage presence! Other parents came to me afterwards saying how you stood out in the crowd with that huge toothless smile of yours! You have always done amazing on stage whether it was in chorus in Atlanta or just in our own nightly dance parties on the porch. You like the spotlight and perform fantastically!
Your teachers say (and report card shows) that you are exceptionally compassionate, love to take care of others, and a good problem solver. You look out for those that are not included and work to make them feel special. They also say you have trouble organizing your things. (You get that from Mommy). You know what, I'd much rather have a disorganized kid with a huge heart than an organized one who's mean! I see your compassion with your sister. You hate to see her cry. You argue with her sometimes, but more often you all play pretend games together. I love to hear the two of you and your imaginations running wild. You are so creative!
You love nature and animals. You are happiest when you are outside (or when you are watching tv). You are an awesome swimmer but you hate to be cold so you don't like swim practice. You are a great cook and love to help your daddy in the kitchen. You are such an awesome dancer. You just feel the music and let yourself go! You play with both boys and girls, your age and younger and older. You don't like going to sleep. You are always scared you will miss out on something. You wake up often at night, sprint down to our bedroom, and then speak to us at max volume like you have never even closed your eyes! You LOVE presents. You love knick-knack toys, especially if you feel like that toy may be un-loved by someone else. You have a really difficult time not losing your toys, but you love them all the same. You have an infectious laugh and love to have fun! You are always ready to play and laugh. Your are super cuddly and tell me frequently that you love me. My heart melts every time.
I love you too Andie Passin. We are so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives. Happy 7th birthday sweetheart. I cannot wait to watch your grow into the amazing person you have become. Mama loves you.
Love,
Mommy
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| Birthday |
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| 1 year old |
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| 2 years old |
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| 3 years old |
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| 4 years old |
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| 5 years old |
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| 6 years old |
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| Your giggly self! (almost 7 here) |
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| The naturalist you- one with nature! |
Here are all of the past birthday letters:
Andie,
It is hard to believe, but you are now
two years old. The past two years with
you have easily been the most fulfilling of my life thus far. There is not a day that goes by that you
don’t cause me to smile and feel warm with pride. One year ago, on your first birthday you were
wobbling to stand, and not quite yet walking.
That came a few weeks later. You
went from a few unsure steps in the morning to walking full laps around the
house in the afternoon. You are a quick
study; very determined to master any task- walking, puzzles, buckling your
seat. You did not want help walking, and
you still do not want help with almost every mission you accomplish. From the very beginning, you have been very
independent. While at times I may be
impatient with your independence, secretly I love it! I love that you are
already determined to accomplish great things by yourself!
This year you have gone from the
waddling baby, to the fiercely independent toddler. You have gone from barely walking to running
every chance you get (often away from me…straight into the street!) You love to run around our house, shouting,
“Go! Go! Go!” If you have any toddler
friends at the house, or anywhere for that matter, you lead the pack, encouraging
everyone to “go, go, go” with you. You
are amazingly happy almost all of the time; although you are not shy to let me
know when you are not happy – usually if you are not getting your way – not
getting to swing, or watch Dora, or blow bubbles right when you want to. You have a great, clever sense of humor and
laugh easily. Like when I told you that
you had to pee to get an m &m, and you smiled and made a hissing sound with
your mouth…hopeful for the candy. Or,
when you laugh hysterically every time mommy finds you in your hiding place.
Or, when you tell me to look at the apple, and I correct you, “Sweetie, that is
a pear.” Your reply – “No mommy, that’s
not a pear, it’s a kangaroo!” with a huge grin on your face, proud of your joke.
Six weeks ago, your baby sister Zoë
was born. You have been a wonderful big
sister so far. You love to hug and kiss
Zoë and you always want to help out.
When she cries, you show worry and immediately try to fix the
problem. I cannot wait to watch your
relationship grow. At first I was so
worried that you would feel overshadowed and doubt Mommy’s love, but the more I
watch you; I see that I underestimated you.
You were meant to be a big sister.
You are already so empathetic, and you are not yet even two!
When
I pick you up from school, my heart melts and I cannot help but smile hugely
when you jump up and down and yell , “Mommy!”
I know the days are short when you will be so happy to see me- and I
love that we both are SO excited to see each other. There is nothing I want more in this world
than to make you happy, be a good parent to you, and for you to feel loved,
secure, and confident in the beautiful young person that you are.
I
love you Andie. Happy second birthday to
my amazing daughter.
Love,
Mommy
Happy
3rd Birthday Andie!
I cannot believe what a big girl you are
now Andie! You have matured so much in
this past year. Your vocabulary, your
sense of humor, you r understanding of how things work and how people interact
have all deepened. Every day, you amaze
me. For starters, you are so smart. And, I know every parent believes this about
their child, but I just KNOW it about you.
You love to listen to books…even without pictures. You follow along with the stories, asking
appropriate questions throughout. When I
had to fill out a development al assessment on you for your birthday, there was
a picture of a stick person. I had to
ask you what this was, and you replied, “a
human.” I love it. Not …daddy, or someone you know, or even a
person, but “a human.” You are insanely
creative…so much so that sometimes it is hard for mommy to keep up with you in
your pretend play. You always
have a different role for me. I
am the mean queen, or a thirsty mouse, or scary puma, or your baby. You could play these games for hours, and
unfortunately it is usually me that has to stop the game for some aspect of
real life, like unloading the dishwasher or something boring like that. But, you don’t let that stop you. You are persistent. You follow me everywhere, maintaining your
role in whatever the pretend game is at the time, and when I talk to you as
your mommy, you are quick to remind me that I am not mommy, but the mean
queen.
You
are so outgoing. You say hello to
everyone! On a long road trip to
Virginia this year, you proudly announced to the whole gas station that you
just pooped on the potty. You make
friends everywhere you go… preschoolers and adults. Sometimes when we say bye to them you like
to tell them, “We’ll call you later and maybe we can get together.” That always gets a chuckle. You have many friends. You know how to be a leader and a
follower. A few months ago we went to
see a children’s author/musician at an arts festival. Of course you were dancing the whole time,
signing at the top of your lungs. I
looked down for a minute to fix Zoë ‘s sippy cup and all of a sudden I hear you
singing on stage. The performer asked if
anyone wanted to join him, and you got on stage faster than I could blink. You decided to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star” and you sang it beautifully….loudly, but brilliantly. The audience loved it, and that only made
you sing louder. I was so proud. I never had that dramatic side like
you. I am inspired by your gusto.
Even
though you are so outgoing, you are also such a love bug. You love to cuddle and be held. You frequently tell me that you love me, and
every time you do, my heart melts. I
cannot imagine loving you anymore, but I do every day. You are incredibly empathetic, and whenever
you see anyone upset, your rush to their rescue. At such a young age, you mostly seem to
understand what people need when they are sad.
You know whether they need to laugh or just need a hug.
You
are an amazing big sister. Zoë only has
eyes for you. She laughs more with you
than anyone. She wants to do exactly
what you do. You perform for her
regularly. You tell everyone you meet
about your little sister, and you introduce her with such pride! You still hate to see her cry and can
usually make her stop. You are so
patient with her. She has just begun
hitting you and pulling your hair, and I cannot believe how well you handle
it! You rarely hit back. You have learned how to “use your words” instead. You usually share with her and give her an
endless supply of hugs and kisses.
Today
you dictated a letter to me to send to your cousin, Colin for his
birthday. This letter took very little
prompting. We wrote the first one, but
ran out of room so we had to write the second one. (You like to talk!) I think this letter shows just how
extraordinarily caring you are.
“Dear Colin,
I love you dear. I wish we could
come to your party. I drew you a
picture. Next time I see you I will pick
you a flower. I will make you happy. This is a giant. Happy Birthday Colin. Ok.
From, Andie”
And
the second one….
“Dear Colin, I love you as big as the whole
world. The whole world loves you. Don’t be scared. I will always make you happy. We will both be happy. Dear Colin, I will build your own
tower. And, I will give you a
sticker. Don’t be scared. I will make you happy. Happy Birthday. I am three too. I sent you a toy for Colin. Please write me a letter too. I love you really much. I will mail you this letter. From, Andie.”
I
love you, Andie. I too love you as big
as the whole world!!! My heart bursts
with this love every day.
Love,
Mommy
Andie,
Wow!
You are four! I cannot believe you are
four years old! You are such a big girl
now! There is something about four that
seems so much older. You have always
seemed older than your age to me, and now that you are four…..wow. This means that kindergarten is so close,
which means that time when you are my baby…when you want to cuddle with me and
be near me every waking moment…and our fun adventures together will
change. They will still continue, but it
will change. It breaks a part of my heart.
The
other part is so excited to see you grow and thrive! You are truly amazing, Andie! I love to watch
your mind at work. You are incredibly
creative! You have an imagination that knows no limits. You love to solve problems and you are good
at it. You love to play pretend. You could pretend all day if Mommy had the
energy/time to do so. You love to
think. Today you told me, “Wouldn’t it
be neat if we had 8 eyes…so our eyes would go all around our head?” I asked you why that would be so neat, and
you said so that we could see in all directions, you would never miss anything. Oh, and you never want to miss out on a
thing. You hate sleeping because you
want to be a part of the action, all of the time! If Daddy and I hug, you want to be a part of
it. If you hear your sister giggling,
you are quick to go and find out what is going on so you can join. You LOVE to have fun!
Andie,
you have such an amazing personality.
You know how to grab people by the heart and never let go. You know how to charm anyone, when you choose
to. You will talk to anyone…from the lifeguards
at the pool to the people in the grocery store, to the teenagers loitering on
the corner. You have a fierce love for
your family. Nothing makes you happier
than when we are all together. You are
always the first to notice if everyone is in the same room, and you let us all
know that the whole family is there. You
love your baby sister, Zoë. You are
exceedingly patient and loving with her.
You are always proud of her. You
worry (too much) about her. You love to
laugh with her. The two of you have
really started to play together. You
are a constant role model for her, and you fill that role well. She only has eyes for you! I love to watch your relationship with her
grow.
You
are so loving. You love to cuddle and hug, and tell those that you love how
much you love them. You can be very
independent in one moment and then in the next need Mommy next to you for even
the littlest things. You have an incredible
ability to focus. If you are engaged in
a project you will not quit until you have it done the way you want it. You can sit and work on a picture, a
painting, or a work of tape and cutting for 30 minutes easily. You are completely determined. If you have a difficult time with a task the
first time, you will stick to it until you get it right. Of course, this has to be a task that you
care about. If it is cleaning your room,
forget about it! You have definite
likes and dislikes and you are not afraid to let anyone know. You like things to go your way…as most people
do.
Andie,
you have an incredible laugh that you utilize frequently. You are so playful! You have a huge heart and have always been
empathetic naturally. If someone is
upset, you are the first one to rush to see if they are ok and try to help them
to feel better. You are such a unique,
special soul Andie. I love you SO much
it hurts! You will always be my Andie. I am so happy that I have the pleasure of
loving such a exceptional kid. I am
excited for what the future holds for you.
I love you Andie. Happy fourth
birthday.
Love, Mommy
Dear Andie,
Right now I
am sitting right outside of your room writing you this letter, waiting for you
to fall asleep. You and Zoë want to see
me in your doorway to help you sleep.
You are having trouble sleeping, probably because of the big day you had
today. Today was your first day of
kindergarten.
You have been
five now for three weeks. I have been
delaying writing you this letter because I knew I would probably not be able to
get through writing it without crying.
Now that I know you made it through a day of kindergarten, I think I can
do it!
You graduated
from preschool in May. You have been SO
proud of yourself for this accomplishment.
For a whole month you talked to anyone
who would listen about how you are officially a preschool graduate! About half way through the summer, you
started asking about kindergarten. When
I ask how you feel about it, you simply say, “nervous.” When I ask if you are excited, you say you
are….but I am not truly feeling that. I
am sure it is my nerves affecting you.
You see
Andie, I have not been nervous because I think you cannot handle it. I KNOW you can handle hard things. You amaze me in your strength, your
independence, and your confidence. I know
you can do this! It is just that right
now you are so alive. Your spirit is
invigorating. You will sing at the top
of your lungs…in the middle of Target.
You will go up to anyone, unafraid to ask questions. This past Sunday you went to White Water
Park with Lucy, and her step-dad came back and told us, “Wow, you don’t have to
worry about her. She has no fear. She
only wanted to do the biggest slides.
When we told her we didn’t know if she was tall enough, she (you, Andie)
walked right up to the lifeguard and immediately asked if you could ride that
big slide”.
The night
before you started kindergarten, you had a dream that you couldn’t find your
cubby. It was your first anxiety
dream. It sort of broke my heart. Even though I know you have to go through
life struggles, you have to have your own heartbreak…it is hard for me to watch
you struggle in any way. I don’t want school
to break your spirit Andie. I want you
to remain that incredible young girl who is afraid of nothing! I want you to thrive in kindergarten,
absorbing everything you can…making friends with those who are kind and not
worrying about those who are not. I do
not want you to be like I was …constantly worrying what others thought of
me.
But, silly
me. I truly have nothing to worry
about. You will soar. You are five years old and you are already so
empathetic and creative. You love to
create stories. Your mind is always
working! You are the sweetest big
sister. You are always looking out for
Zoë. Yesterday your bestie, Reid,
wouldn’t share with Zoë and you had a heart to heart with her. You convinced her to include your baby
sister. It melted my heart.
Sometimes you
can be completely defiant. You have your
mind made up and will fight for what you want.
While it can be frustrating now…I
admire your will. You stand up for
yourself and what you think is right.
Again, I hope this stays with you for life.
When you
graduated from preschool, your teachers wrote all of the students a
letter. Below is what your teachers said
about you. I couldn’t ask for a better
description of you.
Andie,
when you entered GPCP as a cat, you were so tiny it was hard to believe that
you were even old enough to be a cat in the one year old class. Your beautiful bright eyes were always
accompanied by a smile that never stopped and so we called you Andie, the
“forever smiling baby.” We have watched
you grow from that tiny little cat into a big sister ladybug picking dandelions
for new baby Zoë and a nurturing friend to all. When you first became a frog you were never
out of arms length from Reid. Then over
the past two years you’ve slowly stepped out of your following your own
curiosities. Your thirst for knowledge
keeps you full of questions and your willingness to always share your answers
and new discoveries with us is one of the things we love most about you and why
you’ve become such a great friend not just to Reid, but to us all. If we needed advice, we could ask Andie. If we need help figuring out what a letter
looks like, we can ask Andie. If you
need to see what a fairy looks like floating fancy free through the air, we can
ask Andie. Thank you Andie for sharing
your answers and stories with us. You
are a great friend to have, a beautiful singer, a confident, independent,
empathetic leader and we know you are ready for whatever new curiosities
kindergarten holds for you. So step out
there and keep asking great questions!
I love you Andie Passin.
You are going to rock your fifth year!
Love,
Mommy
Andie,
Wow! You are six!
Such a big girl now! In two short
weeks you will go on to first grade. I
cannot believe how quickly you are growing and how mature you have become. Even in all this growth, you are still my
sweet Andie. As I was settling in to
write you this letter, I heard you singing in your room as you tried to fall
asleep. You always sing with so much
feeling. You truly let it go, and sing with your whole heart. I LOVE it! I love hearing you so unabashedly sing.
I love that you have no fear of judgment and can sincerely just be you! You are like this not only with your
singing, but just generally in life. You
have no fear in asking questions, walking up to strangers, riding
rollercoasters, or introducing yourself to friends. I hope that side of you stays with you
forever. Your confidence shines and
attracts all those around you. I admire
you so much for this, as I was never this way!
Also, Andie, you are an amazing friend
to all that surround you. You play with
everyone and are very careful to leave no one out. You play with boys and girls
and float from group to group. You are
well-liked by all. When your friends
see you in the morning, they rush to hug you and are eager to share daily news
with you. Your laugh is infectious. You have the BEST laugh and you use it
often. You are so easy to be with
because you love to make those around you feel happy; not to the extent that
you sacrifice your own happiness, but in a way that everyone can feel content.
You love nature and I believe you are
happiest when you are outside exploring.
Your kindergarten teachers often remarked on what a naturalist you are.
They said that you thrived outside and loved learning about anything having to
do with the environment, plants, and animals.
They also frequently commented on what a special friend you were to
everyone and how you were the perfect example of what a friend should be. Ms. Waggener mentioned that you could be
uber-focused when you wanted to be, or if the subjected interested you.
Sometimes, you become so focused on one task, it becomes quite difficult to
remove you from the situation. The only
times you got notes home from kindergarten was if you had trouble transitioning
from one task to the next.
When you get upset, you mostly know
how to handle yourself. You know you
need some time away from your sister, me, or whomever upset you. You usually walk away to your room, breathe,
and distract yourself with something else to ease your mind. Typically, this does not take long and you
are ready to come back to us with a calm mind and heart. Occasionally, you cry and you want Mommy to
hold you, which I am happy to do. You
are still my baby.
I have loved watching you and your
daddy lately. You two are really close. He seems to understand you in a unique
way. You have an exceptional bond and I
know that as you get older it will only deepen. While you argue with your sister regularly,
if she is ever upset, you are the first to rush to her side. You take care of her like no other. Recently, when some of your friends were at
the house to watch a movie, Zoë was desperately trying to keep up with you
(like she always does) and in the process was annoying your friends. When she requested to sit next to your friends
during the movie, no one wanted to sit next to her in return. You quickly amended the situation by
volunteering to sit next to her. You
knew how to make everyone feel better.
You are an amazing artist, an excellent
tree-climber, an empathetic friend and family member; and the Passin family is
incredibly blessed to have you as a member of this family. I love you SOOOOOOO much. I love watching your grow. I love seeing the beautiful person you are
becoming. Every night when you sleep, I
go into your room, kiss your cheek, and get emotional with pride. My
heart bursts for you Andie Passin.
Happy 6th birthday my love.
Love,
Mommy
These are so beautiful Kate, what a gift you've given Andie
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