BROOKLYN'S 9th BIRTHDAY

Brooklyn's birthday being celebrated at Grandma Ann's house.

This year we are starting a strict rule of our kids' birthday and Christmas gifts being half wants and half needs. We and they have always been good about getting things like shoes and dresses for gifts, but four kids is getting expensive (braces, college and a bigger car are stressing my future financial thoughts :)), and this Momma is not buying four winter coats, 4 pairs of rubber boots, new bikes, bike helmets, mounds of clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, etc all on her own every year anymore.  I'm enormously grateful for the hand-me-downs we get from the Kiederlens, but with things getting worn and children having particular sizing needs (Brooke can literally not were bottoms that aren't slims), it still adds up more than I ever thought it would. And let's be honest, the BIGGEST reason for this new rule is that we don't need anymore toys.  Ye gobbs, our house is plentiful in millions of small colorful plastic objects!  I would prefer to spend our extra money on fun trips or gymnastic lessons, so this is the new plan. Brooke was the first to experience the new rule, and she loved it. She didn't get the rubber boots and bike helmet on clearance I would have bought her.  She got to pick out ones she really liked (see pictures of a unicorn bike helmet above, lol, I NEVER would have picked that). She received all the toys she wanted the most from her list, but from all her grandmas and us, she also received jeans, dresses, underwear, and a new gymnastics outfit.  I wish I had decided on this sooner.

So Brooklyn turning 9, I didn't feel sad about her turning 9, but I have a hard time saying that she is 9, the words don't come out of my mouth smoothly.  That means something significant in my feelings or my memory is simply more short-circuited than I thought, more likely the latter.  We LOVE this child.  She is my MOST helpful and also my LEAST helpful all in the same day.  She has an unbreakable spirit and so freely gives of herself and her things.  She is thoughtful.  She is kind. She also likes to be in charge and take off on grand extravagant adventures.  I'm grateful that I have found the patience (most days) to let her express her creativity or sing loud difficult songs (she's actually really really amazing at singing now).  I feel like my purpose as her mother is to teach her to focus and take her time on things that are necessary so she doesn't have to spend more time on them later when they weren't done properly, because she's a bit of a flighty little bird. I feel like my other purpose though is to let her fly, fly off with her ideas and imagination so she can find her unique niche in the world.
Love you, my dear.