Dear EM

Dear EM,

Yesterday was your seventh birthday, which sounds like such a big number to me!  I keep asking you to try and stop growing for a bit, but you doesn't seem to be trying very hard.

You were surprised when you came downstairs to find more gifts!  You thought you opened them all yesterday, but we saved the one you were really hoping for to give you on your birthday.  It was a cage and everything you need for your very own pet, a guinea pig.  I'll bet you felt like it took a century for the pet store to open!  We thought it would be fun for you to pick which guinea pig you wanted.  After holding each one with careful consideration you chose a caramel-colored little guy.  He squeaked when you held him and it seemed to be a perfect fit!

Daddy and I took you and JR bowling as a special treat for your birthday.  It was so much fun watching you!  Both of you did great for your first time bowling, even if the ball weighed half as much as you did.  You even rolled a few strikes!  I love being able to do fun things with you now that you're getting older.  I really enjoy your company!

When it was time for bed Daddy was at a meeting and JR and LD were already asleep, so it was just you and me.  We decided that instead of reading a bedtime story we should look through your baby book together.  This is one of your favorite things to do; you love to hear stories about when you were a baby.  It feels like a lifetime ago that you were a born and a blink of an eye at the same time.

Lets make a deal.  This year I will try as hard as I can to say "yes" and play fashion show with you when you ask, not think of the more productive things I could be doing when you ask to play Guess Who AGAIN, and invite you to a tea party or two.  If you try as hard as you can to not grow up too much this year.

I sure do love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life!

Love you to the moon and back!
Mommy