Brianne,
I really just can't fathom the words to express how I feel about you turning 5 next year. It feels just like yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. I would be holding you in my lap as I fed you your bottle or as you quietly slept. However, those days have passed us by in what feels like a second and you've grown up to be a beautiful young girl. Sweet as can be.
This past year you put up with a lot of changes. Going from a cramped apartment back to a full size house in Lima, away from your friends, your church, and the busy lifestyle that Columbus offered. Although you had your moments of wanting to return, you stuck it through with us and found ways of enjoying the new found space that we had for a while.
It wasn't but a couple of months and that newly found space was getting a sold sign placed in its yard. You were excited and sad, as you were really beginning to enjoy the home that you were first brought home to.
At the beginning of the year, I recall how excited we were that you could spell your own name. I don't think your mother nor I expected you to exceed that ability to where not only can you spell it, you can write it. You can count to over 50, write and say the alphabet, add, write in a journal, identify sight words, memorize songs for a Christmas Program, and the list just goes on.
Pre-K has done wonders for you. You're personality has grown leaps and bounds and in directions that as parents, we can only be proud. The days I've had the honor of taking you to class have been major highlights for me. Watching you greet each of your classmates in the parking lot, to in the hallways, and even in the classroom. You take the time to show each of them that they matter to you.
Your kindness has only grown as you insist on donating to each and every Salvation Army bell ringer, and even though it is usually only a couple of coins that Mommy hands you, you know that ultimately all of the coins will add up and make a difference. This is one trait that I can only hope to nurture. You'd think you were in the sermon series our Church just completed for us Adults, "Get Rich", where we introduced the initiative #LoveColumbus. To say you exemplify the meaning behind this initiative would be an understatement, you go well beyond.
Lastly the biggest changes that may have impacted you this year was the birth of your cousins. With Olivia arriving in June, to Finten in August, you were super excited! For the first week, you'd ask about them daily, then off and on for the next couple of weeks, and eventually at least once a week. You enjoy seeing/listening to them, trying to play with them, and patiently waiting for a day when they can "truly play with you as well".
Brianne, as you read this when you are older, I want you to know that I truly believe you are one bright, loving, kind, and generous little girl. I will do my honest best to try and nurture those attributes in your life as they are a large part of who you are. Don't lose sight in what the world around us wants us to be. Be who you are, not for your mother or I, but for you. Be the light to those around you, share your kindness and generosity, and don't let anyone deter you. There isn't a day that goes by that I (and your mother) don't pray for you and the individuals God places in your life.
We can't wait to see what the next year will have in store for you. How your attributes will grow, what adventures you'll be apart of, and the stories we'll get to share with everyone else as we recount your actions. You are truly a blessing to us.
We love you,
Mommy and Daddy
