Dear Maya,
Today you turned 5. That's a whole hand. That's a kindergartner, not a preschooler. It even sounds different as it rolls off my tongue. I admit, this birthday was a hard one for your mommy to accept. I remember you being 3 years old and you just couldn't wait until you turned 5. Well, it's here my girl, in the blink of an eye. Between all of your family and friends, you got everything on your birthday list. True it was only 6 things, but you were so careful in what you chose to write on your list. Today we talked about how important it is to give to others. It is in giving you will find true happiness.
We sort of rocked your world when your baby sister arrived last June. I love watching you grow as a big sister... Oh Maya- how she loves you. She reaches for your hand across the aisle in the mini van. She listens to you read her books. She plays "crawl down the hallway" with you laughing hysterically the entire time. I can tell how much you love her too. You demand hugs and kisses from her before she goes to bed. You help "babysit her" when Mommy has to get ready in the morning. You feed her puffs when she's hungry before dinner. When you go to kindergarten in the fall, Laney will miss you so much. I bet you will miss her a bit too.
Tonight I watched you read from a new book. You said to me last night, "I'm not just reading Mommy, I'm reading words I don't know yet." You are so smart my sweet. You are your own person and you hold strong to your thoughts and feelings. I pray you always keep that. You love gymnastics class, but you detest the barres. You like to dance, but I'm not sure it's your passion. That's ok. I want you to pick your own activities and excel in them to your best ability. You really don't like to perform. You don't like big crowds including going up in front of church for the children's sermon. Your favorite show is Olivia and Syd the Science Kid. You asked for a magnifying glass for your birthday and you took it to bed with you tonight. I see a lot of your dad in you. We think you will really like school and all it has to offer you. I will just have to get used to you being gone for the day(or half day:). It will be difficult but I'm sure you will be filled with stories, friendships and knowledge when you get home.
You are realizing how important family is as you waited for your Grammy, Papa and Aunt Tina to come over tonight. When you talk about Meemaw and Mimi, I can feel the compassion that radiates from you. You are filled with questions and have to know everything that "the grownups" are talking about. As much as we disagree about that, it makes me giggle when you say you're texting someone or holding my ipod saying please play "Put a ring on it."
We love you so much. When you ran into Daddy's arms today after school saying IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, I smiled to myself. You made Daddy and I a family. We treasure you and are blessed by your presence. You are our Maya-bee. Happy 5th Birthday. Just please don't grow up too fast.
Love,
Mommy
