My sweet Hazel Grace,
Just like that, you're an 8-year-old, rising third grader.
When you see someone who looks athletic, you describe them as "flexible"—as in, woah, they're flexible! You notice the beauty around you everywhere: driving through downtown Gig Harbor, catching sunsets, and admiring mountain views.
Your second year in Girl Scouts brought out your entrepreneurial spirit. You got seriously into selling cookies, hustling booths and relentlessly pursuing your goal of 450 boxes. The girls in your troop don't attend your school, so you've been slower to warm up and connect at meetings, but you loved overnight camp and seem committed the group.
You played another season of soccer in the fall, then tried softball and a lacrosse clinic in the spring. You claimed to like softball despite getting tired of the frequent games (me too, sister—those games are unnecessarily long). It was fun watching you try something new and getting a glimpse into the baseball culture so many of our friends talk about. We encouraged lacrosse, but you hated the clinic, and I'm not feeling confident you'll engage much with that sport. There were certainly some highs and lows during the winter ski season but you continue to enjoy hitting the slopes.
You had your first sleepover at a friend's house early in the summer with three other girls. It was hard for you to fall asleep, and you stayed up until 1am watching High School Musical. For your birthday, you were adamant about having a sleepover with just two friends—Nora and McKenna. You had about 800 ideas for activities: Sky Zone, boating, a scavenger hunt, watching Red One and Oceans 5. McKenna ended up getting sick so you had a sleepover scavenger hunt with Nora and then did another one with McKenna a few weeks later.
We agreed to get you guinea pigs for your birthday with the caveat that they couldn't come home until after our two-week road trip. You've spent hours researching their care, and I'm excited to see how it goes. It started with wanting a hamster, which seemed reasonable enough. But after visiting the pet store and doing research, we learned hamsters are nocturnal and don't really enjoy human interaction. Guinea pigs, however, are social creatures requiring daily handling—and because they're so social, you need two. That's how things escalated to you becoming the proud owner of two rodents, Raff and Mocha. I never saw myself agreeing to such a thing, but I love watching you connect with animals and feel drawn to nurturing that instinct.
When we were shopping around for supplies, you noticed that Petco doesn't treat their animals as well as PetSmart—an astute observation. You insisted we buy the guinea pigs at PetSmart, demonstrating your compassion extends beyond just wanting pets to genuinely caring about their welfare.
Something I learned this summer: you do not tolerate heat well. When you're overheated, coping becomes difficult for you. You don't wear dresses or like pink—teal is your favorite color, and jean shorts with a basic tee were your summer uniform. You're still really into your stuffies but finally went through them and donated a few. You continue to be strong-willed and wholeheartedly determined when there's something you want to accomplish.
Second grade was a good, relatively low-key school year. You made solid academic progress and grew socially—continuing to build your foundation for the years ahead.
The more you grow into yourself, the more I love you. You are a sweet force of nature who fills my days with warmth and joy. I can't imagine our family without your sweet, spunky spirit and am grateful to be your mama every single day. Happy birthday, sweet girl. You are so, so loved.
xoxo,
Your Loving Mama
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