Sam – Through Seven Years

My sweet little girl is seven. I think I love her optimism and general enthusiasm for life most. She is always looking for ‘what’s next’ in life but at the same time she still appreciates what’s happening in the present.

I cleaned my iPhone photos off and stored them in my hard drive tonight and browsed through the past years birthday parties and Christmas photos. I recalled that last year we had her party two months early… and year three, while we had her party at Pump it Up, the photos are mysteriously missing. They may be hidden in Shutterfly from the ‘Big Transfer’ from Kodak Gallery but I am too lazy to look.

I recalled that my Sammie was most somber until she was about three and a half. She has a beautiful smile and she shared it here and there, with my attentive camera I was able to capture it so many times. Around the age of four, I realized that she now smiled all the time. She didn’t do her famous ‘look’, which we have titled in so many pictures in the files. She just beamed. And laughed. And gleamed.

Her red hair has faded some. While she used to get three remarks a day (that HAIR!), now she gets it a few times a week. I don’t want her to cut it. We haven’t had a conversation about that for at least a month now so I will keep quiet.

She keeps her own counsel about many things. She observers first and records it all. The trivial things she will spout off and report to everyone, so we are all informed about any interesting observations around the house, with her brother, or the family. Things closer to her heart, she will keep until she is ready to let go. Many times she won’t ever tell, I hear the most interesting stories from friends instead.

She keeps wonderful secrets. I think she understands much more than I tell her. She is very empathetic as well. She likes to try to watch the news with me in the mornings as I shoo her away. I’m not ready for her to understand too much about war, drugs, shootings, and natural disasters but on the other hand I don’t want to keep her sheltered. Yet, we somehow do it anyway. There is time for her to learn. Maybe I’m happy that it’s not now.

She makes a friend where ever she goes. Our passes expired last weekend at Disneyland so we went one last time and as she sat down at the Star Wars show, she immediately buddied up with an older girl and had a grand old time.

Sam loves her brother and her family so much. She makes sure that Griffin is happy, he has the things he needs, and she always gives him a VERY big hug at night when we go to bed.

My seven year old is so special, so beautiful, and has wonderful manners that many remark to me about. I am so proud to be her Mother.

Here are a few fun pictures that I saw and liked, taken around December of each year.

at ONE

Happy Birthday with her ‘look’!

Her hair looks especially red here

At TWO

We look so happy that she is so happy

at THREE

Love this photo

at FOUR

I had to show off this dress of hers

Her best bud, Morgan, she met at preschool and is in the same class with this year.
So glad she is with wonderful friends that she has known for years!

 I had to include her oldest friend, Kaylee, whom she met at Gymboree when she was three years old.

at FIVE

 So very grown up, all of the sudden!

 With Kaylee, at their Christmas recital again

at SIX

 

at SEVEN

Because Kaylee has been in so many pictures around her birthday, I continued the theme. 🙂

 

I’m so very lucky!