Brooklyn turned six (In August!)

Oh my dear daughter, happy birthday! So sad that it is January and I'm finally writing this for you. I do believe this year's birthday letters on the blog will likely be my last. I am terrible about keeping up with it. So here are the memories of your sixth year...

Always a good time at the beach house with cousins. Your childhood will be saturated with those memories. You girls love to imagine, pretend and create together at the beach house and at home.

I must say it makes me a little sad that you do not like your curls AT ALL. You want a bun or a pony most days to keep those curls controlled. We have straightened your hair a handful of times but its a lot of work and doesn't last too long! I (and everyone else) think your curls are absolutely beautiful and one of the best parts of you!

You and Audrey have the best time together!

You and Annika were on the same soccer team this year. It was so fun that you got to play together. We loved being able to cheer you both on. You did great and scored a few goals. This year defense was your favorite!

You decided to get your ears pierced for your sixth birthday. Lots of tears with the anticipation of it all, but when they actually pierced them you said it wasn't too bad!

You and some fun first grade friends! We celebrated with a boy/girl pool party for both you and Hudson. You all had such a blast!

You are my emotional, dramatic, entertaining one my dear. you love to make others smile and you enjoy life to the fullest. You make everyone smile when  you enter the room!

You have come a long ways with your relationship to the ocean! You used to run in fear at any wave and this summer you let Ethan teach you how to boogie board! We decided to try out wetsuits which has helped a lot with the enjoyment of the ocean!

You are a very good helper Brooklyn. You are usually up for helping me with anything in the kitchen or around the house. 

You love babies and were so excited to meet Sierra De Jong this summer and get to cuddle and hold her. 

I love to watch you and your big sister Morgan. I am so glad you have eachother, a sister relationship is the best! You two really get along quite well...of course there are lots of moments of fighting but mostly you work together to play a game, create a game, imagine and play American Girl dolls.

In Kindergarten you each have a fifth grade buddy. Your buddy goes to chapel with you and does special projects with you throughout the year. Yours was a student that mommy actually tutors a couple times a week and you two got along perfectly. Your personalities just totally clicked.

Buds!!! You and Hudson have such a fun relationship. You get along great. You two fight the least in the family. Often you divide and play with Morgan while Hudson plays with Ethan, but the moments are super sweet when you play together and get your own thing going. You more or less ignore each other at school and stick to your own friends though.

You love spending time with me and I am so thankful! You have great questions and observations about life, relationships and spirituality. I love our discussions and time together. I hope we always have this easy relationship. You are however quite strong willed when you want to be, so mommy prays that I can help shape and mold that will to do great things for God.

Twins! 

I love the girl time the three of us have together. This past year we watched a lot of Fixer Upper together and I loved being able to do that with you girls.

You had the BEST kindergarten teacher and such a good year at school. You learned so much, mostly how to love others and love school! I was very sad when Kindergarten was over!

I love this pic because its one of the few high ponies you let me put in your hair. Those curls are just so cute!!

Independent spirit....This particular evening you grabbed the blanket at Spanish Bay and walked all by yourself around all the fire pits and down by the bag piper. You are so confident in who you are and I pray God continues to grow that in you, while keeping you humble to what he wants to do in your life.

You love life....especially at the beach!!

We had a blast in Canada for Christmas. You had fun sledding until you took a few face plants in that freezing snow!

You have a lot of fun with your daddy. You two love to have dance parties in the kitchen and color together too. This picture was taken at the hotel we stayed in before we flew out to Canada. You four loved exploring the hotel and experiencing something new.

Merry Christmas! You 4 are the best of friends and the biggest enemies all in the same hour sometimes. Mom and Dad are doing our best to help you navigate this world and praying we will all be more like Christ each day.

You had your first cavities filled this year and you literally giggled the whole time...for some reason you thought the drill was tickly...crazy girl!

Family fun-We do our best to make time to have fun together, explore and just enjoy each other. Some days are more enjoyable than others, but that is life. Dad and Mom pray that you will have memories of lots of fun and meaningful times together. 

Girls night out!!

This year you got to participate in a Jr Cheer camp. You loved every minute of it, especially the dance and watching the big cheerleaders do their thing. Your natural sense of rhythm and love of music has me wondering if you will be a cheerleader in high school!

Brooklyn Helena, you bring humor, dance, joy and wisdom into our family and we can't imagine life without you sweet girl!