Dear Cadence,
Pier 39 in San Francisco a few days before your birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! A month ago today you turned 4--an age you looked forward to for months! We celebrated your birthday in California, in the very same area of the country where you were born. We were lucky enough to be at Merica and Damian's house. You had birthday pancakes, which you hardly ate, and then you got to pick out your own party dress--a task you took very seriously!
We had a lunch party with Merica and girls at Sweet Tomatoes, one of our favorite places to meet up with them back when we lived in Walnut Creek. You were excited but didn't eat much, and felt feverish and achey. You poor thing, you tried so hard to be excited and grateful, but you just didn't feel like yourself!
That night we had a party with many of our friends from our ward in Walnut Creek, at the very same park where we celebrated your second birthday: Walden park. There were so many wonderful friends that came to wish you happy birthday, such as Ambyr and McKenna and Brady (Hawks), Rebecca Joy (Palmer), Alana (Mediana), Malachi and baby sister (Price), SaraJane and Brady (Houghton), Emma, JR, Abby and another sister of theirs (Carlson), Wes and Linda Carlson (whom we lived with for a few months when you were little), Johnny and Morgan Holbrook, and a few others that I probably would remember if my brain were supplied with a little more sleep and a little less sugar. We were so happy to see all those friends, although you were a little overwhelmed with all the adults who seemed to know who you were.
Let me tell you a little about 4-year-old you:
You are the mother hen. You absolutely must be involved in caring for your younger sisters. You shower (smother?) little Layla with kisses and you keep a close eye on Campbell, making sure she doesn't get into any trouble. You have so much love, and so much energy, that sometimes (most of the time) that turns into squeezing and kissing a little too hard.
Like you've always been, you are incredibly socially aware. You hear every conversation. You tell me everything. You talk your way through life, literally! As your naps are becoming a part of your past, and quiet times replace them, we've had some very frustrating times, because you just want to talk to me the whole time, and I just want you to try to spend some time quietly working and not talking...which hasn't happened yet...
You consider yourself one of the adults. I'm a little nervous about sending you to preschool for the first time, since you like to be the one giving instructions, and not following them! But you can't wait for school and I know that you love learning, so you will really enjoy it.
Your heart is huge. In spite of your stubbornness and need to argue with most everythign you are told, you still like to take a quiet moment a few times a day to tell me, "I love you mommy," or "Mom, you melt my heart", or (my personal favorite) "Mom, I love you so much, I'm never gonna not obey you!" The best part about these sweet nothings is the way your little hand wraps around mine, your little face touching my cheek, your eyes get almost glazed over as you try to be dramatic in your expressions of love. You do this to Daddy, too, and you can be sure that is the highlight of his days.
You are still a party girl! You love to party. You cannot be stopped. If there is a party somewhere, you will not rest until we get there. In fact, at this very moment you are snapping a party hat on my head while I tell you to do your coloring and leave me alone!
You want to know everything. Where is that neighbor going? Why are the tomatoes green? Where do the birds go? Questions questions all day long! And you remember the answers. The world is slowly beginning to make sense and you are actively putting all the little pieces of the puzzle together each day.
You are an artist! Your pictures have a great deal of detail and thought. You use your colors brilliantly. I never want to get rid of your artwork, it's always so beautiful to me! You especially love to color rainbows, and always in the correct order of colors.
You love to dance. Still. You still got the moves. You are especially interested in ballet right now and love to get up on your toes and twirl.
You play dress ups almost every day, and dancing comes along with it!
Since you are sitting right next to me, why don't I ask you a few questions about yourself:
Cadence, if you could tell yourself something when you get to be a big girl, like Aunt Mikee, what would you say?
"I actually dreamed about getting swallowed by a whale. I made the whale throw up and it threw up me. That was like a scary cloud storm."
What's your favorite color? I don't know! I like all the colors that are on the party hat, mom."
Favorite animal? All of them in the zoo, every one; every one in the zoo, like all of them.
Movie? Um, pinoch...um, every movie that we have that we didn't have before, like Princess and the Frog. And Rapunzel. Both those movies are so good that I want them forever! But I don't have princess and the frog.
Treat? Candy Bar. Peppermint, the kind that Santa Clause brings, the one that's a candy cane.
Thing to do? Swing!
Best friend? uh... Laira (Claire, new neighbor who is 11), maybe when I'm Laira's age, I'll be able to play with her. Then she'll be able to be my friend! When am I gonna be her age?
What do you miss about Chicago? My friends, Autumn (actually one of her new friends here in AR), Jacob, and everyone who came to my school: Simon, James, Sarah, Maxwell.
Did we have a fun summer? Yes!
What did we do? Swaim! giggles. Oooh, snainners!
Okay, interview is over--I can tell you are done!You are an incredibly capable, loving, and energetic girl, and as your parents, we are having so much fun participating with you as you grow up. We have no greater joy than to teach you and take you places to have new experiences. We love to see your face light up and that smile spread across it. You bring a special zest for life into our family.
We love you we love you we love you. I love you.
Love,
Mom.
4 comments:
Ahh, Cadence. We miss you here too. Sarah still asks if we can play with you from time to time.
I read every word of this, and smiled the whole time! Cadence is so loved.. And what a sweet, perfect mother she has! Seriously.. Is there ANYONE better for the job? Nope.
this was so fun to read. I could hear her little voice in the interview. You're such a good mama. I need to be like you and "capture" my kids at each age.. i'll be glad i did.
I (Spencer) need to add an important note to Cadence's birthday. She wasn't feeling well because she was constipated, and one of the cutest moments of her birthday was when she was trying to go to the bathroom and Mardee walked by and heard her talking so she stopped and listened. Cadence was saying a prayer on the pot asking Heavenly Father to help her go to the bathroom and she went. She felt better the rest of the day. That's my girl!
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