Oh, NINE

My sweetest Ellen girl -

NINE sounds old. Big. Real kid stuff. Next year, I'm sure the double digits will throw me for a tailspin. But - the thought that we've had you under our roof for HALF of your "under the roof" time already is just mind boggling. And sad. I'm acutely aware that our family time with you as a child whom we can make decisions for is increasingly short, even without throwing the teenage mayhem smack in the middle.

All this to say that I'm trying to soak in every minute of you. You are delightful and thoughtful and smart and curious and talented and persistent and brave. You also most definitely have moments of angst (some real, most not), poorly timed acute deafness (pick up your shoes!!), sister pestering and drama drama drama. All of it comes with with the package of being a real, dimensional person and I'm (almost always) glad we get to come along for the ride.

You've made so many strides this year with your ukulele and singing and people keep asking where this musical talent comes from?? We are very unsure. Nevertheless, you expressed interest in uke on a whim (thanks, America's Got Talent) and I was willing to give it a go, fully expecting it might fizzle out. Well - here we are about 18 months later and it seems to come so easily to you. You sing All. The. Time. I love watching you hear a song, look it up online and start playing it pretty darn well within minutes. I almost never have to remind you to practice, which is a sign of how much you really love it. Your confidence in being on stage and learning what those stomach butterflies feel like are life skills that I know will take you so far.

You also stretched yourself this year with skateboarding. You enjoy watching our neighbor skate and were totally on-board with a class this summer, but had MAJOR jitters when we pulled up to a skate park full of relatively experienced boys. I pushed you into an uncomfortable situation, knowing that you might storm off in tears, but again - you rose to the occasion. And loved it and learned so much. I hope you know that I've always got your back, but sometimes that means pushing you forward.

Dad and I loved traveling to NYC with you this Fall. I couldn't have been more excited to see Hamilton with you and I hope it's a memory you always have. We had the most excellent trip and you were such a good traveler - helpful and flexible and excited about all of the exciting things. You are so mature and, truly, a great conversationalist - I love sharing "vacation mom" time with you.

You continue to do well in school and I can increasingly see you challenging yourself and noticing how you are doing in comparison with others. I'm doing my best to funnel that competitive spirit in productive ways. Your classmates elected you as a Student Council representative, which was such a nice honor. We talked a lot about what it looks like to be a leader and I hope you hold those lessons close. You have an excellent class this year and have made even more nice friends, all while doing a better job of navigating the normal girl drama.

I can't wait to see what the next year holds for you. I love our little chats and the quick rides to and from lessons are often times you'll pipe up and say, "I wanted to talk with you about this ...". Or, "when we get home later, I have something I want to talk with you about". I do my best to open my ears, really hear you, and give you some perspective on the big picture ... Is this worth discussing? Is this our business? How can we show kindness here? What is the lesson we've learned?" I always, always want to hear what you have to say and am so happy you feel comfortable sharing.

I love you so, so much!
Mom