Well, double digits. Little did I know a decade ago how my life would be changed and made better by this beautiful, sassy, willful, kind girl who made me a mother for the first time. She is not a morning person. Never has been. She is a night-hawk like her Mama, preferring to finish the last few pages of the book than give in to heavy eyes. She loves makeup and fashion and hair - not exactly like her Mama in that regard. She is equal parts loving and mean to her little sister, but in the end is always the first one to jump to her defense when the going gets tough. She is a drama queen with a flair for spectacular meltdowns, but also a soft-hearted friend who writes surprise notes to cheer people up and donates her carefully saved money at every opportunity.
She likes to sing in the shower, sometimes forgetting the whole purpose is to wash and finds prat falls and physical comedy exceptionally hilarious. She is obsessed with preganacy and birth but panics in an emergency so maternity care is not likely in her future. She counts to ten and gives herself pep talks to get through struggles and has conquered her fear of public speaking (well, mostly). She is easily distracted by reflective surfaces and yet can be so focused on getting what she wants. She is the first one on my bed, pouring out her heart when there is an issue and the first to offer a cool cloth for my headache. She is the last to pitch in when it is time to do dishes or yard work.
I love her to pieces. Sometimes I want to scream, she drives me so crazy. She is already slamming doors and getting embarrassed by us - oh, pre-teen years, here we come. But deep down, under all the silly, the crazy, the slow-poking and the attitude, she is the little girl who turned our lives upside down forever and I wouldn't change a single thing about her. Okay, well maybe the meltdowns.
Brielle, we love you more than you can ever know and we adore watching you grow each year into a more beautiful, kind and unique person.
Love,
Mom, Dad, Emery & Charlie xoxoxoxo
Here a couple of portraits of my girl to commemorate her tenth birthday.