Where to begin? Tonight we sat around on the couch talking about the night before you were born, 8 years ago. It's funny, because as I told the story, all the details came RIGHT back to me as if it happened yesterday...
I remember being absolutely terrified to have a c-section, but with your stubbornness, it was the only safe way to bring you into the world being that you were breech.
Little did I know, that stubbornness would exacerbate over the years to come. 😂
I can't pretend like it's been easy being your Mom, because it hasn't. You have challenged me EVERY single step of the way, and I'm sure your teenage years will prove to be equally as tough.
BUT, you have taught me more in the past 8 years than I could've learned in a lifetime without a daughter like you.
However, over the past year you've grown into a softer Lara. A more loving & empathetic little girl, with a stubborn streak that you're slowly learning to reign.
You love animals more than most humans and with how society has behaved the last couple of years, I don't blame you. You adore your baby sister, even when she swats you in the face and leaves a bloody scratch above your left eye. A scratch that's turned into the ever so slight scar you'll likely carry for a lifetime. You adore that little girl anyway.
You and Sadie have your spats, but deep down, I know you love her light hearted spirit. She brings out a child like side of you that most people don't get to see. Sometimes, when you get home from a day away, you'll both disappear downstairs and play together quietly for an hour or more in your book nook turned Xenos Horse Ranch. 😁
I joke with friends & family that you truly are a better parent than I, and while I laugh it off, deep down I know it's kind of true. You're always watching things unfold around you with an eagle like eye. Waiting for someone to screw up. Today, Lainey grabbed an antibacterial cleaning spray and had it in her mouth...by the time I realized what was happening, you'd already yanked it out of her hand, shocked that I would put her in danger like that. 😂
While we're polar opposites in most ways, you're the little ying to my yang. I love our 1:1 time more than you'll ever know. You open up and talk your little heart out and I get to see how much you're growing into a little lady right before my eyes. You have zero interest in boys and would prefer to grow old with your massive collection of stuffed animals. You display them every so precise in your bed, ensuring you leave just enough space for you to sleep. You're doing cartwheels and back walkovers everywhere you go, constantly flipping around, more than you actually walk.
Over this next year, I pray you grow in confidence. Confidence in who God created YOU to be, Lara Anne. You are strong and stubborn, sure, but you are also full of SO much love & empathy. I want you to be confident enough to have strength but ALSO show the side of you that's humble & kind.
I know people say their wish is for their daughter to be a "world changer," but I don't. I already KNOW you're a world changer. My wish is that God gives your Dad & I the strength to survive parenthood so we can witness the difference you, my girl, will make in this crazy world.
But seriously, can you go easy on us this next year?
XO,
Mom & Dad