Dear Andi, my angel,
Your
year as a six year old was a big one!
First
of all, you started first grade. First
grade seemed like a lot bigger deal for you and me both as compared to when you
started kindergarten. First grade was
the real deal, and we knew it. I’ll
never forget your first day of first grade—I got to be in your classroom and
sit at your new desk as the teacher (Miss Tueller) talked to the parents about
how the year was going to go. As she was
saying something about how she knew this was a big transition for us parents as
we are leaving our babies with her all day, all year long, it was all I could
do to not tear up! Your mom’s a dork,
what can I tell you….
Turns
out, you were super ready for the fun of first grade. You loved being able to eat lunch at school,
have three recesses, and be with your friends all day long. You showed me once again how good you are at
making friends. By the end of the year,
you were good friends with so many different girls in first grade. You knew everyone and you loved being
social. You loved getting involved at
school—You started participating in the school choir—even though your sisters
didn’t want to—and that meant waking up early every Thursday morning. You loved it.
You won an art contest for a bat you drew (your favorite animal!) in the
middle of the year and got to stand up in front of the whole school to receive
your award.
You
danced at Clytie Adam’s dance school in Kaysville and had a big dance program
in Ogden at the end of the school year.
You still seem to enjoy dance and you enjoy being around all the girls
as you get out and get to know everyone.
You
got a new room in the basement this year too.
It was scary and hard for you at first.
You cried a lot and came upstairs a lot in the middle of the night. But eventually you got used to it and came to
appreciate the space you and Abbey have down there. The transition to your new room was not
easy—especially when you add that to all the other changes you had to deal with
this year—so there was some hard times.
But you got through it and blossomed and had courage. I was so proud of you even though it was hard
for me to encourage you to grow.
(Sometimes I’m selfish and want to keep you as my little baby!)
You
became a big sister once again this year!
Your sister Millie June was born on January 3rd. Mom was big and pregnant and uncomfortable
for quite a while, and you were so sweet during all the times I had to lay down
or take it easy. You loved to cover me
with blankets and get me drinks. You are
good at babying me. When Millie arrived,
you couldn’t have been more excited!
Your teacher at school knew all about Millie’s arrival (you told her
everything and kept her posted!) and you absolutely loved to hold her every
chance you got after she was born.
I
spent a lot of time reading with you this year.
Our homework routine became a big part of our life. We really had to crack down on reading and
you had to face the reality of becoming a big girl. Less play time and more academics. You had to work on focusing on learning and
growing and maturing….Something you weren’t always happy with. But as I look back, I can see that you came a
really long way throughout the year.
Grandma Luke was also really good at being your reading buddy. After Millie was born, Grandma knew I needed
some extra help, so she began picking you up after school and taking you to her
house to read. You loved that.
In
the summertime, you took swimming, tennis and you participated in
“Supersport.” You love, love playing
with your sisters, Chloe, your dolls, and your friends. You love family parties and excuses to see
your many different family members. You
spent a lot of time at Lagoon throughout the summer and you even had your #7
birthday party there with the Luke cousins, whom you love.
I
am so proud to call you my daughter. You
are very aware of the people around you, including their thoughts and
feelings. You are funny and make your
family laugh all the time. You care
about how you behave, you are sensitive and try to be kind. You adapt to your surroundings and try to do
your best with what you’re given. (That
was shown more than ever this year as you had many changes to deal with.) You have spunk like your mom and are willing
to give me a taste of my own medicine. J You love to have fun and enjoy life and
family.
I
wish for you this year that you can remember to keep working hard and to keep
learning. I also hope you remember that
Heavenly Father is always there for you if you seek Him. I hope you can continually learn more about
Him and Jesus and the Gospel. Andi, you
may not be able to hold onto or control a lot of things in life but you can
control yourself and do your best. You
can turn to Heavenly Father for strength and help. You can be a fighter and make the best out of
your difficulties. You can derive great
joy and satisfaction from your work and your ambitions and passions in
life. Your daddy Michael was a good
example of that. I know he watches over
you and is so glad you have Eric to love you and tease you and be another dad
for you.
I
call you my angel because you have truly saved me and helped me, just like an
angel would, during my hard times—especially during the process of losing your
Daddy Michael and trying to rebuild our lives after that. You became my purpose and my guiding angel and
friend. I know you were sent to me for a
reason and I love you dearly, forever and ever and ever.
Love,
Mom
