Happy Birthday Kennedy

Dear Kennedy,

 

Today, my precious daughter, you turn seven years old!  Please forgive me, I am not nearly as eloquent as your mother, but I will do my best to describe for you how much I love you and how proud I am of you here on your special day.

 

Of course, you have grown so much this year! You have lost your first teeth!  You look so grown up in your clothes it almost scares me.  When I sort the laundry sometimes I have trouble telling the difference between your shirts and your mother’s!  Mostly, however, I have noticed how much you have grown as a person: emotionally, spiritually, and academically. 

You are so much more confident this year.  I see you being kind to your friends at school.  So often you defer to your little brother to make him happy (even when your parents don’t make you).  You carry on conversations with older kids and adults.  You use so many big words…you must be your mother’s daughter! I can’t believe how quickly you have picked up reading!  It seems like just the other day we were painfully sounding out three letter words and now you are reading full books with no help!  I love how you do the voices!

 

Kennedy, your prayers touch my heart!  God will always love to hear from you, no matter how old you get, but I have to imagine that he has a special place in his heart for the prayer from little girls.  You are so genuine and thankful in your prayers.  Only when you are a parent yourself will you understand how strong my desire is for you to have a personal relationship with Jesus. 

 

This year you have started to develop some passions.   Whenever other people ask me if I want my children to follow in my footsteps and play baseball, I try to convey to them that my desire for them is not so much that they share in my passion for baseball, but that they develop a passion of their own.  This year has been so exciting for me to see you develop a love for art and for swimming.  I love how you pay attention to the details in your art and how you can be so creative and come up with new ways to express your ideas! 

You have such a big heart for other people Kennedy, and I love just how concerned you are for the well being of others.  I love how we still cuddle at night and read together, but I know those days are slipping by quickly.  Tonight at your birthday dinner I made a joke and you just rolled your eyes and told me I was sooo goofy.  You won’t be my little girl forever, but I will always love you and be here for you. 

Happy Birthday Kennedy Wennedy!

Love,

Daddy