It's official! We have a 7-year-old! Kenzie turns seven today and it is crazy to think that this amazing girly has been earthside with our family for seven whole years now. As I always say... I still remember the moment I held her for the first time. Her and her crazy breech legs that popped up the moment you pushed them down. Still makes me giggle thinking about it.
In lieu of the typical birthday letter that I have written to the kiddos in the past... this year we are doing 7 things about Kenzie!! =) Without further ado... Kenzie in a (sort of) nutshell.
1. Kenzie still has the world's greatest outlook on life. Her positive nature is contagious. She loves everything about life and always has an encouraging word when we need it. If you are feeling down, hang out with Kenzie. Life is (almost always) sunshine and rainbows. That doesn't mean she doesn't have her moments and lately we are seeing flashes of the pre-teen/teenager she is likely to become with random emotional breakdowns about silly things... but she remains positive and hopeful almost all the time.
2. Kenzie LOVES all things dance. She has grown so much as a dancer over the last four years and is seriously starting to come into her own. She just finished Combo 2 - Jazz and Ballet and is likely doing a similar class for one more year next year before she picks just one style (though there is an option to move her up if it isn't enough for her but we will cross that bridge when we get there). We love watching her dance. And she loves putting on a show. She loves to listen to music and "choreograph" her own dances, too.
3. Kenzie is still mostly legs and crazy tall. I don't measure her too often anymore but I figure she is somewhere around 51" tall (91st percentile). We think she had a bit of a growth spurt recently so I'm glad we didn't buy too much new clothing for this school year. Most of her height continues to be made up in legs so finding appropriate shorts and pants long enough to fit her legs and still make them fit her tiny stomach is still a challenge but we make it work.
4. Kenzie is a fish. Or mermaid, I guess, if you ask her. She is obsessed with swimming. Last year she was really coming into her own... this year she has gained skills I never thought I would see out of her since she is usually a look before you leap type of kid. She not only can swim with real strokes and doesn't need to flip to her back any more to "rest", but she is jumping in the deep end (canonball jumps are her jam) and then swimming out to specific places rather than just turning around immediately and going back to the wall. She is trying to learn to "streamline" which is apparently a dive style way to go into the pool from a sitting position. I don't know. She learned that in swimming lessons this year she said. She can do flips and handstands underwater. She can dive down (starting in the water... not from the side) to the bottom of a 6 foot pool and touch the bottom. She has grown leaps and bounds from that kid that screamed through 20 swimming lessons some 5 years ago.
5. Kenzie is obsessed with anything academic in nature. She loves to play school but it also isn't uncommon to find her randomly reading a chapter book or working on math problems in workbooks. She is obsessed with mastering multiplication at this point and loves to practice spelling. She actually requests workbooks to practice random academic skills. It's strange but we let her do it because she has such a love for school that we never want her to lose.
6. Kenzie continues to be Miss Independent. She wants to do everything on her own if possible. She can now make simple breakfasts and most of her own lunches. She always wants to help too, if it isn't something she can do alone... like make dinner. She is constantly asking us if she can help with something or if she thinks she can do it alone, if she can do something on her own even when we don't want her to do it necessarily.
7. Kenzie caught the creativity and entrepreneur bug. She loves to make art projects and then open "stores" to "sell" them. Mostly to her brother and us. This summer she created Kenzie's Kite Shop and took orders. She seriously created a product, then opened a storefront... then an online business. She took special orders, had promotions, and was downright surprising with what she was coming up with. She's going places, this kid.
Kenzie is such a bright, shining star. She dances to the beat of her own drum and doesn't let things get her down unnecessarily. I hope she continues to be a fun-loving, energetic, independent girl and I am excited we get front row seats to all the things she will do in life.
Happy 7th birthday to our favorite girl! We wish nothing but the best for you as you make your next trip around the sun and for years to come. Keep on singing, dancing, smiling, and loving. You make us better just because you are ours. Here's to you, Kiddo!
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