Leah woke up bright and early on her birthday. I tell her that she was born after 9:00 at night, so she's not *really* her new age until then. It's funny to hear her tell people it's her birthday, on her birthday, then say, "I'm *going* to be 8." Even though he had a ton of fun in St. Louis and Chicago, it really wasn't the same without Chris. Even when we were in Chicago with him, we rarely saw him. It was nice to do Aladdin and her birthday morning together as a family. For her birthday, Leah got Kanani (a retired American Girl that she had been admiring for a while), a big Lego set, and potholder craft set. Juliet got her a set of Decedents books.
Leah wanted to go to the American Girl restaurant to celebrate, so we did. I even splurged and got the "party package" which is the only way to get a cake. I was skeptical, but it was worth it! The cake was really, really good.
At 8, Leah loves to read more than anything. She loves all sorts of books, and can always be found with a pile of books in her hands. She brings a book on every car ride and loves to go to the library. She is always quoting facts from "Weird But True" books. I love hearing her use the language from some of the books she reads. She will say the funniest phrases sometimes.
Leah still loves chicken nuggets, pretzels and hummus, and fruit. She's rarely hungry in the morning. She loves to go out and eat, and is always asking to do that. She loves candy you suck on like mints and gum. I can't keep those things in my purse because she will constantly ask for them.
Leah and Juliet are still best friends 99% of the time. They love to play and imagine together. They set up elaborate forts, beauty salons for their dolls, and host "sleepovers". They always complain about sleeping together in real life (like on vacations), but I find them cuddled together almost every morning on our vacations.
Leah loves swimming, and did well enough to join the Goldfish swim team. She also loves to dance and do gymnastics. She tried out (and made) our studios Christmas show, and is very excited to dance with the competition dancers. She would really like to try out for that team, too, but because she has so many other interests, it's something that we would need to carefully consider. This summer Leah learned how to do a one handed cartwheel and has showed it off all summer to anyone who would watch. I'm so proud of her! She also loves school and learning. I love hearing her come down at the end of each school day and excitedly talk about what she learned about.
For her birthday, Leah really wanted her ears pierced. She apparently decided to do it after she jumped off Black Rock in Maui. After telling her every thing that could go wrong, all the work that was involved, and any other potential danger I could think of, she still wanted it done. We were reluctant to allow her to do it, I wish she would have wanted to waited anther year or so, but we thought the American Girl Store, on her birthday, was pretty perfect. There was also a little guilt about how little she was seeing Chris.
She lady who pierced her ears took a long time explaining the process. The longer she talked (which was for a while), the more frightened Leah looked. I noticed tears falling down her face and went over to her and started crying, too, telling her she didn't have to do it. She was beautiful just the way she was! She still wanted it done, but was just feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm sure everyone that walked by thought I was some sort of a crazy stage parent.
When it was done, she was so happy! She kept looking at herself in the mirror and smiling. She takes the care of her ears very seriously. She was definitely ready.
Leah, we love you so, so much! We are so excited to see what year 8 brings you. We couldn't even begin to imagine life without you!
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