If I don't say it enough....

My beautiful Cameron,

If I don't say it enough, you are growing into such a wonderful young lady.  You have started to see what it is like to have some independence and have challenges.  You have made new friends and shown yourself to have an open and giving heart.  You have started to see the consequences of the choices that you make, and you are quick to rebound and ask for forgiveness.  If I don't say it enough, we discipline you because we love you and want you to continue to become a girl that reflects God's love. 

 You are a generous big sister, quick to offer a distraction to your brother when Mommy is trying to finish a task around the house.  You love to see his big smile when you use your funny voice or dance around.  He gazes at you with wonder and love in his eyes.  My heart just melted when I snuck around the corner just the other day and  you were sitting in your brother's room showing him books and making him laugh.  I want to treasure these days before he is on the move and will inevitably be invading "your space" and taking off with your things.  If I don't say it enough, thank you for loving our family and being such a big helper.  You have a desire to please and honor us and I hope you know how grateful we are for you.

Your daddy has been so proud of you and your growing interest in sports.  After he went to a coaching conference in College Station, he brought you back your first cheerleader uniform.  You are still a bit of a fairweather fan for most things, just waiting to see who Daddy roots for and then joining in.  But he took you to a few basketball games this past month and said you were absolutely adorable with your passionate cheering.  At one point you yelled to the opposing team, "San Marcos, DON'T DO GOOD!"  He said he was happy to have a buddy to go with and that the real cheerleaders were quite taken with you.  So much for his efforts to show you the perks of actually playing sports... You were pretty excited about the possibility of just cheering!

But you are a strong athlete and quick learner!  You started gymnastics about a month ago and are doing great.  You are great at following instructions and you try not to take shortcuts.  Your teacher was impressed with your quick progression and said you will be fine to promote up to the next age group soon.  We just want you to have fun and be confident that you are capable doing things that may be different or even scary at first.  If I don't say it enough, you should keep your body healthy and be proud that God loves you just the way you are, a brilliant girl who can take on anything you want.

Not only that, but you are branching out into soccer too!  Our sweet friends the Davis family have organized a Wednesday group for a bunch of kids around your age that meets in their neighborhood park.  Most weeks you do fun practice drills and work on basic ball-handling skills, but you did have a few "scrimmages" where you were divided into teams and actually kept score.  It was a bit of a free-for-all, but you had a great time.  You actually scored 3 goals for your own team and 1 for the other team too!  My favorite part is when you had scored the first goal of the game and then another little boy from the other team scored.  You told him that he should be on your team, like you were forming a strategic alliance!  What a big thinker you are.  :)

 If I don't say it enough, I will try to do a better job.  We love, love, love you and are so lucky to be your family.  Thanks for being my best girl.

Hugs and Kisses,
Mama