Hey chika pea!
I’m not going to dwell or beat myself up that this letter is 6 ½ months late. Mostly because this letter is about you and not my guilt and I have already had plenty of time to obsess over this failure.

So on with the show. Last September you turned 11! This is such an exciting time. You have entered middle school and are doing quite well. As usual, school is much easier for you than Jacob and a little harder for you than Jackson. Sometimes I think you should have been born a middle child. You are usually so level and right in the middle of things. But alas we have no other good candidates for youngest child so you will have to be it.

This year you have joined the cheer team at Sherwood Middle and worked really hard. In addition to continuing dance, you had daily after-school practice during cheer season. On Wednesdays, going straight from cheer to dance, but handling it like a champ. Your strength and stamina have me in awe.

You continue to be my most emotional child. You love harder, get hurt more, get more excited and give more than any of my other children. You also beat yourself up the most. If I were to have any constructive criticism for you it would be let up on yourself. Please allow yourself the same grace you so freely give to others. No one deserves it more than you, my smart courageous Emme Belle.

And you ARE beautiful, smart, kind and brave. And I want you to know that only three of those are truly important. The beauty is simply a gift, but please continue to focus on the smart, kind and brave. Those will remain with you through out your life if you work on them. The beauty will fade no matter what you do, but you will still rule the world if you remain smart, kind and brave.

E-Belle, I love you more than words can say. It’s common knowledge that I was not expecting you and that a girl was the last thing I was prepared for. But I CAN imagine life without you and I would want NO part of it. You have changed and shaped my life and made me a better person, as you often do with most people you touch. Thanks for showing me what I never even knew I needed. Keep being you and working hard.

All my love,

Momma