And I'm telling you, there are not many people more excited about birthdays than this girl right here.
She has determined that this will be her "second golden birthday" since she was too young to remember the first one. I mean, her reasoning is sound, double 1's make the golden birthday doubly as good, right?
1) Lucy is a light. Which is fitting since her name is derived from the Latin word for Light. She can light up a room when she gets in one of her funny moods, but she also has the kind of light that comes from her heart. She never wants to leave anyone out and has a heart of gold.
2) She has some serious dance moves and isn't afraid to use them.
3) She is a journal-keeper like her mother and spills out pages and pages of life stories when she's in the mood.
4) She is smart. She works so hard in school and likes to keep track of all her assignments just so. She also has a surprisingly full vocabulary and will whip out some pretty amazing words every now and again that are right on par.
5) Lucy is organized. She is my most talented child at order and putting things away.
6) She wears her feelings on her sleeve. Now, this could be taken is something not-so-great, and believe me, it sometimes is. But you always know where you stand with this girl! And sometimes that's refreshing.
7) She is a good friend. To her friends and to their mamas :) She texts them all on a regular basis filled with emojis and hearts and light (they are good sports to put up with all those texts!) Her teacher told me the other day that she is always looking out for friends to make sure she knows where they are and whether they need anything.
8) She's a great learner. She pays attention and puts her heart into things like learning Braille and counting out her piano (and now handbell) pieces (you should hear her count out those measures, she's mastered that skill I tell you!). She listens to her teacher and practices her math facts like nobody's business.
9) She is spunky, determined, and as stubborn as they come, and these qualities are going to take her places in life.
10) She is brave. I thought her classmate said it best when her Braille teacher and I went to talk to her class about her syndrome and her deteriorating vision (back here). He raised his hand when we were done talking and said, "The thing about Lucy is that she doesn't let any of this stuff get her down. She is still just happy." How true that is. She bravely marches forward with her little can-do attitude about all the things that affect her from her syndrome and sometimes calms my troubled heart as she makes her way through her world.
11) She knows she is a daughter of God. She feels it in her soul. She makes the most beautiful observations about life and Heaven and her Savior and asks deep and thoughtful questions. We still read Narnia books together when we can and she connects so much of that symbolism to life without even a prompting. She teaches me more than I can say.
Love you forever Lulu!