Brighton turns 8!

Brighton, please stop growing up!
The days are long but the years are short and I can't believe Brighty is 8. It's such a "milestone year" in our culture/religion.  She's right in the middle of being a "little kid" and just being a kid. Although she thinks she's a teenager. ;)
  I need Aaron to take her out for a good 8-year-old photo shoot, but here are a couple shots I got during the rush right before her baptism.

Some things about Brighton at 8:
Loves to read anything funny. i.e. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Ivy and Bean, My Weird School, Dork Diaries
Worships her cousin, Cannon. (I think he's pretty great, too.)
Doesn't like cake, and for the most part prefers healthy foods, except when it comes to Donuts or thin mints girl scout cookies!

Can manipulate Deacon and Piper to do anything she wants or give her anything she wants. (A dangerous skill.)
Had a "rock star" birthday party with 14 girls at our house!
Favorites colors: Bright pink, purple and turquoise (the colors of her bedroom)
Loves playing with friends: Elle, Reese, Katie, Anila  She especially loves doing arts and crafts with friends.


For Halloween she wanted to be a "tap dancing butterfly queen from Hawaii." Cause why not?


 

I love how quirky and silly she is!

Favorite chore: cleaning toilets
Least favorite chore: Cleaning her room.

I write my kids letters every 6 months or so. It started when Brighton was 3 and I just got this glimpse of her as a teenager and it wasn't gonna be pretty. I wanted to document how I felt about her all these years so she would know how much I've always loved her even when she hates me (which she will). I don't share them on my blog cause they're super-duper cheesy but here's an excerpt from one I wrote to her in November.:

You may never fully understand how much I love you. How much my heart aches to keep you young and with me forever. Sometimes I see you in these moments of "kid bliss" like when you win a carnival game or pop bubbles out of the air and you're so happy and I just take these mental pictures that can bring me to tears later. You mean SO much to me. You're always in my heart. Always.
Mommy