Ridenour Ranch: May 2018

Our sweet one and only girlie girl turned seven years old a couple days ago. Seven seems like it is getting into sorta big girl territory. She has lost her front teeth and big ones have grown in. That has certainly changed her little girl appearance! I have become obsessed with buying her clothes this year. Now that I know I will not have another girl I want to buy her all the things! This is ironic because they will get so much less use than the boy stuff! For her birthday I got her a bunch of Matilda Jane clothes, a dr. Barbie, and a new sleeping bag for all our summer camping trips. Gil got her a batman Lego. She actually really wanted the Lego. All the boys have been getting them and she wanted one too! One to put on her "desk" (aka dresser). She got the Harley Quinn one with Bat Woman (who Mikey calls "Kitty Girl" 😂). She got to have a party early (May 4th) with her entire class. They played hard outside and in and had cake and ice-cream and pizza and jello and cheese puffs and NONE of the fruit salad I made...it was fun to see her interact with her classmates and get to know them better. Then on her actual birthday we had a low-key day. It is one of the first days of summer vacation so we are all still adjusting to the new summer routine. Cora wishes she could go to summer school! After supper we had my parents over for a little cake and ice-cream out on the deck. When Gil asked her how her day was going when he came home for lunch she replied, "Goodish, the boys keep trying to tackle me." And so it goes as the sister of four boys...

Cora, you are just a pure delight! You are funny and smart and sensitive. You are a kind and generous person. You jump to help your brothers whenever they need something. You do everything with a lot of heart and enthusiasm. You are a true optimist! You are becoming strong and love trying new things. You love to ride your bike, swing, run, attempt cartwheels, sing, color, look at your reflection. You love your body and have no shame which I just love and I hope to keep it that way. You are beautiful inside and out and we often get comments to that effect. This year you have lost your two front teeth (as well as some bottom ones), learned to ride a bike, learned to read really well (we like to read Junie B. Jones books together and just started Little House in the Big Woods), finished the first grade, and accomplished so much more...We love you sunshine!