8 seems like so much more than 7

She has always been the baby, and in my mind she is still 4. A few weeks ago It dawned on me that she was going to be 8, and I cried! I did, I cried, because 8 seems like so much more than 7!

Every year I give her the option of skipping her birthday. "If you would just skip it" I'd beg, "then you can be the same age for one more year, and if you keep skipping it, then you can be my little girl forever!" She used to think about it real hard when she was smaller, and come to me later all apologetic and sad. "Maybe next year" she would say, "maybe I will skip it next time". This year she smiled sweetly, the way she does, and said, "oh Momma, I want to be 8, and I have to grow up". And of course she knows that I really wouldn't want it any other way! I just wish I could slow the clock a bit.

So at eight years old, she is still my baby, and I just love being her Momma.

She always has a song in her heart and on her lips.

She LOVES to make new friends, and she has never met a stranger.

She is the biggest animal lover in our family, and the most tender when it comes to 4 legged creatures.

She hates getting her hair brushed, yet wants to grow it until it reaches the ground.

She has an incredible imagination, and can pretend for hours.

She needs lots of hugs, and I hope she always will.

Strawberries and apples make her feel sick, but she loves oranges, bananas, and grapes. And pizza, and mashed potatoes, and any kind of pasta!

She loves to listen to history CDs and books on CD.

She loves to dress up and wear a bow in her hair, but she can get dirty and play hard with the best of them.

She is itching to get on a stage with a microphone.

She is afraid of lizards, but not of giant gray rats named Chuckie!

She is up for most any adventure, and is definitely the most outgoing of all my children at this age.

She will always be my baby.

She is my ElizaJane!