My Girl! My Little Baby Blue! My Annabelly-Boo-Boo-Face!
Once itty bitty…
And now so tall, graceful and grown(ish) up.
(Sob!)
HAPPY10thBIRTHDAY, sweet girl!
The Little Miss has had a great year.
She has truly **SPARKLED** as she learned and grew and took flight.
Because if you ever wondered what a real life fairy looked like, this is it!
She is JOYand LIGHTand MAGIC, all in one beautiful package…inside and out.
This year the Little Miss fell in love with the works of William Shakespeare. He’s such a perfect author for her because his writings share her brilliance, spirit, whimsy, and love for the written word. His passion for love and life jump off the page, just as hers jumps forth from her beautiful heart.
And so with help from her favorite author and playwright, I give you…
Our 10-Year-Old Little Miss
She is…
Daddy’s Girl
It is a wise father who knows his own child. -Merchant of Venice
If by chance I talk a little wild, forgive me; I had it from my father. -Henry VIII
Mommy’s Delight
and Helper!
My father’s wit, and my mother’s tongue, assist me! -Love’s Labours Lost
I have unclasp’d to thee the book even of my secret soul. -Twelfth Night
Zoo Keeper
Monkey Trainer, Lion Tamer…
How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. -Merchant of Venice
Friend (and Family!) Magnet
I would not wish any companion in the world but you. -The Tempest
Camp Counselor
I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends. -Richard II
Shakespearean Scholar A Ravenous Reader and Author in Training!
To be, or not to be, that is the question. -Hamlet
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. -Julius Ceasar
Mover and Shaker A Graceful Gazelle, Awesome Athlete, and Dancing Diva!
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. -As You Like it
Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing. -Troilus and Cressida
Adventure Seeker
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear, millions of mischiefs. -Julius Ceasar
We know what we are, but know not what we may be. -Hamlet
Feelings Feeler
A heart to love, and in that heart, Courage, to make’s love known. -Macbeth
O, when she’s angry, she is keen and shrewd! She was a vixen when she went to school; And though she be but little, she is fierce. -Midsummer Night’s Dream
The course of true love never did run smooth. -Midsummer Night’s Dream
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What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. -Romeo and Juliet
Dear Heart
Beauty lives with kindness. -The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. -Anotony & Cleopatra
TEN Year Old Little Miss!
Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em. -Twelfth Night
My girl, my bright shining star, my Little Miss went and turned another year old.
She’s NINE!
Oh, I can hardly believe it. Happy Birthday, my darling girl. You, the one who first made me a Mama.
From the moment you were born, your Daddy and I knew we were holding someone special. You, my Fairy Bright, are made of pure sparkle and sunshine. With a song ever on your lips, and imagination brewing in that brilliant noggen of yours, you fill our lives with JOY and SURPRISE and WONDER.
These days there’s nothing you like better than to (confiscate some befuddled parents’ iphone and…) blast your favorite tunes so that you can throw an impromptu dance party with any friend, foe (little brothers!), or puppy dog in your sparkle-radius. And so I thought I would commemorate your NINTHyear with some of your favorite songs. Songs that, just like you, make us want to sing and dance and CELEBRATE this glorious life that God has blessed us with.
And so dance on, Little Miss. Dance on, like the Jesus-loving, sparkle-sprinkling Little Rockstar that you were born to be.
Ode to my Little Miss on your 9th birthday
A Sunbeam, Shining Light and Joy Wherever She Goes
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the [ninth!] of July
Cause baby you’re a firework!
(Firework by Katy Perry)
A Mighty Heart who will Love and Change the World
This is my fight song, take back my life song
Prove I’m alright song
My power’s turned on, starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
(Fight Song by Rachel Platten)
The Pied Piper of FUN with Friends and Family
The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells, “What you gonna do with your life?”
Oh daddy dear, you know you’re still number one
But girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun!
(Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper)
Life of The Party, with an EYE for Fashion!
I’ve got a fever coming on, and now it’s beating on my bones
I feel like diamonds or some gold, so DJ play it that’s my song
(Hair Up! by Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani)
A Mover and a Shaker!
Come on let’s twist again like you did last summer
Yeah, let’s twist again like you did last year
Do you remember when things were really hummin’
Yeah let’s twist again, twist the time is here
(Let’s Twist Again by Chubby Checker)
A Curious Mind and a Growing Faith
Precious Jesus, I am ready to surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer, Lord I need to meet you there
Come and join us, in the river, come find life beyond compare
He is calling, He is waiting, Jesus longs to meet you there
(To The River by Brian Doerksen)
Magician (and Pianist!) Owning the Stage
If you believe in magic, come along with me
We’ll dance until morning till there’s just you and me
And maybe, if the music is right
I’ll meet you tomorrow, sort of late at night
And we’ll go dancing, baby, then you’ll see
How the magic’s in the music and the music’s in me
(Do You Believe In Magic, The Lovin’ Spoonful)
Lightning Speed Flashing Across the Field
(and Court and Pool…)
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar!
(ROAR by Katy Perry)
Punchline of Your Favorite Joke
Because I’m happy/Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy/Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy/Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy!
(Happy by Pharrell Williams)
Feeler of all the FEELS, like a Billowing Ocean Wave
When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad!
(My Favorite Things by Julie Andrews)
Conqueror of Mountains (Climber of Trees!)
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter, footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone
(What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, Kelly Clarkson)
A Dreamer with Great Hope and Plans for the Future
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see…
The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be, as long as life endures.
(Amazing Grace, John Newton)
Beloved Little Miss – Our Bright Shining Star!
Sweet [Annabelle]
Good times never seemed so good
I’d be inclined
To believe they never would
(Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond)
Happy birthday, Little Miss. Long may you sing. Long may you dance. Long may you SHINE.
