10 Things

Ten things (of many more) that I absolutely love about my wonderful four (and a half) year old....Brooke:

1. She's beautiful. I look at her every day and marvel at how perfect she is and how beautiful she is. I love her blonde hair and blue eyes and I love that we have those in common (the blonde hair & blue eyes). I love how tall she is and know that in about 10 years, her dad and I are going to have grey hair because of said blonde hair, blue eyes and long legs.
2. She doesn't back down. This girl has some serious back bone. She doesn't let people run over her and stands up for what she believes in her heart to be right. What an amazing quality to have at 4! Along with this is her sense of adventure. She loves to tear off on any adventure, especially if it involves the outdoors or animals. She is perfectly content to go investigate down by the creek, or wade out in the water of a lake and try to catch a tadpole in her hands. This quality reminds me of my dad and I love that she's inherited that quality.
3. She's smart. I love seeing and hearing how much she's learned each day and I am constantly amazed at all she knows. I love to see her brain work and see her process information and then have conversations with us. I'm still amazed at how well she carries a conversation and follows what we're talking about. There are countless people that this quality reminds me of, but her conversation skills and her ability to soak in information remind me of my father-in-law.
4. Her laugh. This girl's laugh is so contagious and so whole hearted you can't help but laugh with her. She lights up a room with her smile and can seriously light up the world with her laugh.
5. She's independent. She wants to try to accomplish things on her own and do things herself. Yes, I know, this same trait drives me insane half the time. But in all honesty, I wouldn't want a daughter any other way than incredibly independent. Every woman in our family encompasses this trait. Grandmothers, mother, mother-in-law, sisters, aunts - every last one of them is tenacious and independent.
6. She's strong. The strength of her heart and her compassion amazes me. When we lost my father-in-law last year, I was deeply touched by her quiet strength as she watched and helped each of us deal with his loss. She handles Mom's MS issues as well as some of the adults in my life and better than some others. I see that she wants as much information to process so she can understand and react and help.
7. She's compassionate. This girl loves. She feels things that the people she loves feels. I love watching her around Mom. She loves her Nana and hates for her Nana to be hurting. She's that way with everyone. She's the first to offer up a hug or a kind word.
8. She's spunky. Who doesn't love this quality?! It relates to so many of her other qualities, but there is no better word for Brooke. Spunky is the word for my daughter, for sure!
9. She's a great big sister. Sure they have their moments, but she shares her things with Briana, she looks out for Briana, she plays with her, holds her hand, helps her when she gets frustrated. There is a love between them that I pray continues a lifetime and I know that Brooke is instrumental in developing that relationship because Briana watches her big sister.
10. She's athletic. I love this because it reminds me of so many people in my family. Roger played so many sports and excelled in baseball. I remember watching him play in college. Mom played volleyball in a league, even after I was born and I remember watching her, Christi was a great volleyball player (until that blasted knee injury), Tammy excelled in basketball, and on and on. Those of you who know me well know that my childhood nickname was 'Grace', as in 'Way to go Grace', but I still managed to play a little basketball. I love that Brooke actually does seem to be athletic and graceful. She'll be able to enjoy sports and the team atmosphere, and she'll remember her parents, sister, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends sitting on the sidelines, cheering her on during her games and maybe even remember her grandfather almost getting thrown out of any number of games because he was so passionate about his kids and grand kids playing (I so miss you, Poppy!).

So there you have it. I snapped this picture of Brooke and just love the picture and so I wanted to post 10 things I love about her to go with this great picture.

What's your favorite quality of Brooke's? I keep a journal for each of my girls and would love to print out your favorite qualities for Brooke's journal.