Kelly's Hot Mess: December 2020

December 14, 2020

My Dearest Claire,

Oh my goodness...you are DOUBLE DIGITS!

Because you are the youngest, it feels like you are always wanting to be big, and today, you've finally reached the pinnacle of what it means to be 10!

And, what does it mean to be 10?

Well, for starters...it means fourth grade with the most amazing teacher on the planet who has nurtured a love of reading and writing. Often, your nose is buried deep stories about dragons, wizards, adventuring sisters, and crazy escapades of fantasy and science fiction. Currently, you are on the 9th "Wings of Fire" series book and you can't seem to get enough of the characters.

When you're not reading, you're journaling--all of your thoughts and feelings and hopes. Recently, you started a gratitude notebook to document the goodness in your life, and to remind you that blessings abound. Usually when you're writing, you're also listening to music--and man alive do you love a wide range of genres and musicians. By far and away, your favorite is Hamilton. You know all of the words, can do all of the dances (especially to King George), participated in a scene from the musical during your 3rd grade talent show, and are knowledgeable of so much more U.S. History than I ever was it your age. If it ever works out that we can see the production beyond Disney Plus, we will be there.

If I had to select a space to showcase your heart, it would be in the Taekwondo studio. This is your third year of taking classes, and most recently, you advanced to a Red belt. The best way to describe it is that you are not afraid. As one of the smaller students, you can spar with people twice your size and not flinch. You can memorize form, language, and do your due diligence of endurance exercises. You break boards, do countless push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, and are tough--which my God will serve you so well.

Most recently, you've discovered a love of archery. And for your birthday, you received a bow, arrows and lessons. And you know what...you're a decent shot. Diving into this unknown territory is just another example of your willingness to jump, to try, to explore, and to believe that the world is for the taking. This giant piece of your spirit is one of the things that we love so much about you.

This past summer, we took a beautiful family trip to Estes-you rode horses, went hiking, biked all around town, enjoyed loads upon loads of ice cream and declared that you would live on a ranch and own horses. This prompted us to watch the live action version of "Black Beauty" where you fell in love with every horse on screen.

In general, you adore animals and have been begging for a dog. It seems like everyone has gotten a four-legged creature during the pandemic--and in your dreams, we would have a golden retriever. If it was a boy, we'd name him Scout. A girl-we'd name her Honey. Much to your chagrin, we haven't acquiesced, but I have a feeling that it won't be long and we will.

Speaking of passions, you also love to do the Mini New York Times crossword puzzle every morning, and also take a family stab at the Spelling Bee where we work hard to guess a million different spellings of words with only 6 designated letters. You usually pull a word out that we never thought of just in the nick of time.

The truth is Claire-you are beyond extraordinary. You make us laugh with your endless jokes. You amaze us with your kicks and Hutzpah, you intrigue us with the stories you write, you exhaust us with your requests for horses and dogs, and you remind us regularly that life is for the living.

Please know as you grow, that you are deeply loved for the weird, wacky, crazy, feisty, beast of a ball of heart you are. When you wonder if you're too much--don't. The world needs more guttural laughs, full bodied smiles, kee-yah's, karate kicks, and bow/arrow slinging women.