Our Little Princess turns nine today! Lexi made us parents and?we will forever be grateful that she is in our family. Here are five things that make Lexi tick and make us love her so much!
Intelligent
Lexi learned to talk at a very young age and has been sharing her opinion on how things should be ever since. She has a very strong desire to learn about anything she can (Except bugs. Keep the bugs away if you value your hearing). Recently her Grandpa Scott, Uncle TJ and I were setting up a swing at the cabin. We had worked hard on this project and Lexi was very observant the entire time. This wasn’t just a little swing, it?is a metal bar that spans between two trees. It was quite the project. We got to a point where we were about to lift the bar and lash it to the trees. We got one side up and were working on the other side?when Lexi decides to ask why we aren’t putting the swing on the bar first. We all looked at each other,?desperately trying to think of a reason to keep our dignity intact. But, she was absolutely right. So we lowered the bar, attached the swing and then humbly continued on with the project. This observation from Lexi saved us a bunch of time and impressed me greatly with how she can look at a problem and figure out a solution.
Caring
Lexi is such a caring little girl. Sometimes she cares too much and it is hard to see her sweet feelings get hurt. When she was in first grade she asked Brandi to start making two sandwiches for her school lunch. Brandi was instantly worried that she had not been eating enough and was hungry at school. Lexi told her about a little boy in her class that didn’t ever have a big lunch and Lexi wanted to bring him a sandwich to help. She is always looking for opportunities to help others.
Brandi and I scramble to find the remote every time we hear Sarah McLachlan come on pleading for us to save the dogs by making a small donation. It is not that we don’t want to save the dogs, we are fine with the cause. We just know that if Lexi sees the commercial we will hear about it for the next several months. When she was four all she wanted for her birthday was the shirt from the commercial that you get when you make a donation. There has never been an animal that she doesn’t want to cuddle with (Except bugs, they can all burn according to Lexi).
When we lost Tate, Lexi was so quick to comfort us and help us through it all. I couldn’t have done it without her love. She is so sweet and I love hearing her talk about Tate. She loves him with all of her heart and makes sure everyone knows about him and remembers him. I love her for this, she is the best big sister Tate could have ever had.
Silly
Lexi was born with a zest for life and has kept us on our toes since the moment she was born.?We spend a lot of time at Tate’s place and Lexi has found many ways to make the cemetery a fun place. Hunter and Lexi are always on adventures when we are up there. One time Traci had left some squirt guns up there to try and make it a fun visit for us. We got into a water fight and it was the boys against the girls. Hunter and I came up with a great strategy and were ready to attack the girls when all of the sudden Lexi is halfway across the little pond they have up there yelling at us that “she doesn’t want to get wet!”. All we could do was laugh as she was up to her waist wading through the water. I love how fun Lexi is, there is never a dull moment when she is around.
Love’s Life
Lexi is a very enthusiastic girl! She loves to plan ahead and is always looking forward to something. Her birthday is a very exciting day for her and as parents we always stress a little about making it as good as she is expecting it to be. This morning we watched her open all her birthday presents and it made me wonder why we ever worry if we have made her birthday good enough…it wouldn’t matter what we do, Lexi would make it special no matter what. This morning she thanked us for every little thing she opened and showed so much excitement in the process.
As we sat and watched her there was an undeniable presence of her brother Tate. I know he was there celebrating with us and making sure Lexi’s day was really special. The TV was on in the background and Ali started singing and dancing to the Jake and The Neverland Pirates song, I know her brother, Tate, was teaching her how much fun it is to party with his Lexi.?Tate loved Lexi’s crazy side. One of my favorite video’s is of the two of them playing the drums and screaming at the top of their lungs, “I want candy!”, while Hunter is sound asleep on the couch behind them. Tate and Lexi have a special bond and I know she will feel his presence throughout her life.
The night we lost Tate Lexi had crawled into our bed, so she witnessed some traumatic?moments as we did everything we could to save him. Ever since then?we?have worried about how to navigate her through what she went through that night. Lexi feels deeply and has had to learn to cope with big emotions. I am so proud of her and how she has handled everything. She has great faith and her testimony of where her brother is and that she will see him again strengthens our family. Of course she has her moments of sadness and tears, but what she saw that night has never taken away her enthusiasm for life. This girl knows how to have fun and how to love and she does just that every day! She will always be our child that has a hard time going to sleep, because she doesn’t want to miss out on anything!
Passionate
Try to throw away one of Lexi’s toys and you will quickly learn how passionate she is. She cares about things. A lot. This can be tough when your basement is loaded with old toys because Lexi knows when she got it, who gave it to her and you can feel how much she cares about it. However, if she is passionate about you than it is amazing to feel how much she cares about you. You can feel her love for you just pouring out of her and it is my favorite thing in the world. She loves her friends and family and she will never back down from it. She absolutely loves life and it is contagious.
I love my little Princess so much. I remember holding her for the first time and promising her I would love her forever. As I have watched Lexi grow into an amazing little girl my love for her continues to grow as well. I adore Lexi and I hope she continues to let her strong personality shine through. We love you so much Lexi and we are so proud of you! Happy Birthday!
