80 months of ChellBell

Dear ChellBell, today brings us to 6 years and 8 months of YOU. Using your new multiplication skills, that would be 6x12 -- since there are 12 months in a year, and you've been around for 6 years. That's a lot of counting on your fingers, so I'll just give you the answer. 72. And 72+8 is -- you guessed it -- 80. 80 months. It helps to have the answer in the title of the blog, I'm sure.

What you can't figure out with math is how much happiness and craziness and frustration and indescribable gratitude 80 months with you entails. No math problem can figure that one out. Only a Mama's heart can hold the looks, the words, the laughter, the memories that we've made during the past 6 years and 8 months.

The past month has been busy and super-fun, packed full of all kinds of things on our family itinerary. You have also provided endless ChellBell-isms and looks that could only come from you. While you continually have your share of whining moments (and lately enough whining moments to take care of the quota for at least the neighborhood if not the entire zip code), this month has been full of moments of laughter and silly faces.

It seems like your new goal in life is to make me laugh. And you succeed. You will always be the winner at "Honey, I love you but I just can't make you smile..." because I will smile every single time. Daddy is kind of a stick in the mud, so if you want a good challenge, play with him. But if you want a good laugh, skip him and play with me.

I loved our "slumber party" at the hotel over Spring Break, just the two of us! Who knew that we could have so much fun eating Cheetos and painting our toenails in bed. The funniest part is when the swan in the lobby tried to bite you, and you jumped! And then we found out that they are toothless, and that's why they don't live in the wild. You were so surprised to find out that we were going to the American Girl store to have your dolls' hair styled. I'm sure that seems a little silly to people unknowing of the AG world, but to us it was fantastic!

The greatest thing about the two of us is that we enjoy spending time together. (Not that every moment is full of merry memory making, because I do have to give you marks every once in a while for that disobeying thing that you do.)

It was fun to sit with you at High School Musical on Ice and sing out the words to FAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS and giggle when Gabriella fell down during her song. And then to go to Peter and the Wolf at the Symphony the next day and hear the french horns play Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds during the warm up. And to watch Enchanted and sing Happy Little Working Song on the parts where we know the words and just sing watermelonwatermelon when we don't remember what she's saying.

When you were little, I never wanted you to grow up. I knew that I would miss you when you got older. But now you've gotten older. And, yes, it definitely brings a new set of challenges. Like you trying to be a rapper and wanting to have discussions about bras and private parts. But it's also made it more fun for us to hang out with each other and make memories. Good memories. Memories that will always make me smile.

You are my little girl. You are my little friend.

And my heart is very full.

Love you, my sweet.