To my one and only girl:
You are smart. Thoughtful. Hard working. Compassionate. Tidy. Creative. You feel strongly. And love deeply. You are curious to your core. You are all in or all out. There’s no in between. I love watching you commit to something because I know you’ll go after it with everything in you. You finish a book in record time. At 34, I’m jealous of your reading skills. 
You have a wild imagination and I love seeing the ideas you have and the games you play. Your smile lights up my life. Your giggle brightens my day. Watching you get older is my absolute favorite. I am thankful you are my daughter!
Happy NINTH birthday, Maila Jane!
What is your favorite color? Pink
What is your favorite fruit? Blackberries
What is your favorite food? Pizza. Pepperoni.
What is your favorite TV show/movie? Bluey. Ron’s Gone Wrong.
What is your favorite thing to wear? Night gowns
What is your favorite game? The Vet game on my tablet, where you send them owners and take care of them.
What is your favorite animal? A cat or a dog. I can’t choose. Probably a dog.
What is your favorite snack? Heavenly Hunks.
What is your favorite song? The Rizers songs. If I had to pick my absolute favorite, it’d be 1 John 4:7.
What is your favorite book? Maybe the Nevergirls series.
What is your favorite cereal? Rice Krispies.
What is your favorite thing to do outside?
Go fun places and have play dates.
What is your favorite drink? Lemonade
What do you take to bed with you at night?
Cassie
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Waffles and brown pancakes that we dip in whipped cream.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A normal wife.
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
Daddy daughter dances and going places on my late night date night in the car.
What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Taking girl trips with her.
What do you pray about? My brothers, especially Zeke. And things I’m worried about.
What do you love about yourself? I like the color of my hair and the color of my skin and the abilities that I’m able to do.
What is your favorite thing about Zeke? I like that he’s really funny.
What is your favorite thing about Boone? I like that Boone encourages people.
What is your favorite thing about Judah? I like that I have him to play with, and he makes me laugh all the time.
What challenges you? Math and deciding about who’s sitting beside me (of my brothers) because they give me their cute eyes. Cute eyes can be tempting to make you say yes.
What excites you? Hearing about fun events coming up.
What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 10? Get all of the American Girl stuff possible.
