Brynlie is 11 going on 22. She is so responsible and mature, yet super goofy and girly at the same time. Sometimes I'm pretty sure she's more grown up than I am. I'm sure she finds me very annoying at times, but I LOVE spending time with her. She recently told a friend at school, "you need to be prepared if you are going to come to my house. My Mom breaks out in opera singing and does this horrible dance in the kitchen whenever she feels like it, and my Dad likes to make up songs that talk about poop." Hahaha! We are such a weird family.
My gorgeous 5th grader.
Brynlie's letter to Santa this year.
A talk that Brynlie prepared by herself when she remembered her assignment to give a talk a few minutes later.
See those dots connected by lines on the chart below? That shows how far ahead Brynlie is in her reading and writing comprehension. Below it shows that she has been "well above average" every year she's been assessed. I can still remember a day when Brynlie was about 5 years old and I told her, "you are so beautiful." She put her hands on her hips and said, "I'm smart too! I'm not just pretty!" Boy was she right! This girl is beautiful AND brilliant.
I had Brynlie fill out this booklet after I was in charge of an activity with the Young Women. I loved reading the thoughts and plans Brynlie has for her future. I have no doubt she will accomplish everything she wants! Some of my favorite answers she gave are, "I'm excited to be 12 years old because then I can wear dangle earrings, make-up, get a phone and babysit," one of her favorite songs is "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, she wants to have 12 children, she thinks her husband will be about 5'8" (which means she will most likely be taller than him!), and she needs to learn to budget before getting married.
Brynlie made these flyers recently because she is so excited to babysit! Then she got her very first babysitting job for a family in our ward with three girls. She was very excited by also very nervous! I sent her with my phone so she could easily contact us if necessary. After a couple hours I texted her:
Me: Hi Brynlie, it's Mom! How is everything going?
Brynlie: Great! First I helped the kids with dinner (mac&cheese and applesauce) and then we played Telephone and Categories. Then Syd showed me how to play a game called Goals. After the kids ate again, I pulled out the crafts and they loved them!!! I put the Princess and the Frog on for the girls. Now they are getting ready for bed. They were pretty easy except for being procrastinators (like at prayer for dinner and putting on jammies!) This has been so fun and somehow felt completely normal!!! PS "Tellie" was the hardest. She loves to talk! I should be home in about an hour. Love you!"
Brynlie recently started an Anti-Bullying Club (the "ABC"). She doesn't want the ABC to be well-known at her school because she likes to help people who are being bullied without making them feel like a "project." Last week she got a few other people to help her make Christmas cards with kind words written inside about the recipient, and then she secretly passed them out. She is always concerned about the feelings of others and goes out of her way to help those who are struggling. She is such an example of true charity and compassion.
A few days ago, Brynlie found the book of my Grandpa Springer's history on our bookshelf. She started reading it and was enthralled with all the stories she learned about her Great Grandpa and his family. She is such a deep thinker, and has so much love for others. I can't wait to see who she becomes as she gets older!
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