Quinn is Seven

Gma and Gpa J called last Thursday to wish Q a happy birthday. I handed the phone to her ... and realized that at 7 years of age, she honestly had no idea how to hold a phone. I had to line it up for her and then realized halfway through that she couldn't hear Gpa and he couldn't hear her because the mic was at her ear and the speaker was hanging out in the air. For as tech savvy as these kids are, basic phone functionality was beyond her. Soooo funny!

I just looked back at last year's post and smiled at my closing thoughts around how we hoped year six would bring confidence and joy as she started to discover who she is. Well ... that is exactly what year six did. Quinn is finding her voice, her passions, and her courage - and watching her grow into herself is a true privilege.

As she has always been, Quinn continues to be our child of opposites. Mike and I did a quiz about our children and had a good laugh at our answers. Most stubborn child? Quinn. Most laidback child? Also Quinn. Bravest child? Quinn. Most cautious child? Also Quinn. Most talkative child? Declan ... (c'mon, she can't win them all!)

Last fall, I finally convinced her to try gymnastics at an actual gym and she loves it! She moved up six levels during the last year and will be starting in the Intermediate level in a couple weeks. Quinn has also decided to play hockey this year. She is doing a cool "Learn to Play" program sponsored by the local NHL team and then will be playing 6U girls hockey starting in October.

Q's birthday celebration was pretty low-key and she seemed just fine with that. She, Fiona, and Nanny N went to a local malt shop for a special lunch (complete with a cherry malt for the bday girl) and we had cheeseburgers and crispy crowns for dinner. She got quite a bit of new "American Girl" (target brand) accessories and has delighted in playing with her new stuff for the last week.

Then on Saturday, we met our neighbors at the pool for a couple hours of swimming and then took them out for birthday Dairy Queen. She told me it was a great celebration. I think the highlight for her was that even though she is still an inch too short for the waterslide at the pool, her swimming teacher was the lifeguard, knew she could swim well enough, and let her go. Holy happy group of big kids! (holy sad Declan who really is too short!)

We had her well check this morning and she is wonderfully healthy. At newly seven, Quinn is 47" tall (34th percentile) and 45 lbs (23rd percentile). She is wickedly smart, devilishly funny, a great help in the kitchen, crazy coordinated, and so very stubborn. Quinn is a truly strategic thinker and has no problem "doing the time" if she thinks "doing the crime" is worth it. Raising her will keep us on our parenting toes in the best way!

Finally, here are her answers to the annual set of birthday questions:

   Favorite color: Orange

   Favorite friend: Evelyn and Jonah

   Favorite show: Odd Squad

   Favorite movie: Newsies

   Favorite book: Bad Kitty

   Favorite song: Can't Stop the Feeling (Justin Timberlake)

   Favorite food: Salsa chicken

   Favorite thing to do: Go swimming

   Be when you grow up: Chef