Happy 10th birthday, Lauren! I love you so much!! You made me a mom. And I am beyond grateful that I get to go through life with you. Lauren, you have so many qualities. Besides being kind, you are generous and possess great empathy toward others. EVERY DAY, you make me proud of the young lady you are becoming!

Two of the many lessons you’ve taught me:

First, to work for what you want even when it means taking a risk. Over the last year, Lauren, you set goals and took risks. You tried new styles of dance. Although you needed a little bit of a pep talk, you decided to go for it! And you were willing to put yourself out there and work hard. You auditioned for performance company, even though you never had before. Your big goal (all year) was to make pre-juniors and dance with your friends and you made it! Lauren, I love your goal setting, dedication, and working toward improvement. You always have such a high standard for yourself, my job has always been making sure you give yourself grace in the process.

Second, just be yourself. Now, how you figured this out before your 10th birthday is a wonder. (I still have difficulty with this sometimes.) We were talking and you shared one of your friends was having trouble with a classmate. You gave some of the best wisdom. Lauren said, “I really like it when people like me, but some people won’t. And that’s okay, but you need to be yourself.” She said it a matter of fact and with grace. Such wisdom and insight from our little girl who believes in so many wonderful things.

Last year’s top moments!

1. getting braces on and off
2. first trip to Disneyland
3. 3rd AZ Merit testing (yes, my smart girl loves school!)
4. Northern Arizona field trip
5. making performance dance company and dance camp

Happy birthday, Lauren!

You were my first client. I desperately wanted to take images that captured just how amazingly little and precious you were. I was terrible! And I was terrified of my camera and its buttons. (Which is funny because it was digital and I could just delete any photographs that didn’t turn out.) Prior to you, I shot with film, talk about pressure! But because of you, I am on this wonderful journey documenting your life!

XOXO

Mama

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2018 Dance Recital

The Tooth Fairy and the Wiggly Tooth!