A Tiny Writer’s View of Her Year.

For her past five birthdays, I’ve been writing her birthday posts for her.

But she’s seven today. And after keeping a diary for over a year, Ali is now a prolific writer (and, as the year went on, became a creative illustrator) in her own right.

(After all, she did tell the bat story better than me.)

So I felt it only fair to let her write this year’s recap herself, with some of my favorite pages out of her diary – giving a somewhat three-dimensional view of the growth of the world in her eyes and mind.

January 2013

She had a great birthday. And fell in love with the Curlz Font.

She also vlogged with friends and lost body parts.

AJ ckam ovr
we mad vidios
I lost my secint toth.

And her flood renovations made progress.

(I totally think that awesome should be spelled “osm” all the time. Because in the south, awesome often rhymes with possum.)

February 2013

Some things don’t deserve deeper explanation. Or an osm.

She got to help my Mom with her Valentine’s Cubbies Party. It was marginally exciting.

March 2013

Her ballet career seemed to be waning.

Today is ballat day today.
O. I am not exided.
Basids hers the box for it.

(A checked box is certainly the ultimate mark of sincerity.)

April 2013

Her recital dress and makeup(!!) helped rekindle her excitement – at least for a day.

And the prospect of Spring rejuvenated her.

May 2013

Her renovations were complete, and she approved of her new flooring pattern.

June 2013

After finishing a long year of Kindergarten, we took a complete educational break. As such, no entries were made in June.

July 2013

She realized the fun of illustrating for the first time, as well as in-text sticker placement.

We went to the bech.
And playd seshels.
And more.

August 2013

We took a trip to the neighboring states of Jorja and Tinase/Tinasy, started school, and had a couple lazy diary entries.

September 2013

She realized that it’s much more fun to illustrate your brother going to the doctor than yourself.

Today we did math handwriteng rideng 1C helth and histore.
Noah hed to go to the doctor today.

October 2013

Ali had fonder memories of the pumpkin patch disaster than I. And also remembered the pumpkins to be quite larger than reality.

She lost her head over a long day.

Friday me and Daddy went to Daddy’s work together!
It was fun!!! Then me and Daddy went to chocy ches and at pizza.
Then came home and watcht a movee for playtim.
Satrday me and Daddy went to football!
Today we went to Kids Church.
Lolng Day.

(For the record, that was the weekend that Noah and I went out of town. Hence the only reason she got to go to Chuck E. Cheese again.)

She illustrated my sunset stalking.

And depicted perfectly the pastime of meeting new neighbors.

And she depicted me rather creepily giving out candy to children at Trunk and Treat.

But her biggest leap forward in October was the ability to portray suspense and intrigue.

Today suprise!
Mommy tacs us to lunch with……
Daddy!!
And and we get sucrs.
Then we go to Micls
And I spind my alawins.

November 2013

We had a school field trip where we got to meet our favorite weatherman, James Spann,

In her illustration of our field trip, Ali gave James Spann a generous amount of hair (because he told them it hurt his feelings when people made fun of his lack of hair), and apparently all of the children dressed identically and clapped manically.

In “A Christmas Story”, Xed out eyes meant death. In Ali’s stories, they apparently mean intense excitement.

She also reported on the fact that on some days, our house is a revolving door.

Also? Compared to January’s entries, she got a LOT more loquacious.

Wensday we went to Nabeel’s.
We hed Thanck’sgiving.
Shosday we watcht the parade!
The day before that
we made plasmats!
hehehehe that rims. hahahaha.
We helpet Daddy with Crist-mas lights!
Amanda helpet with decorating the Christmas tree!
We hed a fotball party and Grandmamma Pop and Nick came to our home!
We went to Church Sunday and we had a difrint Daily News!
Jessy came Monday to babbysit.
Today Gramamma is cuming during qiit time cus she neds my help with cubes craft’s.
he hu ha he he.

December 2013

She accurately depicted our family portraits, but conveniently leaving out the fact that she dirtied her knees before a single shot was taken.

Today we get pictshr and if we be good we get my 4th favrite candy…
sawer-patch!!!
Eneyway
on with the story.
To um yestorday
Noah did not want to try my
that rims te he
So my 4th favrit food and got as dancing.

I’m sure all of that made perfect sense to her.

Anyway, on with the story.

Most of her posts in December had to do with candy.

Or candy and TV. Because I’m the best of Moms.

I felt like her illustration of Santa was on par with the actual events,

And her excitement over her brother’s birthday was quite touching.

But her real illustrative talent didn’t show through until this extraordinarily graphic entry. Which is my favorite diary entry in the history of the world.

Today Mommy me and Noah feel sooo sick.
I relley did not feel like eating and I did not eat much.
I pewey! I jest hed a big toot.
Mommy lad dawn a lot.
And Noah has big poop’s.

(Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Ali: Let the record reflect that I had your full permission to post these entries.)

(And you were quite proud of them.)

She did a great job of portraying mine and Chris’ great illness in both font, picture, and her spelling of Saturday.

And she continued documenting as my illness wore on. I told you I’ve always cried ugly.

But thankfully, everyone found the joy in their hearts in time for Christmas.

 

Happy Birthday, dearest Ali, and thank you for chronicling the year with more flair than I could ever hope to have.