Mary Addison - Yesterday and Today

Yesterday was Mary's 10th birthday.

Mary was our 15th grandchild and 9th granddaughter.  She's a very important part of this large family

and a very important part of this beautiful family.

I wrote about Mary in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.  Those posts tell you a lot about Mary 'through the years' and the following pictures will show you how she's changed physically.

So now I want to talk about what's been going on in Mary's life during the previous year.  First of all, she spent her first summer in a new neighborhood where she has several friends nearby - Laine, Kendall, and Mackenzie, a feature that she really loves!

Then she started 4th grade at a brand new school where she really excelled!

She spent the Christmas holiday in Gulf Shores with her giant extended family

featuring her best friend/cousin, Tessa

and in February she went to her second father/daughter tea with her very favorite date.

And recently she got to spend a very special week in Florida with her very special best cousin/friend.

For her birthday this year, she had a sleepover with her best school friend, Addie, following a previous day outing that included shopping and manicures - more favorites of Mary's.

Overall she's had a busy, happy year.

But there's so much more to include about Mary.

Thoughtful, sensitive and kind, she loves spending time and interacting with babies and toddlers

and animals

and is always loyal to and protective of her brothers.

She's close with her mom and they love crafting and cooking together.

She takes her studies seriously and does a good job organizing her schoolwork and turning in her homework - carefully completed and on time. Here she is as FDR. The costume was accompanied by a talk,written by her, all about FDR.

And she's cheerful, bright, and creative.   So for all these reasons and so many more, we're proud to call her our granddaughter and we're wishing her the happiest of birthdays and a year that surpasses all others in accomplishments and happiness.