For some reason, I have always been caught off guard with how old Raegan is getting. As in every year, all year long, other kiddos who share her birth year celebrate their birthdays and I think, “WHOA! _____ is FOUR (or SIX or now EIGHT)?! That means RAEGAN IS GOING TO BE THAT OLD SOON, TOO!” And for real – this internal monologue is always in shouty caps in my brain because it’s just so shocking to me.

At the exact same time, I’ve felt this particular year that she’s been eight for ages. I keep referencing her as such in conversations with people or when I tell stories about my children. She’s already my “8yo” which I’m guessing stems from the fact that because she’s so darn helpful all the time, I figure she must be moons and moons older than her sweet little face implies.

In all reality, both sides of my confusion are right. It’s both incredible that we are here already AND she’s a wise old soul wrapped in a youthful ball of energy.

I guess this makes eight the sweet spot of childhood because she is in many ways grown but still so capable of letting loose and having pure fun. And I am legit thankful for her every day. She helps with her youngest siblings (and about squeals herself in two whenever WA does some cute new thing) and keeps her surrounding brothers honest, too. But more so, she shares her big heart with us and others and all I can really say here is if you don’t know or have a Raegan in your life, I sure hope you find one because she is a gift on a daily basis.

And tomorrow she is EIGHT.

In keeping with this year’s birthday blog post tradition, here are Eight Great Things to know about Miss RL:

1. Unicorns are still the best thing ever. She wants them on her PJs and shirts and pants and head and birthday cake and just anywhere she can get them please and thank you.
2. She is – and has been for quite some time – our best sleeper. If you’ve been with the blog for the long haul, you may remember that she didn’t let me sleep through the night at all of the first 8 or 9 months of her life and almost broke me with her sleep-dep-inducing habits, but, friends! We made it through to the other side and now she sleeps like a freaking champ (unless the power cuts out the white noise and then heaven help us all)! Miracles do exist and irony lives.
3. Give this girl some pasta and she’ll love you forever. She now knows what boiling water smells like and is always super pumped when I tell her that yes, yes it is for noodles (which she accepts in pretty much all form). Apple/Tree, I tell you!
4. She devours books. Her favorite thing to do each morning is turn her light on 15 minutes early before get up time (which she’s allowed to do because of her sleeping champ status, much to the chagrin of her brothers) and read. Again: Apple! Tree!
5. She is so darn good at creating. This takes the form of coloring and crafting and just flat out playing and imagining. She can turn any toy or item into a story. And if you’ve never heard it, her reading/narrating voice is the absolute best.
6. As much as she likes quiet play and reading, she also loves being part of the action. From soccer and baseball to bike rides and the trampoline, Raegge keeps moving all the time.
7. She finally lets me put her hair up in ponies! This may seem like a funny item to list, but seriously – this is her third year in full-day school and it’s the first one in which she’s come to me on a regular basis (actually more like every day) to request her hair being put up. You got it, Sister!
8. She’s growing like a weed. Like her daddy and many a brother around her, she’s all legs for days and growth spurts as of late. Apparently that means some growing pains, too, which hopefully we can start to alleviate, but goodness me. So big. So fast. All of the sudden and totally expected. EIGHT.

Happy Birthday, Biggest Girl. We are beyond blessed to call you ours.