As we come to the close of a brutal year for so many, I've been thinking about the aspects of the year that I enjoyed. I'm truly thankful that my daughter had a very positive year and at least presently, she can look back on the year she turned 5 as one to remember. It was a year of great progress, maturation, and development, while also being a year of amazing experiences.
Great exhibit at the Children's Museum of Manhattan led to this picture!
1) It was a year of milestones. My daughter conquered reading, kindergarten, and even tying her shoes! There has been nothing better than listening to my daughter read books confidently and developing a love of the public library. In addition, the joy she brings home after every school day is just beautiful. She truly loves learning and brings focus and determination to everything from STEAM to Spanish! Thankfully, she is on the path to being a lifelong learner.
2) She appeared several times on Good Morning America meeting folks like Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, James McAvoy, and Robin Roberts, who she got to snuggle while holding her microphone! However, the two most memorable GMA experiences involved asking questions of Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana. What has impressed me most is how poised she is for her age and how none of this has gone to her head. So, if you're looking for a young reporter . . .
3) She met some inspirational people. Camilla will remember that this is the year she met Civil Rights icon Congressman John Lewis, as well as Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Lindsey Vonn, Dominique Dawes, and Mia Hamm.
4) She fell in love with basketball. So, we made this tribute to her favorite player, Skylar Diggins of the WNBA's Dallas Wings. And not much beats the ending.
5) She appeared in some magazine and online articles. Here are my favorites.
My daughter even appeared in Star Magazine!
6) Some other memorable experiences: performing 10 songs at her cabaret camp show, attending a HRC rally and visiting the Clinton HQ to learn more about Hillary, appearing in a Today Show video, visiting the set of her favorite television station, Sprout, and meeting some of the on-air personalities.
7) She fell in love with the Olympics, which led to this video.
This has been a monumental year for my daughter. One of those years she will always remember. One of those years I will treasure as a parent. For that, I am thankful.