Navigating the hilly terrain of motherhood
It has been a few years since Grace had an actual birthday party. In fact, this is the first one that she planned mostly herself. The theme had to be purple. There must be purple party favors, and the braiding of purple friendship bracelets, and a pinata (with self-made purple confetti!). Her guests enthusiastically went along with the purple theme, wearing purple clothes and even presenting Grace with purple presents. My girl was very happy. It was…perfect.
And all is right with the world. I mean, he was only gone for 4 days, but phew! (And also, how sweet is first-grade spelling?!)
To my sweet, smart, brave, funny, kind, loving and amazing Grace,
You are all of this and so much more. You've always been hilarious, big-hearted, enthusiastic and full of life. But you've recently changed; you've gained an extra twinkle in your eye. You're growing up, and you're interested in new things, and I can talk to you in new and different ways. It's fun and exciting. And while I loved little-girl you (and I must admit I miss little-girl you sometimes), I am immensely enjoying getting to know bigger-girl you.
You LOVE to read, and you love animals, your family, and your friends. You love school, you're good at it, and your teacher calls you her "rock." You're sensitive to the feelings of others, and you are kind to everyone. You are easy to talk to and you make everyone smile. You are determined and brave, and you make me proud every day. Thank you for being you, and thank you for being my kid.
Happy birthday my Grace, I can't wait to get to know 9-year-old you.
I love you,
Mom
I'm grateful for a toothless cutie filled with boundless love and enthusiasm. A cutie who is learning new ways to tell her many stories…
{Every Thanksgiving my family has Papa Guy and Nana. Nana makes cranberry relish in the turkey bowl.}
I'm grateful for a girl who lists school and her teacher as two of the top five things she's thankful for.
And I'm grateful for a school that values creativity and kindness, and where my kids do amazing things like build their own guitars, and then learn how to play them!
Tess made the guinea pig disappear, and then reappear. Afterwards, Grace made her bunny materialize out of thin air. (We live in Crazytown.)
Excuse me, but when did my firstborn become a real kid, a beautiful kid, with her own friends and her own big heart, and her own opinion about things? Tonight she is sleeping over at a friend's house. And you know what? I miss her.
On Monday, we discovered a new hike — Mt. Agamenticus near Oqunquit. We walked a 2.5 mile loop and hiked all the way to the top! And there was room for cartwheeling! And we got to bring Penny with us! And it was 65 degrees! And we stopped at a beautiful candy store on the way home! I swear, it does not get much better than that in early November in Maine. Life is good.
Travelingjenny 