Growing up

Sir Steve and I can not get over how much the lil one grew up this summer!!  

I think it really started with her new bike..... a big mountain bike she won at school for perfect attendance.  She was SO determined to learn to ride it..... no training wheels.  It took a week of wobbling and falling and hysterics cause she was bleeding..... but she progressed to less wobbling and declaring when she did fall 'it's not gushing blood - nothing's broken - I'm ok!'  And then she was flying down the road  - ringing the bell and laughing.  I noticed after that success how much straighter she walked -- how much confidence she had.

She and I were busy during the weeks we had her..... swimming for an hour in the morning... attending the arts program after lunch ....and then more swimming for another hour or more and of course lots and lots of bike riding.  The lil one was starting to 'get' the idea of healthy food choices (for those that missed those entries - the lil one was almost 30 pounds overweight last winter and with the threat of diabetes hanging over her.... healthy food choices was the goal and weight loss).  We brought the scales up to the trailer to continue with the once weekly weigh ins to see how much 'sugar' she had lost.  Slowly the weight started to come off....... and by the time we came back to the city she had lost 13 pounds (since January) !!!  She was so proud of herself! 

A month ago Sir Steve got a call from the lil one's dance school.  They wanted the lil one to try out for the competitive dance team!!  We discussed it and let her have the final decision...... she wanted to audition.  So one evening was spent in the city for her auditions.  We left her with crowds of kiddies and were sent off to get dinner and come back in a couple of hours.  When we got back to the school they were just opening the doors to the audition room and the lil ones were filing out ...... crowds of people around ... lots of noise and confusion... and then............in the middle of the crush......... we saw two small arms shoot up over head and heard 'THAT WAS AWESOME!' and there she was .....our lil one beaming from ear to ear.  Two weeks later we received the call that she had made the team!!  What a boost to her confidence!!  She made the team after only one year of dance classes!

For good or bad we are starting to see my influence on the lil one in comical ways.. verbal expressions I use are showing up in her conversation..... the latest one is "tentacly" (octopus influence?? LOL) instead of "technically" (I didn't realize how often I use that phrase in everyday conversation).  She's also become more aware of the differences between us and 'mom'.  For example on Monday her grandmother came over to hug her wish her 'good luck' in grade 2!  Her mother wandered over later with 'grandma's phone' the lil one observed that mom only came to bring grandma her phone....... and she said 'that's normal'.  Sad really..... 

And today I put her on the bus for the first day of Grade 2!!  She's come a long way since the first day of Senior K 2 years ago!!

Life is good when they start to grow up and 'the plan comes together'.