Happy New year 2011

Hello my little love, I will eventually get the hang of keeping up with this someday! i have so many pictures to add and explanations behind each one but as I sit here on New years Eve, I am struck by how much you have changed in the last year. Every once in a while I can still see your baby face, but more and more I can see the face of a blossoming young lady, a girl not a toddler. Mostly it scares me but it's so exciting at the same time, to see you develop friendships, to hear you start to read, to watch you watch me and think about someday being a grownup yourself. You started Kindergarten this year and it was heartwrenching for me! Before your first day of school we arranged a special Girls Night Out for you at your request. We started with a trip to the mall to get SURPRISE...your ears pierced! Auntie P and Bri Cheese were there with us and you sat on my lap while you nervously decided if you really wanted to go through with it. In the end vanity won out as I'm sure it will later, and you had to have the pink flower sparklies in your ears! Once you decided it was a go they did it so fast that it was surprise that had you crying I think. P and Bri were as anxious as I to erase the tears so you of course left the store loaded with gear. We then met up with the other girls at The Cheesecake Factory (which you kept calling the Cheese factory), a very grownup restuarant indeed. We explained that it was your big girl dinner for starting kindergarten and the waitress was so impressed with you that she brought you a very special dessert. You and the girls chatted away and I fought tears on and off throughout dinner, I felt like I was getting a glimpse into the future. I hope I will sometimes be included in those dinners as you get older! Anyway on to the first day... You of course handled it in stride, brewing with intrest in what was to come next, embracing your new school and new friends like they had always been there just waiting for you to join them. I cried every day for the first two weeks after driving away from your school, truth be told I think Jack and I shared a few tears over losing you every day. On the first day of school I was so anxious to pick you up, that I arrived about 30 minutes early, with your BFF Olivia in tow. People must have thought I was nuts, I was waving like a lunatic when I saw you and so was Olivia. Your face lit up and you ran over and when I asked how your day was, you replied "It was AWESOME momma". I peppered you with questions and you patiently answered all that you had the patience for and then you dismissed it as no big deal, it's just what happens right? Every day since has been about the same, except for the maybe 2 times that you have only brought home one bee instead of two. I'll explain the whole process to you if you ever want to know! You are excellent in your studies, get along very well with almost all of the class, LOVE your teacher, however just like your momma, you talk too much in class! Can't really fault you for it, you had to get it from somewhere! You and Jack are becoming quite the little twosome, he tries to do everything you do, and you can't seem to be away from him for any real length of time without worrying about him. You are such a little mommy to him, constantly correcting him if he's doing something he shouldn't be, explaining to the doctor about his cough, getting me diapers or clothes as needed and in general entertaining him with or without being asked to. It's more than I ever dreamed to have the both of you love each other so very much! Thank you for being you. You still have your Grown Up friends(Bri Cheese, Carolyn, Jenna and Sally) and of course love love love from your Aunties. You were a flower girl for Sally and Beau Sally at their wedding and we have all come to the conclusion that you should teach classes, that's how seriously you took it. You had a blast getting ready with the Bride and all of her Maids, made special friends with the 8 year old maid of honor Camden, and charmed the pants off of everyone in sight. You did have a few tears about not being involved in some of the pictures, which is another one of those little bitty signs that you are starting to understand so much more around you, but with the heart of a little girl still. A pure, beautiful heart. Thank you little girl, for all of the gifts that you've given me this year, all the hugs, all the sweetness, all of you. Happy New Year Peanut Butter, I love you more than you'll ever know.