10

This girl. Sweet and sassy and quick-witted like her Daddy. The one that made me change my mind about little girls. Who loves to cuddle and giggle and whisper in my ear. She's 10 years old today (insert crying emoji here).

She had only a few simple requests for celebrating her special day. Request #1: Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast. How could I say no? Even though it has literally been years since I made them from scratch, I got up early and worked some magic in the kitchen.

A few gifts, simply wrapped, from her big brother and parents were just the ticket while we waited for the rolls to rise and bake to perfection (so sorry for the Costco bag, my darling, but sometimes practicality has to trump aesthetics. In other words, Mama forgot to pick up a gift bag large enough to hide the gift... oops!).

Skipping school, cinnamon rolls in our bellies, we headed out for a chilly day at one of my girl's favorite places on earth: the Oregon Zoo. Bear and Beaver and Big Cats are always favorites there. And this time we were treated to a very close encounter with a lovely Lioness, intent and wishing she could pounce on whatever was coming down the hall in the distance, but totally ignoring us, just a few inches away, although protected by some very thick glass. It was amazing and a memory we will all keep for a good long while.

Later, with the help of our dearest friends, we lit candles, made wishes and celebrated with ice cream cake from our favorite DQ artist, Minecraft style. I like this tradition very much, because it means I don't have to dust off my happily-in-the-past cake decorating skills.

And, as if that all wasn't enough, there was another gathering a few days later with Grandparents and Cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Olive Garden is apparently the way to a 10 year old's heart.

I love this girl so much. She continually surprises me with her intuitive compassion and understanding of others. She has a grasp on the world that is both 10 and 25 years old at the same time. I hope she is forever and ever the same sassy, determined, and honey-sweet girl that she was as a baby, and still is today. I pray that life won't take any of it away, but will only make it deeper and more solid. I wish you all could meet her. I don't think I'm biased when I say that she is a rare treasure among girls.

Summer Break: Week Twelve

The ending of Summer Break 2017, was bittersweet. Summer Break is never long enough. There's never quite enough time to fit in that one last lazy day by the river or at the beach, or even just sitting in an easy chair in the front yard. I always want just one more.

But it was a good Summer. There were honeybees and fresh berries and a somewhat-happy growing garden. It was hotter and drier than usual, which the green beans and squash loved but my beloved kale and potatoes hated.

The kids grew. We laughed together. We plotted and schemed for our upcoming Disney trip.

The final closing weekend will always be marked in our memories sadly though.

Not for the amazing Kaleo concert at the Oregon Zoo, or for blackberry crisp with homemade ice cream. Not for the first batch of homemade salsa from our greenhouse jungle.

It will instead be remembered as the year the Columbia River Gorge caught fire and burned. So many beautiful trees gone forever. So many trails and foot bridges to be re-built. We're thankful that the fires did not reach us; we are a good 15 miles away as the crow flies. But every day, our air was full of some of the thickest smoke we've experienced. We breathed the death of trees into our lungs, and daily remembered a different favorite place, wondering if it remained.

The Oregon Zoo

We have been fair weather visitors of our local zoo, but decided this year to take the plunge and become members. Its a bit of a trek for us, taking over an hour each way to get there, braving heart-of-the-city traffic, but we enjoy seeing the animals, and plan to visit at least quarterly from here on out. As per usual, it was raining the day we went, but that just meant less people to contend with for good viewing.