I love watching them do this… it gives me permagrin and a fluttery heart.

We put the Gras into the Mardi at our favorite little local ice cream spot — Sweet Firefly — and even earned beads. I swear by the peppermint – it’s the best ice cream, ever.  Harper’s favorites are the birthday cake and cookie dough.  If you ever want to go on an ice cream date, just let us know and we’ll take you. It’s one of our favorite spots in town!

When she was just a couple of months old, I started the process of registering the two of us to volunteer with the Senior Source by adopting a nursing home resident to visit on a weekly basis. We had to postpone our application before we got any visits in, because I just didn’t feel that her volatile and fiery spirit would bode well in an environment where people need more peace and quiet and might not handle her fiery fits well.  Ever since, I’ve prayed for the day when she would be in an emotional place to visit a home.  And that day has come.  And I am brimming with pride at my little girl’s control of her emotions, and true desire to bring joy to those who so desire it.  She’s growing up in so many ways.

My MOPS group is branching out and organizing more service opportunities that our children can be involved in… opportunities to help them develop their servant heart.  Today, we visited local nursing home.  The kids sang a few songs and handed out handmade valentines to the residents, and I choked back tears as I watched my sweet, strong daughter put her valentines in their hands and chat with them about her creations.  It was beautiful, and I hope we will now start visiting a home on a fairly regular basis.

She’s mastered the art of moving chairs around the house and unlocking child safety locks to get into practically anything she desires.  Except for the refrigerator.  Try as she might, she just isn’t strong enough to open it.  And, it frustrates her to no end.

For the last couple of weeks, she’s been asking to see cows make milk. We found a Sesame Street video that showed the milk process from pasture to grocery, but that didn’t satisfy her curiosity, so I organized a tour with 20 of our friends to Lavon Farms in Plano – a local dairy that supplies Lucky Layla with milk for their yogurts and cheeses.  It was a good tour.  We saw cows way off in the grassy meadow and then peered through a window to watch a worker hook the milking machine to their udders.  She asked questions, and I did my best to answer.  But, she still isn’t satisfied.  She wants to touch a cow and see a hand-milking demonstration… and she wants to try to do it, herself.  If you know of a place, please let me know!

He’s her longest friendship.  They first met in the hospital the day after she was born.  I met his daddy when I was younger than a year-old, and my mom and his daddy’s mom met in college.  Whenever I tell her he’s coming over, she runs around the house jumping for joy.  She adores her dear friend – hey share such a sweet bond.  I hope they stay friends forever.

Not long ago, she wrote notes daily in a little notebook and tore the pages out to store in an old baby bottle.  A bottle full of scribbled notes that I’ll probably treasure always.  Now, she’s graduated to a larger notebook… a gift from her daddy.   I love her sweet notes.  And, I’m looking forward to the day when I can read them by myself… sans translation.

I’m finally working on getting my herb and vegetable gardens together.  Today, we worked on the courtyard herb garden.  She’s the best gardener helper, ever.  Her curiosity, love for nature and gardening reminds me of myself when I was a little girl… and now.

She was digging through one of her daddy’s dresser drawers yesterday and came across this headband.  She’s been wearing it ever-since.  When she insisted on wearing it to ballet, I told her she could only wear it if she wore her Babylegs as leg-warmers and didn’t wear her ballet skirt. She eagerly agreed, and from that, my 80′s dancer was birthed.  And I’m sure these pictures will once again emerge in her teen or early adult years.  And by then, I’m hoping she’ll have a strong since of self that won’t be embarrassed by them, but will rather be proud of her quirky individuality.