Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

minnesot-ahh!

Aaannd we're back! We jammed as much as we could into our annual pilgrimage to the northland.

A Pinterest-worthy class reunion courtesy of Rachael.



Catching up with some of my BFFs. These girls are my forever friends


Cotton candy the size of your head


Twinning with Little Miss J


A tower of cousins


Swimming, swimming and more swimming



Fishing and kayaking



And of course, lots of time with Grandma Amy and Papa Roger.





And we topped it all off with a quick trip to the MOA where there were rides, celebrity sightings, and American Girls.

Wonder Pets!
Ecto-1
 

I'm still suffering a bit from a vacation hangover, but trying to get back into the swing of regular life. We've got another first day of kindergarten, a first day of preschool, and birthdays on the horizon ...


Thursday, July 14, 2016

the BFFs

This is Little Miss J's honest to goodness best friend. Not a friend that I imposed on her by virtue of the fact that I am friends with their parents. Those kinds of friends are good too. But in spite of having those kinds of friends in her kindergarten class this year, Little Miss J found A and cultivated a special little friendship all on her own without any input from mom or dad. Another testament to personal growth - both hers and mine. She's Cristina to her Meredith. Their each other's people.

photo credit: Wendy Dear
These two genuinely love and care about, and are so good to each other. I know we are making the right choice moving Little Miss J to a different school this coming year and I know she will make new friends and be happy because that's the kind of kid she is, but it still makes me a bit emotional to know that these two won't be together next year.

Thus, we are doing our best to keep J+A in touch over the summer. We had A over for a play date on a Sunday morning.


A wrote to J while we were on vacation asking to be her pen pal. Little Miss J was so excited when she read the letter--"I have to write back right away and say YES! and thank you." In fact, I've got the letter on my desk right now and just need to walk it down to the mailbox.

Today A's mom is picking Little Miss J up and they are going to a nearby indoor playground for a play date. Little Miss J is so excited to tell her friend about her trip to Minnesota and what the tooth fairy brought her.


Maybe they won't really be best friends forever ... or maybe they will be. I've got a friend that I've known since before kindergarten that continues to be one of my closest friends even after all these years and across so many miles. Whatever happens, I'm just glad they have each other now. Someone to tell things to, someone to not have to impress, someone who loves you for you--because I know what it is like to feel isolated even when surrounded by people. Just having "your person" there is enough. There is plenty of time in this life to experience isolation, heartbreak, and anxiety. I'm happy to shelter her for as long as possible and am glad that kindergarten hasn't been that time for my little girl.