Destiny

The end of fifth grade.  It hardly seems possible.   She came to us the second half of first grade and now she leaving elementary school and headed to middle school.  I shudder as I write those words.  Middle school and then high school and then .....life.   

It hasn't been an easy 4 and half years.  Some days it has been downright hard, not just for us but for her too.  Imagine leaving a life that you have grown accustomed to even if it wasn't always the best and being dropping down into a whole new world.  A world where there were high expectations to live up to and everything was new and different.  Just a tiny little girl trying to make sense of it all and wanting more than anything to be loved and belong.   But she has done it. She has become a part of our family and is interweaved in our stories and our laughter.  She has gone from being a niece and a cousin to being a sister and a daughter.   This week she brought home a school project where she described herself here is what she wrote....

DESTINY

Skinny, Athletic, Cheerful, Silly

Daughter of Kathleen and Bud

Who loves Horses, Chocolate

Who feels tired on weekedays and energetic on 

Saturdays and Sad on Sundays

Who finds happiness in soccer, best friends and horseback riding

Who needs friends, love and fun

Who fears snakes, spiders and guns

Who would like to see Ashley Tisdale in person

Parents win the lottery

Who likes to wear jeans, tank tops or shirt and sneakers

Resident of Kennesaw

Espada

I read this through tears as I saw the second line "daughter of Kathleen and Bud."  What I wanted her to feel more than anything and worried that she would never be.....our daughter.   Love doesn't always come quickly but when it does come, it is fierce and never ending.   I hope that she knows how much she is loved.   

Destiny's 1st grade picture right after she came to live with us

Destiny on her 5th grade walk.  Almost missed her in the crowd

The famous fifth grade walk at the girl's school. All of the 5th graders walk each of the halls where they have been a student.  Guaranteed to make a parent cry!

Walking away.  There is something metaphoric there.

zfr

Destiny and her fabulous 5th grade teachers.   Loved them!!!

Look how tiny she is compared to her friends

Her sad little friend who is going to a completely different middle school than everyone else

Destiny and her partner in crime Arlo

Destiny and her BFF

Surrounded by her classmates

Abby

What to say about Abby? Independent, stubborn, talkative(and that's an understatement), smart as anything, social, funny, fashion diva, soft-hearted, loving, neat and the list goes on and on. Abby has been a joy to us from the moment that they placed her in our arms. She has never been laid back, she has always gone full force and this year was no different.

She is in third grade this year. This was the year that it was supposed to get harder in school. The "pivotal" year they called it. Somehow she managed to make it look effortless. She cheered three nights a week from the beginning of school until November, went straight into a competitive cheerleading team from November until the first week of April, was involved in Brownies, was accepted into and started in the gifted program, played a spring season of soccer, had multiple sleepovers, parties and playdates and never missed an academic beat. How I wish I had her energy and her smarts. Her name means, "my father's joy" but she is definitely our joy.

It's hard to imagine that the tiny baby that they placed in my arms is now almost 9 years old and headed into the 4th grade. She is now part of the older kids in elementary school and she couldn't be more excited. This year was the year that I saw the first rumbling's of girl drama but Abby really held it to a minimum. I am thankful that for all of the faults that she may have, she is is kind-hearted child. She goes out of her way to include those less popular and always has a hello and a kind word for everyone.

Her week was filled with class parties and award ceremonies. Somehow she talked me into making two batches of cupcakes, one for her gifted class and one for her regular class so that she like Maddie could celebrate her summer birthday. She even managed to fit in a playdate and a tumbling class and a sleepover in true Abby fashion. She is excited for summer and has so many summer plans that I doubt that we will accomplish them all but then again with her energy we just might!!!

My favorite baby picture of Abby. She was around 9 months old here

Abby's first day of third grade. She looks so serious

Mighty Hoya Cheerleader

2nd place finish for Stingrays

Outstanding Academic Achievement for Third Grade

Abby and her best friend, Kinley

Abby and Mary Katherine

Abby and her beachy cupcake that we made for her birthday celebration for school

Maddie

It was hard to believe that my baby could be going to Kindergarten this year.   It seems like just yesterday that we had to lower her crib mattress because she learned to stand by herself and we were afraid that she would fall out.  Now she is in elementary school.   Kindergarten has been quite an experience for us both.  Maddie really didn't want to go and I didn't really want to send her.  I sent her though and she went and then one day we woke up and it was okay for both of us.  She has grown up so much this year and while I know that she will always be my girl, this was her first real step away from me and that was so hard for me.  I remember putting her on the bus one morning right after school started and the bus driver had to almost peel her off of me.  She cried and cried and cried.   And then I got in the car and cried and cried and cried.   But we made it!  She has learned so much this year and had such a wonderful experience.   I hope that she will always remember her fabulous Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Fuch's, who was everything that a kindergarten teacher should be and more.   

It was a busy week with all kinds of activities but the highlight was her end-of-the-year luau party on Thursday.  I had such a good time watching her have fun and interact with all of her little friends.   Maddie and I had decided that it wasn't fair that she wouldn't get to celebrate her birthday with her classmates and so she celebrated today with ice cream cone cupcakes that we made last night.  I picked her up expecting some tears but she was all smiles and ready to enjoy our tradition, ice cream on the last day of school.   I think my girl is ready for 1st grade!  

My baby Maddie at 6 months

Maddie on the first day of Kindergarten 2008

Maddie and her teacher Mrs Fuch's (right) and her paraprofessional, Ms. Rager (left)

My sweet girl and her sweet smile

Maddie doing the limbo

Maddie and her good friend, Keeley

Maddie, Keeley and Mina

Maddie and her friend, Makai.  They have been in school together since they were two.  He says "I love you Maddie"

Maddie and friends  

Maddie and her fruit shish-ka-bob

Maddie and her birthday cupcake

End of the School Year

The end of the school year is upon us and the girls are beyond excited.   I, am tired.  It has been a long week filled with class parties, award ceremonies, final walks, and four dozen cupcakes baked. The year seems to have flown by and at the same time taken forever.  It was a memorable year. Maddie's first year in elementary school and Destiny's last.   I tried to convince them to stay in this moment forever but they wouldn't agree.   In honor of my girls I thought I would give them each their own little post to capture the highlights of their week.   

The first day of school, August 11, 2008  

Madeline-Kindergarten

Abigail-3rd grade

Destiny-5th grade

The Last Day of School, May 22, 2009

One of those days

You ever have one of those days where you just feel overwhelmed and alone. This isn't one of those days, it's one of those weeks. I have a few things going on that at the moment seem insurmountable to me. My heart is heavy and quite honestly, I am just sad. I miss my dad this week more than words can say. The other night I was driving and I thought back to the time in the hospital when he wasn't talking yet and I sat there just crying and he reached over gently and rubbed my tear away and patted my face. I miss the comfort that he gave. I miss him.

And yet in the midst of feeling overwhelmed and alone, I remember that I am not ever really alone. That the road is not an easy one all of the time. Life is not a destination but a journey. And what is to come if far better than anything than I could ever imagine. And so I press on.

I admit it

I feel a bit lost this week. We have nothing to do in the evenings. Did you hear me? Nothing to do. It feels a bit odd. We are not running to soccer practice and I am so happy. I do love to watch them play though. I will leave you with a few shots of the older girls finishing out their season.  Neither team did exceptionally well but the girls learned so much (Abby learned that soccer wasn't really her thing because she prefers not to run "too much.")
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Bridging Up

Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived in England with their granny and their father. The girls played all day while the granny and father had to work very hard. One day granny told the girls about the Brownies, who used to do lots of things to help around the house. They are gone now, she said, but we were always so much happier when they helped. The girls wanted to know where the Brownies had gone and how to get them to come back. Granny said, "only the wise old owl knows!"

That night, when everyone else was asleep, one of the girls ran out of the house into the magic forest. There she found the wise old owl. "Please", said the girl, "where can I find the Brownies to come and live with us? The owl said, "I know where two live – right in your house!" She was very surprised! Tell me how to find them, she begged. He told her to go to the pond in the magic forest, turn around three times and say, "twist me and turn me and show me the elf… I looked in the water and saw…….!" The wise old owl said, "When you finish the rhyme, you will see the Brownie in the magic pond."

The girl went to the pond in the magic forest and did as she had been told. She went back to the forest and found the wise old owl and said, " something must be wrong, I did all you told me to do and I only saw myself! And I am not a Brownie!" " Are you sure?" said the owl. To be a Brownie, you must be ready to help those around you, make friends wherever you can, and every day try to discover something new. "I'd like to be a Brownie", said the girl. Then go home and try, the wise old owl said kindly. He touched her hand with his feathers, and suddenly she was back in her house, in her own bed.

Quietly, she woke up her sister, told her all that had happened. Together the girls tip-toed into the kitchen and began to clean the house. In the morning, when granny and father saw the house, they wanted to know what had happened. "Who did this?" said granny and father! The girls danced around and shouted, "it's the Brownies!" And from that day on, theirs was a very happy house near the forest, all because of the Brownies!

Has it really been three years since I took Abby to her first Brownie meeting and she sat in a circle with all of those other little girls? I remember Ms. Kathy twirling her and hearing her little voice say along with Ms. Kathy's "twist me and turn me and show me the elf… I looked in the water and saw myself".   She has grown up so much in the past three years and I hope that some of her fondest memories will be of being a Brownie. The years have flown by quickly with all-night rollerskating, visits to the Corn Maze, crafts and the annual Camporee.  Tonight was a most special night though it was the night that Abby bridged up to being a Junior Girl Scout.

The bridge that the girls would cross

Abby and her friend, Rayna, carrying their piece of the bridge

Putting the piece of the bridge in place

B-R-O-W-N-I-E-S

Waiting her turn to cross the bridge

I’ve got something in my pocket that belongs upon my face, I keep it very close to me in a most convenient place I’m sure you couldn’t guess it if you guessed a long, long while. So I’ll take it out and put it on - it’s a great big Brownie Smile!

New Junior Girl Scout Abby and her troop leader, Ms. Kathy  

Abby with her sisters