My Horse Birthday Party

(Written by Avery)

My favorite animal is a horse and I love sleepovers so I had a horse sleepover birthday.

The first fun thing was eating hot dogs. Then we all went to the barn & I got to ride in Nana and DD's car.

At the barn I enjoyed riding Dream with my friends. We each had a turn alone and then we rode two at a time. There was a donkey at the barn and he was loud!

Then we came back home and beat a piñata and then we had cake. My cake was a big ole horse head.

Then we watched Horse Land (my favorite tv show). When it was time to sleep we were crazy. We stayed awake for hours and hours. Everybody decided they wanted to sleep with me... but we didn't sleep.

It was a really fun birthday!

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Summer Changes

These girls.  This summer.  So much growing and changing.  Becoming and being.  So much love.

This summer, Reese went from a non-swimmer to a little fish... or more specifically, a mermaid.  She has grown in her vocabulary and carries on full conversations, usually telling people exactly how they are to engage with her in play.  She still slips into bed between mom and dad most nights, and she still finds joy in everything... but she's growing.  And learning.  And she's pretty sure she can keep up with her two big sisters.  She's usually right, too.

This summer, Kate Beth has gotten so tall.  And so good at expressing her feelings, even when she feels overshadowed.  I look at her, and I can believe she's about to go to Kindergarten: she's become such a big, beautiful, five-and-a-half year old.  She's ready, and she's going to charm her new friends and her teacher.  But also, wow!  What has happened to the time?  Did I really experience 5 1/2 years of growth?  It seems like yesterday when that tiny child was struggling to find her voice.  But yes.  Yes, she has grown, and yes, I have watched the beauty develop and unfold.  From delicate, shy and tender, she has blossomed into strength and beauty, although still so tender-hearted and caring.  This summer, she's lost her first teeth.  And she is so, so talented at the things she tries: dance and gymnastics.  Swimming, with strokes.  And recently, she learned to ride her bike without training wheels.  She needed a few reminders from her Daddy about her own strength and ability, but before long, she was off.  Within days of learning to ride on her own, she accompanied her family on a 5 mile round trip bike ride to get snow cones.  She held her own and is now fully confident that she can be a bike rider when the school year starts.  A summer of growth and preparation for this blossoming beauty.

Avery has spent the summer losing teeth... much like her younger sister.  However, her teeth have fallen out in succession.  She's taken to writing the tooth fairy letters and making requests, like: "Can you leave some pixie dust so I can fly?" and "Please take a selfie!"  Apparently, her tooth fairy has a pet lightning bug, wears a blue dress, and only needs a tiny pinch of pixie dust to fly - although she left some behind, it just wasn't enough for a big person to use to fly.  Avery's imagination is one of my favorite aspects of her, and it's always been fun to watch what she comes up with next.  This summer, she's also spent a fair amount of time nurturing others.  She has such a compassionate spirit, and it has been fun to watch her mature and begin to see other people's feelings and needs.  She's about to be a third grader, which will include switching teachers for the first time.

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