Year eight with my sweet Gracie

Oh sweet girl, it's been an amazing year. You've grown. Actually if you could stop growing that would be great. You're this beautiful little girl one moment and this bouncy little vision of the woman you're becoming the next.
There are so many stories about this year. I think I'll start with your new found love to skate.
Over the summer we went to your first skating rink, and the best I can describe your first go around was like that scene from Friends where Phoebe runs. It was all flailing and squeals. And I wasn't sure you would be getting the hang of it. But that's not what makes this one of those proud mommy moments for me. What makes this a proud mommy moment is that you kept skating. I mean no matter how many times you fell, you just kept getting back up. You ran into walls and lost control over and over again. And then you went back the next day to keep practicing. And then you asked for skates for your birthday. You weren't a natural. You were determined. You made up you mind and then you kept at it.
And then there was the news that you had colonized psuedomonas. You looked at me and said, "So now I can go swimming whenever I want." I just smiled. Truly you are ever the optimist. You wore moustaches with me to the hospital to get lab work done and giggled at all the strange looks we got. This year you did all your own talking for your Great Strides CF video. I think this may be my all time fav video. You are just, well I'll put a link to it because you just blow me away.

Oh and you've started this whole making friends wherever we go. I mean you just walk right up to other kids, introduce yourself and ask if they want to play. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. But you always ask, and you do it absolutely fearlessly.
And when Granny's Daddy died this year, you found me crying. You wrapped your arms around me and prayed for his first night in heaven. The next day you wrote a letter to God and asked him to please take good care of him.
And you've become a big sister all over again. When Bitty first came, you struggled. You were sad because everyone was making a fuss over him. And I remember you very calmly came out of your room one day and told me that it was okay that he was everybody's favorite because you were his favorite. You're all the affection from a mom without any of that pesky word no.
You're funny. I mean like playing pranks on Seth funny. You hide around corners and jump out at him. Your giggle is infectious. Oh and this year we let you have caffeine. You giggled for ten minutes straight. We took video.

This year you started growing out of toys. You decided you were too old to play with Barbies. And I teared up. You started getting phone calls from other giggly little girls.
And my sweet little princess is growing up into this young lady that I just love to be with. I love to listen to you talk about your day, your chinchilla or just snuggle with you.
You're so wonderfully compassionate. When I'm having a bad day, you will sweetly walk over and ask me if I need a hug. And you are almost always right. There's very few things in the world a Gracie hug can't fix.
And this was the year you donated all those beyond gorgeous curls. I mean. How was I going to say no when you told me about how you wanted to help other kids by cutting your hair? I cried, but my sweet girl hopped right up there and did something amazing. I mean that's who you are.
You truly are so fearfully and wonderfully made, and I am so grateful for year eight with you.


And here's that link to the video of your adorableness...
http://youtu.be/xhu-R7J47Po