2011 Highlights for Danielle

Danielle, aka--Tookie, is in 4th grade.

She plays basketball and softball and is all into her 4th grade social studies projects.
She has discovered facebook and is developing an  addiction to it.
And she begs me for a phone for Christmas like every. single. day.

Reminds me a little of me and how I BEGGED my parents to get a "teen line" so I could have my own phone in my room.  That was only a hundred years ago when I actually had to dial the phone.  They never did get an extra phone line and the closest I ever had to my own phone was the one with a cord long enough that I could pull it to the top of the stairs when I was on the phone. 

I digress. 

Raising Tookie is way different than with the others.  I am finding myself getting all nostalgic as she hits all of her "firsts."  Because for this mama....her "firsts" are my "lasts" as mama.


I've done a thousand 4th grade projects with the kids over the years.  And now I am going through my very last year as a mama with a 4th grader.

We celebrated our last first day of elementary school.

Just got done with our last ever elementary Christmas concert.

My baby girls is trying really hard to hurry up and grow up like her siblings.
And I am putting my efforts into not letting this happen
Any quicker
than
it has to.
Darnit.

But isn't she beautiful?

And when I say beautiful, I mean on the inside as well as the outside.

She is conscientious.  She cares about people's feelings. 
She genuinely feels bad when she tries to get away with something that she knows she shouldn't be trying to get away with.  She actually feels sick about it.  I love that in this girl. 

So this year we read "tales of a 4th grade nothing," are totally in to "Ramona and Beezus," and are learning the states and capitals.  We have 'movie Mondays' and what we call 'word Wednesdays.'  Traditions that the two of us still hang on to and enjoy. 

Here is Tookie on her 9th birthday with her newborn picture and her jar of beads.  There is one bead for each day from now until her 18th birthday.  Each week I remove 7 beads.  A visual reminder that time is not waiting for any of us.  I have an opportunity as a mama to make each bead count for something. 

All of this talk about "time"
Firsts
and Lasts
and all Tookie wants to know is
"will I get my own phone for Christmas?

Probably not.

All  in good time.