Frankie Knows

While tucking Frankie in to bed tonight I told her, "I love you and I think you're wonderful."
"I know. And you got me" she said with eyelids dropping.
Mission accomplished.
She turns ten years old at 11:50pm tonight. Of all the things I want my kids to know, the most important is that I love them and think they're wonderful.
It began 7 or 8 years ago. In those words, every night at bedtime I summarize life as I see. It started with Savielena and has grown with each child. They now try to beat me to it. I work it into the story of whatever bedtime book we're reading to catch them off guard. They add it to songs they're singing as they get their jammies on.
Sometimes I ask, "Do you know what?" and they jump in with, "Yes! You love me and think I'm wonderful."
I'm grateful that Frankie knows.

A Full Decade

I am thankful to be here, sitting at a large dining room table thinking about this decade. This time between the arrival, ten minutes shy of midnight, of Francesca into the world and tonight, warm in so many ways.
At one her smiles came easy and she slept like an angel.
At two she wore red boots even on hot summer days and learned to write her name.
At three her hair curled a thousand ways to reflect the sun, she danced for hours and arranged wild flower bouquets, one for each room in the house.
At four she rode a palomino horse named cowboy, wore jeweled sandals to town and became her older sister's best sidekick.
At five she lost that sister, stopped dancing and quit praying for miracles.
At six she listened to and watched: she waited on and wondered about the idea that is Life.
At seven she sold dozens of fresh eggs to neighbors and built a house under weeping willows. She played long and saved her brother from fears; she told him "Good always wins."
At eight she learned to swim hard and fast, changed her baby sister's diaper and played the piano with both hands.
At nine she loved History and Science, memorized long, complicated poems and learned to surf.
Today she is ten and my heart swells with gratitude for her and I know I will always feel this way about my dear girl.

My 10th Birthday

I'm thankful for my birthday!
Today is my birthday, the 25th of July and I had a blast at my party. I am turning ten. I really liked the water balloon fight. We had two teams. I led one and my friends J.T and Landon led the other team. Each team had its own territory to protect. My team won because the other team ran out of water balloons first. Both teams had the exact same number of water balloons. I know, because I counted them. I filled up the water balloons and my dad, my brother Vance and my friend Julian helped me.
I am so thankful for my birthday.