Double Digits for Anya!!!

And just like that I no longer have little people in my house.  Today, Anya turns 10.  Double digits!!!!   Today though I want to celebrate this milestone of Anya’s by sharing 10 things that I absolutely admire, adore and love about my youngest daughter.

1.     Her heart.  She literally has a heart of gold.  I know I am her mom, but she truly is  aware of other people feelings and is always striving to be a helper, a healer, and a good friend.  

2.     Adventurous.  She is willing to take risks even when they are scary, or to appease us.  From trying new activities such as camp, switching schools, trying wakeboarding/kneeboarding/water skiing, and even going on scary rides at DisneyWorld just to make the rest of the family happy. 

See her in the front row, holding on for dear life.  Hahahahaha.

3.     Her hugs fill my bucket.  She knows innately when someone needs a good.  When she hugs, she hugs tight.  She hugs so that she can transfer her love onto to you.

4.     She is SOOOO creative.  You guys this kid is an inventor.  My favorite of her inventions was the bike helmet with a built-in bug spray.  She has wild, innovative and unique ideas and she throws herself into them and makes them come to life.  Though this creativity does get her into trouble, and results in  many messes around the house, I also fully admire it.

5.     Extrovert.  Yep.  I see so much of myself in her.  Full of life.  Chatty.  Wants to be friends with everyone, not for popularity, but she truly wants to know them.  Doesn’t want to miss anything.  She just wants to soak it all up.

Besties!

6.     Teacher in training.  She is sooo good with the little ones that come to our home. On more  than once occasion  her teachers over the years have mentioned how she can gently work alongside peers having trouble.  I can see her making an excellent caregiver whether it be in the role of a mom, a teacher, or  someone who cares about the elderly.

Bedtime songs and stories for her little cousin.

7.     Cultural.  Over the years she has become more and more interested in learning about not only my cultural back ground, and that of her grandparents, but also of Saskatchewan cultural history.  She truly seems to honor and respect this learning.

8.     Performer.  The creative side once again comes to life as she loves to preform for an audience and makes up dances, silly skits, challenges for the family, pulls pranks around the house, whatever will make you enjoy yourself.  She absolutely would love to be a YouTuber, hahahaha.

9.     Cooking/baking is quickly becoming a passion.  From dance, to guitar, science experiments to the kitchen.  She loves trying out new recipes and cooking for the family. Her favorite food is sushi, though she doesn't know how to make it YET.

10. Love Language =  Acts of Service & Physical.  Anya really loves to give hugs, says I Love You in a meaningful way.  She also communicates her love by willingly putting dishes always, picking up the dog poop in the backyard, makes little gifts for friends, helps us tidy up, cooks for us, etc..  She does it all because she wants to communicate to us, her grandparents, her friends, and people in the community, that she cares.  She is the first to give up a new birthday gift to donate to the school toy drive, or to approach us about helping the homeless in the community, or raising money for the polar bears.  

Raised $50 for the Polar Bears after learning they were endangered.

     She will always be my little girl.  You guys, I am so not ready for her to grow up.  It’s likeshe knows I am struggling so she gets me to lay in her bed occasionally, or she will sneakin for a cuddle on the couch or in our bed.  Gone are the days of her coming to our bed,which she did for years and years and years.  Lately I have become much more aware thateverything might be "the last time".  The last time she sleeps in our bed.  The last time shefully believes.  The last time she plays with her dolls, etc.  So today I am capturing asnippet of our life with her at this age so I will have it to look back on and hopefully it'llhelp me conjure up these memories of her for years to come.  To my littlest girl, 

I love you for ever.

I like you for always.

As long as I am living, 

my baby you'll be. 

         - Robert Munch

Love, Mama

Double Digits: Happy Birthday Halie

Double digits already?  Tween?  No more baby girl?  No more little girl?  I am treading lightly into this unknown territory.  I feel more unprepared for this next phase of parenting then I did being a first time mom,  I  honestly do.  I always imagined having kids under the age of five.  I always imagined up happily playing in grassy fields, under a warm sunlight, with our faces plastered with smiles.  Most of these things materialized but as you can imagine the picture painted above is not reality or a resemblance of  a real day to day life.  LOL. Regardless of the fact that my life is not a movie and we aren't the Brady Bunch, we do have a great life, ups and downs for sure, but a great family life.  Now my little baby girl is 10 and I find it both thrilling and terrifying at the same time because never have I imagined this phase of my life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I look at Halie and even though there are days that it's clear that she is about to moving into the double digits she is still very much our little girl.  She still dances, twirls, leaps and cartwheels all around the house like nobody is watching. She still asks to be read to, loves cuddling up on the couch,  comes into our bed on the weekend to visit, asks to be tucked in,  and sleeps with her "medo" (bear).    She is imaginative and creative through her art and dance and now her YouTube channel, yep she is on YouTube(check out the video below).  She is compassionate and determined to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to.  Even though she exhibits some behaviors of a tween, mood swings, eye roll, the "OKAY!" that is delivered in an far from okay tone of voice, etc, she still exhibits the innocence of a little girl in many so many ways.   Some days when I look at her I get chocked up especially when I think of how my life changed at the age of 10; it's when my family fled a war torn country and my life changed drastically (sidenote: I thought I was going to share a bit of that with you today but it just doesn't feel quite right).   I look at her and I am thankful that she has this opportunity to toe the line between innocence of childhood and young adult for a few more years.  I want to preserve and protect her childhood while also providing her with space and time to grew up in the most natural way. 

Halie learning to snowboard last weekend at Table Mountain!  We were so proud of the fact that she stuck to the bunny hill to practice her leafing while the rest of us had fun on the big hill.  By the end of the day she was able to turn both ways and get down the big hill slowly.  Her determination, dedication and perseverance made us truly proud.

 

I want Halie to grow up to be an empathetic, generous, open-minded, smart, realistic,  and a hard working individual but NOT yet.   I still wish for her to hold on to the innocence and to look onto  her life with  hopes and dreams and without boundaries. 

 

 

For her birthday party we will be going swimming, having pizza supper, movie night and a sleepover with 8-10 little girls.  HELP ME!  😅😊