A funny thing happens to kids when they hit third grade: They finally
get it. They've finally had enough life experiences to have a few things figured out. They have a firm grasp on what's right and what's wrong. They don't just laugh at jokes, but actually understand humor. They're finally coordinated enough to be good at sports, rather than just being on the team. They are aware of their environment and the people around them. They just
get it. My girl is no exception. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere between the end of second grade and the start of third grade, Emerson changed. She went from little girl to big girl. If you think I'm exaggerating, take a look at the two photos below. A mere three months separate the two.
A year ago, I wrote about Emerson transitioning from seven to eight. You can read that story
here. Last year was all about friends,, both new and old. This year, it's all about
doing things. We are finishing up our second year here in Ohio, and while this state hasn't exactly grown on me, I can't complain about the school district we've chosen and the wide variety of activities that are offered. I don't think Emerson would complain, either. Since the spring of last year, she has participated in six different sports.
Gymnastics, with Alayna:
Swimming with Owen and Greyson:
Cheerleading:
Basketball:
Softball:
And a track program called Girls on the Run, which is all about empowering young girls and keeping them active.
In addition to all of her team sports, she also enjoyed various other activities:
Playing at the park:
Fishing:
Swimming, both at the lake and in the ocean:
Nature walks:
Picking pumpkins:
And snowmobiling:
You'd think that would completely occupy all of her time, right? Of course she was able to squeeze a little bit of silliness in anywhere she could:
Even at her birthday party:
Academically speaking, she's still a straight-A student. Her teacher stated that if she had 25 Emersons in her class, she'd be the luckiest teacher in the school! There is one thing that needs to be straightened out: When asked what she'd like to be when she grows up, Emerson cannot decide if she'd like to be a teacher or one of those awesome roller skating waitresses at Sonic!
Today is Emerson's ninth birthday.
NINE. These past nine years have flown by. Do you know what will happen in nine more years? She'll turn 18 and she'll be graduating from high school. My time with her here, as a child, is already half over. That's some scary stuff right there. I've had glimpses of her teen years already. This girl has attitude.
But right now, she is nine. She's not too cool to kiss her baby brother.
She's not too grown up that she doesn't crawl into bed next to me from time to time.
She waits for me to kiss her goodnight every night, and she misses me terribly when I'm gone for too long. She's at that age where she needs little more freedom, but at the end of the day, she still needs her mama, too. She
gets it.
