Saturday, October 27, 2012

Happy 8th Birthday, Grace!

Every Friday, we have "Movie Night."  The funny thing is, even though the kids get to choose what movie we watch, they always (always) choose for us to watch Cake Boss on Netflix.  There are tons of baking shows that I wish I could watch instead, but we don't have cable.  We do have Netflix, so unless it's on there, we don't watch it.  Anyway, this past Friday, we watched an episode in which Buddy and his wife welcome the birth of their 4th child.  The kids ended up watching Lisa in labor, ending with the birth of their son.  It wasn't anything "inappropriate," but it stirred up a lot of interest and questions from both kids.  (Grace: "What does it mean that she's at a 4?" Jeremy: "Where did that baby come out of?")  Anyway, as I was watching this, I was suddenly transported back 8 years to Grace's birth.  I was very emotional as I reflected on the day that God brought Grace into our lives.   
To think that she is now 8 years old!  WOW!!!  We would describe Grace as thoughtful, sweet, loving, beautiful, sensitive, intelligent, caring, shy, reserved and helpful.  I had her share about some of her current loves so I could document this time in her life.

Grace shows love for everyone around her- her family and friends.  She is our animal lover, always gravitating to animals (we won't let her have anything other than our cat).  She loves to read, draw, and write.  Lately, she's been walking around with her diary and writing about all sorts of things.  She's been reading and doing research about sharks and dolphins because she plans to write some stories about them.  Last year, she wrote a "series" about a bobcat named Diamond.  She called it her "Diamond Series."  I can't wait to see what she comes up with in this next series! She likes to play with legos, Littlest Pet Shops, and she says her favorite play buddy is her brother.  She loves to do arts and crafts. One of her favorite things to do as of late is listen to the radio.  She sings along and says she loves to dance in her room (in private).  It's been interesting to see Grace come out of her shell, a little bit more as she gains confidence in herself.  She still gets very nervous about the thought of doing things in front of people, but more and more, she's becoming comfortable letting others truly see who she is.  Her favorites to watch on t.v. are Phineas and Ferb and Cake Boss.  Grace really loves school this year, and in particular, her teacher.  She especially enjoys learning math and writing.    It took some time but she's finally adjusted to being at a new school!  It has been great to hear her talking about her circle of friends- Morgan, Bella, and Sasha.  These past few months, she's been on a swimming team, and next up, she wants to try judo.  She surprised Jason and I when she shared with us about trying out for her school's cross country team.  She came in 18th during tryouts, and only the top 10 made it.  She was discouraged and sad, but shocked us by insisting that she would try again next year, training earlier to increase her chances of making the team. It was the first time that she went out for something on her own initiative. 
Grace also chose for her special dinner to be at Old Spaghetti Factory.  She always has the Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce and her plate is cleaned every time.  Our waitress didn't catch on that it was her birthday, but of course I had a candle and lighter from home in my purse.  We sang to her and she blew out her candle before the waitress realized what was going on.  As we were paying the bill, she and the other staffers brought over another serving of ice cream.
We are so very proud of Grace!!!  She brings us so much joy and we feel blessed every day that she is our daughter.  Our love for her overflows and we are thankful for such a precious daughter. 

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