My Girl

                                       
On Thursday my baby turned nine! Where does the time go? She was just born, like, a second ago.

She was very specific about what she wanted for her birthday. She wanted a big breakfast, a day at the river, dinner at Larry's Subs and marble cake. The child is easy to please. My husband got up at 5:30 in the morning to make her fresh blueberry pancakes with whipped cream, bacon, and eggs. It was a feast. We went to the river and swam with a snake (YIKES!) and then dinner and cake. She wanted $50 and a bow and arrow so that is what we got her. It was a good day.

My daughter is a wild child. She is smart as can be and soooo funny. She is into weddings right now for some reason. Her new favorite show is Say Yes to the Dress. The other day she came up to me and asked, "What is the budget for my wedding?"

"I don't know. It depends on how much money dad and I have when you get married."

"Well, I want a lace dress that is strapless. Straight across, not a sweet heart neckline. I also want a marble wedding cake and shrimp at my reception. Can you remember that?"

"Sure thing."

I forgot that according to "tradition" we have to fund 2 weddings. Two weddings and college.
                  

Hopefully she marries a rich guy who will pay for the wedding and pay off her student loans. I'll still be paying mine off when she gets married.

I feel so blessed to have this little one. She is one of the smartest, wittiest people that I know. She is highly entertaining and I love just hanging out and being around her. She makes me laugh.

Now that she is nine and going into the fourth grade I told her I was going to teach her how to do some light cooking. She has been begging me for months. I asked her what she wanted to learn how to cook. Guess what she said? Ramen Noodles.
                       
The child is obsessed with Ramen noodles. I don't understand. They are horrible for you and full of sodium so I don't let her have them all the time but if she could, she would eat Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I taught her how to boil the water and how to cook them and transfer them safely into the bowl. She was so excited. That was all she needed to know. She thinks that she is ready to go to college now. That evening she stood up in the living room and announced: "Tomorrow I am giving you a treat. I am going to make Ramen noodles for you ALL for lunch." That is a treat indeed.

She is my fearless child. That is one of the things I love the best about her. She is not afraid to try anything. She wants to experience everything that life has to offer. We went to the aquarium this Friday and we attended a presentation about snakes and insects. The presenter asked if anyone wanted to pet the hissing cockroach. Her hand shot straight up. She was the ONLY kid who pet the cockroach.

That's who she is. When she was two she jumped into the deep end of the pool because she wanted to go swimming. She always wants to ride the biggest, scariest roller coasters. She wants to go sky-diving someday. She makes me so nervous. I have spent the past nine years trying to get her to balance her thrill-seeking with self preservation.

She is a free spirit. She wears cowboy boots with Bermuda shorts and a tie dyed tee shirts. Her room is pink with Star Wars and Avengers posters on the wall. She loves My Little Pony and Doctor Who. She is friends with everyone. She is not afraid to be herself. I wish everyone could be like that.

I don't know how I got so darn lucky. I am so blessed to have her in my life. My crazy curly-haired, sweet, funny wild child. I love her so much. I always tell her, "I love you all the way to the moon and all the way back home." Truer words were never spoken.