Of Birthdays and Backpacks

My little Rachel . . . . I simply cannot believe she's eight! This year she has grown in so many ways. She's grown in stature, as evidenced by the fact that suddenly none of her jeans or shoes seemed to fit anymore. She's grown in compassion and empathy for others. She's grown in her love of holding babies (I didn't think that was even possible!). She's grown academically, as she's developed a passion for reading books of all varieties. Last night, she read until the light was turned out, slept with her book, and began reading as soon as she woke up! If anything, we have to get on her case about reading too much. She reminds me of myself as a kid. I wonder if we'll ever ground her from reading, as my parents did me!

The biggest growth in her life this year has been spiritual awareness. This summer she's asked dozens of questions: about Christ, about salvation, about suffering, about heaven - you name it, she's asked it! And a couple of months ago, she took the step of voicing her trust in Christ out loud in a prayer. It is SO wonderful to know that she understands and believes that Jesus died to save her from her sin, rose from the dead, and is sovereign over her life. And so cool to hear her articulate it. Our Shrumshine.

Each year, I appreciate more the responsibility we have to train her in godliness. I find myself torn between the thrill of watching her bloom and grow, and the desire to keep her exactly as she is; continually aware of the bittersweet reality that in a short series of moments, I'll find her grown and ready to fly on her own. *sniff*






















And then there's Bop Bop. Mr. Moo began referring to Karis by that title, and somehow it stuck! I love the picture of her in the princess dress on the bike, because it really kind of sums her up: the tomboy princess. She loves everything sparkly and girly, but I've seen her beat on her older brother and sister pretty effectively. She's a little toughie. In some settings, she quiet and almost shy. In others, I can't get her to take a breath between sentences.

This year, she's become quite the little Daddy's girl. She loves to snuggle, and some days informs me that "Today, I'm giving Daddy ALL of my snuggles." At which point I act so sad and dejected that she relents and decides to give me "just a few snuggles." The hardest thing for her about having short hair has been the loss of her pigtails. The reason? Danny loves the piggies and was sad to see them go. She's been heartbroken over this, until a few weeks ago, when she was elated to discover her hair had finally grown back enough to reinstate them.

Her favorite birthday gift was Baby Alive, who she's named Baby Ellie. On the days she goes to Kindergarten, she leaves Mr. Moo with instructions on how to care for Ellie, who turns one about every other day. It's so sweet to see her nurturing side - until she decides it's time to be a tomboy again.

And now for some back-to-school pictures. Rachel is in a new building this year, and Karis started school for the very first time. Thankfully, we had the option to send her every other day, so she attends on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday. She absolutely LOVES it - her class, her teacher, everything! Rachel is enjoying her class and teachers as well, and adjusting very quickly to the concept of having different teachers for different subjects (3). Zeke . . . well, he has his ups and downs, but I'd say overall he's had a good couple of weeks!