Growing up

Tomorrow Hope will be 8 1/2 - not a little kid anymore, but still not a "tween." She's in this strange land where sometimes she's goofy, uninhibited, and very child-like but other times she's independent, mature, and even has a tiny touch of attitude (rolling her eyes and huffing at Grant, usually).

Sometimes I miss the soft, squishy 3-year-old Hope with her scratchy voice and heaps of affection. She was THE most precious toddler! When she was that age, I couldn't believe for a second that I could possibly love a grown up version of her even more, even though my mom told me I would. It didn't seem possible. But now, I do.

This 8 1/2-year-old Hope is still adorable, but also stunningly beautiful. She's playful and still likes to pretend, but she's also quite mature and knows a lot more about the world than some kids her age. She is affectionate and tells us she loves us, but she's also likely to choose time with friends over time with her parents these days. Hope is still like a ray of sunlight in our house, but sometimes we see little bits of hormonal clouds on the horizon - glimpses of her teenage years, that will be here before we know it. And again, even though it's hard to imagine loving her more then than I do now, I know that I will!