Genevieve is turning 9!

As many of you may know...Genevieve is a very...proper child.  I do not mean proper in the sense of sitting up straight or sipping tea pinky up, but more the definition of "correct".   In a sense, it makes parenting her easier; she doesn't lie, because either a thing IS or it isn't, and only what IS makes sense.   She also always follows safety rules, she always buckles up and wouldn't dare cross the street without looking both ways.   On the other hand, it makes parenting her a bit of a challenge...because both of her parents would be considered anything but proper.

Earlier this year she confessed she heard a "bad word", and she needed to tell me because her conscious couldn't hold it to herself.  She also pointed out when she heard me say a bad word...(mother of the year right here, but in my defense I was panicked thinking the dog was going to kill the mailman and it just slipped out).    On another occasion she was out with her aunt and Nana and when I was tucking her in that night asking if she had the best time, she said "well...mostly...except they broke a lot of laws and that made me uncomfortable".      BROKE A LOT OF LAWS?!   They jaywalked (looking both ways of course) but there was a crosswalk down a ways, AND....they drove from one parking lot to the one next to it without their seat belts on.

While this child strongly desires things to be black and white, and her dad and I have tried to point out how often life can be gray....she has taken that correct way of doing things and grown in responsibility SO much this year.   She takes more initiative to do things, she is more confident in the things she does.  She steps up to help others (sometimes slightly bossy but from a place of trying to help!)  and is over coming so many fears and anxieties that we had seen her struggle with before.   Small things, but this week I asked her to go put something back in the store for me, and she did it, when last year she wouldn't have felt comfortable stepping out of sight from me in a strange place on her own. 

She is uniquely herself.  I mean, I believe we are all unique...but she is the ONLY 8 year old I have known to ask for a juicer for Christmas.    She invited all her neighborhood friends over to make juice for them after trying a couple different recipes and wanted to share what she had learned.  They VERY politely declined any more after trying a sip....so she and her brother got to share what she had made. 

She is growing in her reading and has much to her fathers delight become an avid fan of fantasy books.   I tried influencing her with lots of fictions I have loved or historical fictions, but magic, mythical beasts, supernatural powers and realms beyond our world captivate her and we have found her up before the sun with the little lamp above her bed on so she can read until the rest of us wake up. 

She has always loved outdoor adventures, and since Tyler and I always strongly encourage this, it only makes sense to see her love for the sun grow as well.   We experienced the beach for the first time this summer and Genevieve LOVED the waves, she body surfed, she loved jumping over and through waves, rolling in the sand, and everything about the beach, who knew this Kansas girl could be such a beach lover?

She loves her friends, as most kids do, but between you and me, I think her best friend is actually Charlotte.  She has started to get the dog to sleep with her a lot of nights, and claims she sleeps better with her company.  Whenever we are out she is polite to people but as soon as she sees a dog, she squeals and asks to meet their "puppers", but I mean, obviously I understand. 

It's crazy watching your child grow and become more and more their own person.  We hope she continues to be the funny, unique, kind person she is but not matter who she becomes, she is everything to us.