What a fun day! One little phone call changed my outlook today as I listened to the exuberance in the voice of the birthday girl! I asked questions and got answers I expected and some I didn't. We sang her the birthday song that is our trademark on their day and now I am having my second cup of coffee over the replays in my mind.
Natalie Grace is eleven years old today and wise for her age, but still a child. She looks so grown up when allowed to wear a little blush and maybe some mascara for special events like the Christmas Eve service at church, but she is still a sweet, innocent child who is always questioning, listening, and learning.
One of her Christmas gifts was a gift certificate for Rock Wall Climbing....something I have never been interested in, but suggested we do it together on my next visit because of her love for it...because I want to get a place in and stay in her world....because her enthusiasm for new adventures entices me to think that I can do it too!
They had planned to go sledding at Paradise on Mt. Ranier today for her birthday. But the snow didn't come. No problem, the new plan is snowshoeing and I can't wait for the pictures. Years ago, before Natalie was born or even planned, Tracy and I had Thanksgiving in Washington with Ted and Robin, which included showshoeing at Paradise. What fun, and what a workout! I secretly wish I were there with them right now instead of airing out the kitchen from the potholder fire I started when I picked the wrong knob to heat water in the tea kettle. (But Jim is working on a Hardee's biscuit recipe that smells heavenly.)
Natalie's mom made a birthday cake from scratch, she proudly tells me, and they are taking it to the lodge and will celebrate with cake when they are done snowshoeing. Can't you just get a picture of that in your mind? This brand new eleven year old was as excited about that as anything!
We bought her an early gift while we were there for Christmas. She loved my purse so we let her pick one out. She wanted a similar color and a lot of zippers like mine has. She also wanted to be able to wear it cross-body like I do in crowds and when traveling. We went through several in a couple stores until she found THE ONE. She carried it around while humoring me, she agreed we could still keep looking and keep an eye on that one. But there was no denying it. After several attempts by Jim to interest her in another...she simply said LETS JUST PAY FOR THIS ONE. Now she tells me with great pride that she takes her purse everywhere she is allowed to and wears it like I do.
I am so grateful Natalie has good parents who have set rules, who have standards of conduct for their children and use common sense to reason out the gray areas of parenting a pre-teen. I am also grateful to this sweet girl, our first grandchild, who we have been learning to grandparent from for these eleven years. She is gentle and patient with us and still loves us through our mistakes, wrong
sizes, forgotten promises, and panned plans.
Oh, and can you guess, I love being a Grandma!!!
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