Almost ten.

Alla will turn TEN on Sunday. TEN. Trying to wrap my brain around double digits. No, it doesn't seem like yesterday that she was turning two or four or six or seven, but it does feel like it went mighty fast, and that every single day I'm just keeping up, barely. Mostly I wish to just put it all on hold for even a few hours, call them in sick, tuck us all under the covers with a pile of picture books and no place to be.

 

At ten you see the essence of a person. I don't know if she'll end up becoming a vet or if she'll have animals or if she'll paint or write stories or all of it, but I would bet that when she decides on all of that, we will look back at these photographs and see her, think yes that's who you've always been.   

Always a free spirit, always happiest in nature, climbing, digging, singing, swinging.

I'm so very lucky to be her mom, to be in her life every single day.