dear Greta,
your actual birthday was almost two months ago, but I still wanted to recap the celebration of double digits! you have been so excited to turn ten. it is bittersweet for your sentimental mother, I'll tell you that much, but most of all, I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming. you are a fiercely loyal friend and a wonderful big sister. you are blunt and approach most situations (and people) with skepticism until they have proven worthy of your esteem -- a character trait you've had since infancy that we've worked to temper with kindness, but that I also know will serve you well as you continue to become more independent. let's just say we don't worry about you falling for any ne'er-do-wells.
you love to entertain Elizabeth and Victoria, and in turn, they absolutely adore you. you are responsible enough that you sometimes stay home by yourself while I run a short errand (although it will be a few more years before you watch the babies on your own!). I can call you on the Alexa to check in, and you always answer promptly and tell me that it's fine if I want to stay out longer ;)
you are 100% obsessed with basketball. this especially busy week, between your developmental (3rd and 4th grade) team and the JV (5th and 6th grade) team, you have 5 games and 3 practices. I thought you might balk at the time commitment (you typically have just one game for each team) but you are thrilled. at the end of the 3rd grade season, we talked a lot about how you'd be a team leader in 4th grade, and you really didn't see yourself in that light. now you have risen to the challenge without hesitation, and it's incredible as a parent to watch your determination and flow state on the court. as a 4th grader joining the JV team, you are starting to get more playing time as your confidence grows. you've scored a few times and also play great defense, which is impressive when the girls you are guarding are a foot taller than you!
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| developmental team |
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| JV team |
this year, you also started playing viola with the school orchestra and joined the cheer squad. it's a busy season for sure. fortunately, you rarely have homework beyond what you complete in at school, so you can mostly just relax whenever we're home!
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| squeezing in some viola practice before cheering for the boys basketball game |
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| you love stunting! |
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| you're in the center. if I tried this trick, I would land on my rump for sure. |
for your actual birthday, I cooked pesto pasta with sausage for dinner per request. the recipe includes roasted brussels sprouts, which you usually pick out, so I just omitted them since it was your special day. then we had a white almond cake.
your birthday party was a few weeks later. originally, you wanted an ice skating party, but all of the nearby rinks were booked for months. after much consternation, you finally settled on a laser tag party and I breathed a sigh of relief as we were able to secure a reservation at a place with great reviews. unfortunately, we booked the party before the basketball season schedule came out, and your first home game of the season was at the exact same time! I tried to rebook the party, but they didn't have any other slots available until after Christmas. you were so upset to be missing the game and said you wanted to cancel the party (especially since some of the friends you wanted to invite are on the basketball team, and weren't able to come). but despite all of the angst leading up to it, your party itself was an absolute blast. we had the entire place to ourselves before they opened to the public. you truly felt like a VIP! the icing on the cake was that your team won the basketball game, so you didn't berate yourself about not being there.
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| you spotted your name on the marquee and your entire day was made! instant celebrity status, for sure. |
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| I was impressed at how immaculately clean this place was. |
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| I lost track of how many times I had to pluck Elizabeth off the skeeball ramp |
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| you played two rounds of laser tag. it was the first time many of you had played and the energy was palpable as you solemnly marched into the "ready room"! |
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| before getting suited up |
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Daddy played with you the first round, while I stayed out in the arcade with the babies. then we switched and I played the second round. the games last just ten minutes each, but time really does seem to slow down inside the course, with the black lights, dry ice and music all heightening the drama! the camera feeds showed the game and scoring in real time for spectators too.
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| I thought you might be put off by the decor since you're not really into superheroes or comics, but I think it was sufficiently edgy enough to be deemed cool. |
we love you, sweetpea! happy birthday!
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| a sweet hug with your great-grandfather on Christmas Day |
Ten is such a fun age. Greta sounds like one awesome kiddo and how exciting to see your name in big digital letters. Glad the laser tag went off without a hitch!
ReplyDeleteShe was SO excited by that sign -- the screaming in the car as we pulled up in the parking lot was deafening! And then her friends piled out of their cars and started screaming in excitement with her. It was a lot of noise for 10 o'clock in the morning ;)
DeleteDouble digits is a big deal! I would feel really cool to see my name on a sign like that and I'm almost 45! She's involved in so much - basketball, viola, cheer - very impressive she keeps up with it all AND finishes her homework in school. Sounds like a wonderful girl. Happy birthday Greta the Great :)
ReplyDeleteIt is A LOT. She likely won't participate in cheer next year -- she wanted to try it, but basketball is her true love. We'll stick out the season, of course. She just does group lessons at school for viola where she gets pulled from one class period per week (rotating, so she's not always missing the same class) and (shhhh) doesn't practice at home very much. She's happiest with a lot of physical activity but also needs downtime. I know you can empathize with trying to find that balance with your athletic kiddos!
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