Successful Eighting

Yes, you read the headline. We have a full fledged eight your old. Sydney spent her birthday at, of all places, the Fort Worth Zoo. I should probably also mention that this was also a belated joint birthday party forAinsley. So, in that sense it was also a fouring. We had a pretty good crowd of all of their friends and a good time was had by all. My blushing bride did a phenomenal job of entertaining them with projects and crafts and the zoo was as good as ever. I was happy to say that my kids actually saw some animals this time.

You see, when you have a party at the zoo, you get your own private exhibition. They bring in 3 or 4 animals for your own little showing. This was great because as we made our way out and into the zoo there was far less animal viewing and far more of what my kiddos think the zoo is all about - rock climbing. To celebrate Sydney did her usual best and made it all the way to the top to ring the bell. She has conquered the easy and medium climbing walls and just has the expert left to master. It is always fun to watch her ease her way up to the top and then watch the 9 and 10 year old boys behind her fail. She really is pretty skilled.

Okay, so we saw some animals and we rock climbed. I think the treat for the girls was actually in the air. Cupid appeared to be throwing arrows all over the place. For Ainsley, love came in the form of Zachary Rogers - the love of her life. Once he showed up it was all Zachary - all the time. They spent most of the day holding hands. They were inseparable. You might be wondering how I handled all of this. Well, it was an easy choice for me. For what I expect from Ainsley, Zachary Rogers is perfect. No tattoos, no motorcycle, no Mohawk. I fear it can only go downhill from here.

Sydney seemed to be pierced by one of Cupid's arrows as well. She and Jonathon (Claudia's son who also spends the days with us during the summer) were down right giddy with playfulness. They kept chasing each other around. I have never seen so much flirty play. While neither one of them would ever admit it (in fact, they would fervently deny it) I can certainly tell you that something was in the air.

It ought to make for a very interesting summer.

I am glad she is getting better at sparring in Tae Kwon Do.

All in all, it was wonderful. For me, it was sentimental as I realized that she has finally reached a point in life where she has spent more time out of treatment than in it.

That is quite special.

And one reason that my purpose is so strong.