September

 September started with an exciting week as I got my braces OFF and Kyndall got her braces ON! Before going to the orthodontist I loaded her up on all her favorite no-no foods that she won't be able to enjoy for the next two years.

As expected, her teeth were pretty sore afterwards so she requested french fries and a frosty for dinner. She milked this for several days and in return got to eat pretty much whatever she wanted!

Wherever I go, Huckabee goes also

The State Fair of Texas was cancelled this year due to COVID but our favorite local diner here in Forney had a special "fair food" menu which included funnel cake! As I said, thanks to the braces she ate pretty much anything she wanted for an entire week.

Matthew sent me this from their Saturday morning Waffle House date

A typical scene from a virtual school day. Cam was usually close by.

Kyndall's teacher stopped by one afternoon to drop off her favorite Sonic treat as a reward for hard work!

She immediately asked if she could hang the note of encouragement in her school area

September 11, 2020--We spent much of our day learning and reflecting

Our weekly Friday lunch date landed us in an actual restaurant--a rare treat these days!

Each Sunday after church we take these two to lunch. It's hard to find a place that's not overly crowded with a long wait so a few weeks in a row we grabbed Sonic and enjoyed it on their playground.

My friend and fellow dental hygienist, Vicky, was passing through Dallas on a flight and she had a long layover so we picked her up and took her to lunch. We worked together in Tallahassee and she was also one of my bridesmaids. I haven't seen her in many years so it was really good to catch up!

Sweet girls with their Bibles (and masks!) before church

Virtual school has its perks, including accompanying Mom to the grocery store during the middle of the day and scoring a treat from Starucks!

As they've done each year, the Grandparents made their way to Texas a few days before Kyndall's birthday so they could be here for the big celebration. G-Daddy and Poppie always find their way to the couch after their travels.

Another virtual school perk--A trip to the park with the Grandparents during the middle of the day

It's hard for me to believe that the bright eyed little baby in the picture below is now an entire decade old. How did we go from 1 to 10 so quickly?? I can honestly say that the past ten years have been the happiest, most joy-filled years of my life and it's all because of her. All my life all I ever wanted to be was a Mother. God answered all of my prayers when He entrusted this beautiful little miracle girl to me and her Daddy. She is compassionate, whimsical, witty, empathetic, carefree, happy, imaginative, giggly, smart, helpful, sensitive, creative, beautiful little soul. She is our greatest accomplishment and what we ae most proud of in this life. She makes the world a better place simply by being in it and I have no doubt she will go on to accomplish great things. I just wish I could make the next ten years go by more slowly than the past ten years. 

Her birthday wasn't until Sunday but she woke up Saturday morning to a surprise in the yard, just in time for her party...

We celebrated our sweet girl all weekend long, beginning with a socially distanced "party" on Saturday. 2020 has stolen so much from so many but I was determined not to let it steal the joy that comes with a birthday. So, we made a plan and it turned out fabulously!

Kyndall had around 75 of her sweet friends and neighbors sow up to enjoy shaved ice and some outdoor socializing. A few of her favorite teachers even made surprise appearances which was extra special! It was the easiest and most chill "party" we've ever thrown. It felt like a giant block party with kids running around and everyone just enjoying each other's company. For a brief moment in time, everything felt "normal" and that's something we have all been longing for since March.

Our fabulous neighbors and Kyndall's "adoptive" grandparents Dr. Joe and Mrs. Lindsey. They haven't missed a birthday party yet!

When the school art teacher shows up, she gets mobbed by her adoring students!

I really wanted to get a big group picture of Kyndall and all of her guests but since it was a come and go party, that didn't work. But, here she is with some of them...

Kyndall's 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Bailey stopped by with her two girls. Kyndall has really missed her, especially since our year with her got cut short due to the shutdown in March.

My friend Monica is an amazing photographer and she took this next series of shots of Kyndall with some of her girlfriends. I just love how happy they all look! To me, these pictures represent the very essence of childhood memories. 

The art teacher that they all love even jumped in for a few

Our neighbor Dr. Joe entertaining the kids with an impromptu front yard magic show

Going to sleep on 9/19 for the last time as a 9 year old 

9/20/20--Good morning to our TEN year old!!

We had a birthday brunch and the theme was watermelons because she wanted to recreate the theme from her 1st birthday...

After brunch she opened her gifts which included a set of golf clubs from me and her Daddy. We then surprised her with a trip to Top Golf so that she could try out her new clubs.

Nonie has a tradition of giving Kyndall a new pair of earrings each year for her birthday. This year she gifted Kyndall an extra special pair. These pearls were a gift from Poppie to Nonie when they were newly married and didn't have very much money. They were a true treasure to Nonie and now they belong to her only granddaughter.

She received lots of great tips and tricks from her Daddy and her G-Daddy who are both over the moon excited about her new love for golf. 

We filled our bellies with chips and salsa while she practiced her swings

Our waitress at Top Golf surprised her with a special birthday treat--infused donut holes!

Next it was of to a birthday dinner at the restaurant of her choice. Not one to break tradition, she once again chose to celebrate with Hibachi despite the fact that she only eats the rice.

We ended the day with some time outside where Nonie played badminton with her by the pool until the sun went down.

We enjoyed a custom made cake from our favorite bakery

It was a great weekend and a perfect time of celebrating our girl all weekend long.

Ten year old check up and flu shot always ends in tears so frozen yogurt it was

Taking our Friday lunch to the park 

Kyndall is always attracted to the dogs at the park and on this particular day when she asked the owner if she could pet her, the owner handed her the leash! Needless to say it made her day!

Friday evening golf practice with Daddy

Turtle mask

Turtle earrings

Turtle shirt

Turtle...chips??

If you know Kyndall at all then this story won’t surprise you a bit. Last week the big empty field behind our house was mowed, which undoubtedly sent the critters ‘a scattering and a certain little field mouse found his way to our back porch and claimed it as his new home. Listen, I’m as hospitable as they come but if you have beady eyes, whiskers and a long tail then you are NOT welcome here! Ever. Because I love my daughter so and because I cannot afford the YEARS of therapy that would surely be needed if she found out I crushed his little mousy head, I agreed to a more humane form of eviction. He got to enjoy a few extra days lounging by our pool and dining on our unlimited buffet of bird seed as I awaited the Amazon package containing his trap. Sometime overnight he traded his little rodent freedom for a tiny scoop of peanut butter which I’m sure he immediately regretted. However, upon discovery of our prisoner this morning I had one VERY excited little animal lover who immediately began talking sweet to him and begging me to let her KEEP him. Ummm, NO. Nope, nope nopedy NOPE!! She named him Templeton and every hour throughout the day she checked on him, taking him a snack of shredded cheese each time she visited his little mousy prison cell. She got to enjoy his company and sweet talk to him all day until FINALLY Matthew got home at which point we gave him a proper goodbye far away from our house and he happily scampered off into the sunset....no, really he did I may not share in her love for all things creepy crawly but I do adore the fact that her heart is so tender and she cares so deeply for all of God’s creatures both big and small. If it lives and breathes then she wants to nurture it and show it love. She has been known to burst into tears at the sight of a half dead cricket which most of us wouldn’t think twice about. And butterflies with broken wings? She’s a puddle of tears. Among the things in my life I thank God for most is the empathetic little girl who is constantly teaching me how to better show love, even to the least of these. If we could all be a little more like her, the world would surely be a better place.

An updated shot of her decked out Chrome book for school

Kyndall received the student of the month character award for displaying compassion among her peers. Her virtual teacher surprised her by stopping by our house with her award and her favorite sonic treat. We are so proud of our kind and compassionate girl and her beautiful heart!

Another Sunday morning at church

Putting my skills to work and making Kyndall's school masks a little cuter!

More golf practice

Apparently crafty Kyndall is already working on some Christmas surprises!

She decided she wanted to make herself a pair of custom pajama pants...

The final product turned out great!

This particular Friday was bittersweet because it marked the closing of a unique chapter in our lives. Kyndall and I have been together every single consecutive day for the past seven months and now this weird yet wonderful season of life was coming to an end as we wrapped up our last day of virtual school. After fall break the following week she would return to the classroom with her peers. I'm excited for her to transition into a somewhat "normal" way of life but at the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad to give up our time together. This pandemic has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people but despite that I have adjusted my mindset to see it as a gift in that it offered me this precious time with her that I would otherwise not have had. 

It was also our last Friday Mommy/Daughter lunch date, as least for a while. We started this weekly tradition in kindergarten when I would pick up lunch from the restaurant of her choice and bring it to her at school. It has always been the highlight of my week so we continued it each Friday even in the midst of virtual school. Since visitors aren't allowed on campus right now, I'm not sure when we'll get to do it again so we really went out with a bang on this day. Two orders of chips and salsa, a coke and a skillet cookie might not have been the healthiest lunch, but it was her last request and we sure did enjoy every calorie laced bite!

Kyndall went over to her friend Avarie's house for a play date on a Sunday afternoon. When it was time to go she came downstairs with this cute pillow she had sewn for Avarie. She is always doing things like this and I just loVe that about her!