10 on the 10th

When I think about #1 turning 10 my heart bursts with equal parts of happy and sad.

I'm happy for the unique and wonderful person she is becoming.  She is hungry to learn; always reading something. It's nonfiction just as often as fiction.  She loves the natural world and wants to know about all of it from the cosmos down to the smallest bacteria.  She often calls my dad wanting to know the answer to biological questions that are beyond my scope, like, "How do fungi reproduce?".  

#1 is so earnest in wanting to do right and be truly good.  The standards she sets for herself are higher than the ones I expect of her.  She fasts two meals instead of the one that I suggest. Her definition of modest is stricter than mine.  We have talks about faith and believing and she asks really meaningful questions.   She's not afraid to test her faith by asking God for truth.

It is exciting to see her develop and to see the bright path that her potential offers.

However, I feel sadness when I think how the time has flown by, so slow yet so fast.  This year #1 lost all remnants of baby fat and has turned into a tall, thin, lovely young woman.  She doesn't sit on my lap anymore and her little munchkin voice is long gone.

It's a good sadness.

#1 received a new bike for her birthday.  She immediately took it out for a spin.

Too old for birthday cake. This 10 year old requested apple pie.