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A Simple Moment, with peace, love and joy

A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.

If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.

It’s been a few weeks since I have done a Simple moment. But this one is one of my favorites. It fills me with peace and love and all the joys of a proud mom.

My heart has been quiet this past week thinking about the tragic sadness at Sandy Hook. I’ve been hugging my kids tighter, trying to have more patience and trying to not let my mind drift too far into thinking that I too have a kindergartner, and, well…you know all those emotions. Also, my heart has held a mood of saddens this week thinking about the mom in our local, natural birth community who lost her life giving life last week. And the dad who went home without a mother to his newborn, in a time when we don’t think of that happen anymore.

So this Christmas we trying to be more still, enjoying the simple times around us, with less hustling and busting, doing, and buying and going.  I’m thankful that we are all here together, kicking off the holidays today (on this very cold Winter Solstice day) with six days of family coming and going to our home – filling us with love and joy

Merry Christmas!

A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.

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The BIG SANTA truth talk, and growing up

I’m sharing this post because I believe this conversation, when a child learns the truth about Santa, is such a huge milestone. I worried about I how I would handle it when the moment came, and the truths about Santa, the Elf on the Shelf and the Tooth Fairy came to light.  I think it went well, from a mothering aspect. And I hope it might help other parents who are nervous about the day when their children ask…..

“Mom is Eddie the Elf real? Because Morgan on the playground said the moms and dads just move the elves around at night,” said my oldest daughter.

“Do you move Eddie around at night?” She continued as I emptied the dishwasher. My other two girls were in the bath and I tried to avoid answering her, saying she need to go upstairs and get ready for bed too. It was the start of what I knew would lead to the BIG SANTA talk. She is eight years old and this was not the first time she has had questions about how it all works.

But still, I wasn’t ready for it.

Then came the whammy…..

“You don’t lie to me, right mom?” she asked. “I don’t lie to you and you don’t lie to me. So is Eddie real?”

I told her to think about it a little more and if she really wanted to know the answer, we would talk about it. I wanted to make sure she was ready for the truth.

JUST THE NIGHT BEFORE , she made a bed for Eddie the Elf and was all jazzed up about out leaving him notes, and cookies and even sewed a pillow for him. I had a feeling she really wanted to believe.

I believed in Santa for so long that my mom finally had to sit me down and tell me the truth so I didn’t embarrass myself on the playground. I know I was older than 10.

My older brother used to leave ash boot marks on the fireplace hearth and ring bells outside as I was going to sleep. I WAS A BELIEVER! And when my mom told me truth – I didn’t believe her.

Off went my daughter upstairs to get ready for bed. When I went to her room to tuck her in, she continued with her questions.

“Mom, I really want to know. I want to know the truth. Is Eddie real?” she asked.

This was the moment when I felt like parenting was hitting the big leagues.

She was shocked to hear the real answer. But I was glad I told her.

It didn’t feel right fabricating stories to keep her believing. It has always felt like lying to me.

One of my good mom friends brought up the great point that this all depends on your own personality. She loves fantasy and is naturally passing that trait down to her daughter, to the point that her eight-year-old has convinced other neighborhood kids that she herself is a real fairy.

I tell things straight up. So much so that sometimes I wish I knew better about when to embellish a story and when keep my mouth shut.

So like mother like daughter, I looked my eight-year-old right in the eye and talked straight.

“No he’s not real. It’s true. Mom and dad move Eddie around at night,” I said.

As soon as she was over the shock, came the BIG, IS SANTA REAL QUESTION? For the moment she was okay with a simple yes. Thank goodness.

“The Elf on the Shelf comes from the store, but Santa does not. He’s the real thing,” I explained, doing a crummy job at bluffing.

Thinking of how my brother loved to make Santa seem more believable for me after he was a non-believer, I snuck her back down stairs with me to do the nightly Eddie duties of moving him and leaving out the M&Ms for the next morning.

This is my favorite part of the deal – that she will never let us forget to move the elf again. I don’t have to wake up panicked for 25 nights in December trying to remember if he got moved before I dropped into bed for my good night’s slumber.

And she loves this little secret we have!

BUT IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for her to ask me what I do with the letters the kids leave out for Santa, to be delivered by Eddie.

I swear, this Elf on the Shelf business really complicates the classic long-time Santa schemes kids have believed in for decades. 

But I could tell she didn’t want to know the answer.

“Here mom, I’ll just give them to you because you know what to do with them,” she said, handing over one of her last letters to Santa.

I was not ready for that either. It seems with this not believing in Santa stuff, a slice childhood is disappearing too fast.

It took all of two days before she found me alone in the laundry room – which is one step away from the bathroom when it comes to having private conversations in a house with three girls. She came down to hand deliver a letter to Santa to me, that she wrote. It said, “Dear Santa, I want to have a magical Christmas.”

Then came the second whammy…..

“Mom, I want to have that talk now. I want to know if Santa is real,” she said. “Because Elli said he found their family’s Santa bag in the basement.”

I told her I just wasn’t ready for this.

“Mom, it will be okay. I just want to know,” she said consoling me as I thought about our red Santa bag. It says Simmons and it gets left under the tree every Christmas morning. And we keep it hidden in the basement.

As I pulled toddler size panties from the dryer, it was time to fess up – to tell the truth.

“No Santa is not real,” I said. “And our red Santa bag stays hidden in the basement too, like Eli’s.

Her first question was if Santa doesn’t bring the presents, how do we afford to buy all those gifts?

Finally, the day was coming when the man in the red suit wasn’t going to get all the good credit for those thoughtful gifts!

Then she asked who gets presents for dad and me. When I told her grown ups don’t get Santa presents, she had the sweetest response in the whole world.

“Well, I’m going to make you extra presents this year since I know Santa is not bringing you anything,” she said.

And she continued to knock my socks off….

“Thanks for telling me the truth mom,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. There is no way Santa can go like this [putting one finger on one side of her nose] and go up a chimney or go to every house in one night. I’m glad I know. I feel relieved.”

She is SO BIG. When did eight-years-old all the sudden get this big?

Then I finally got to tell her, that her triple doll bunk bed was made by Gramps. Two years ago she asked Santa for the American Girl version that was super expensive and sold out. When the handmade Ebay version of the one I ordered never came, my dad made one the week before Christmas and I sewed the bedding.

She was touched by the story, of knowing that truth. And she feels like we have this cool mom and me secret as we work together to keep the little girls believing.

The next morning we watched “Miracle on 31st Street snuggled on the couch with hot chocolate. I was hoping she would see Christmas could still be magical, even if you don’t believe all the tiny details of Santa.

She seems like an older child to me now. And I feel like we became more bonded over the truth. We laughed together, snuggled and shared some of the elf’s extra M&M’s stash when her sisters where already in bed.

Just when I was settling into the new us…. the third whammy came….

“Mom, are you the Tooth Fairy,” she asked humorously while stomping into the kitchen the next afternoon.

“Nope, I’m not going there right now,” I told her. “I’m not ready!”

She laughed at me.

“Seriously mom, are you the Tooth Fairy? I need to know,” she pleaded.

Well fine.

“Yes I am the Tooth Fairy but I didn’t save your teeth because that is gross,” I joked right back at her. “I put them all in the trash.”

She laughed at me again.

“Ewww mom, that IS gross. I would have thrown them out too,” she said.

Yep, she is most definitely eight! And I really, really like it.

***

For record, this post was approved by my daughter and she gave me the thumbs up to share it here. Otherwise I have tucked it away in my own mom files. I hope you enjoyed our story.

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Teacher gifts for Christmas

This is what the girls and I pulled together this afternoon for teacher gifts, using apple butter we canned in the fall. The apples were from a swap I did, in return from  pears from our pear trees.

Everything else we used today we had on hand. The girls took ownership of the whole process. I love when it works out that way!

Watching them make cards was a lesson in what kids can do. I made dots for my three-year-old to write her name, thinking she would just squiggle all over the page. And she really wrote her name! Her teachers are going to be so happy. I know it will mean a lot to them. Which is important to me. I want them to feel appreciated and loved, for the big important job they do of loving (and teaching or course) my children in all the days they spend with them. 

My oldest daughter is past the kindergarten, love my teacher age. She enjoys her teachers, but a simple tag was all she wanted on her gifts. And she’ll probably put the jars in her school bag and ditch the cute basket in them morning. But it does make for a nice photo – right? And that makes this mom happy.

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Snapshots of the Season

I’ve been taking it day by day during this bustling season. Only accomplishing what must get done, keeping a lazy eye on those to-do lists and not letting them takes us over. So these days, dinner might not get made on time. But we did make a plateful of beeswax candles.

“Mom, I have a good idea. Lets make candles,” squealed my three-year-old in delight. And with the sweet excitement in her voice, I wouldn’t dare say no. So we enjoyed a late candle lit dinner.

We went a week later than we usually do to cut down a Christmas tree, because someone was feeling a little under the weather. This year  I planned for us to visit a different tree farm. Since we moved to Knoxville seven years ago, we have gone to the same Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree. The lovely old couple who runs the farm stopped planting new trees a few years back, and the trees have become really picked over. So this year I thought we would start a new tradition.

We went to a farm where they – gasp – bring in Frasier Fir trees from North Carolina. Which means we would not be cutting down a local tree this year, but supporting a local business to get our tree. That did not go over well with the kids!

My oldest daughter insisted that we she cut down her own tree. So she did. And we went home with two Christmas trees. And we may have started a new tradition. 

There are many trees in our house this year, seven to be exact. The one she cut went in the kitchen, decorated with all the girls homemade ornaments from years past.

I went to a girls night gift swap party where the gifts had to be things that you didn’t want – this really is great fun! Me and a girl friend laughed our tails off on the way home when my paper bag full of someone else’s discarded items ripped, making it imposable to carry.  For a moment it seemed humorously symbolic of the overabundance of “cheer” we have during the holidays. Then I got home and found the prefect home for those stocking hangers I ended up with.I’m loving this little ledge above our sink more and more everyday. When I had the contractors put it in, they asked what I was going to put there. I said I have no idea. But now it’s perfect. 

My three year old has been helping me stamp wrapping paper. She said, “We did it during our special time.” Meaning we had 20 minutes of quiet, one-on-one time in the basement where she became covered in ink. Still, good times indeed. 

The cat Fruit Punch has taken over Eddie the Elf’s bed. 

For YEARS, and I mean years – I’ve been wondering who sang that version of “It’s beginning to look like Christmas,” that I remember playing every year at my house grown up. I have exact memories of my mom dancing around the house, decorating the living room, while this song played on the record player and I rocked on the old orange and brown plaid chair watching her. When I heard it I knew – that was it! It was playing on my XM radio in the car and snapped a picture of it so I would remember. It’s apparently, according to YouTube, From the 1984 Reader’s Digest collection, “Christmas Through the Years.”  

In past past we have made our own gingerbread houses from scratch. This year I went for the $9.99 box version with five mini houses – enough for us all. They are living as decorations and not for eating. The process was fun, and easy. I’m going for easy this year.
My oldest daughter kept saying she wanted some of the those “sculptures” in the yard. There are several people in our neighborhood who have the big plastic santa, snowman and a nativity scenes as their decor. There is one house with the inflatable Snoopy, but she deemed those unacceptable because of time they lie flat and not plugged in. That was good, because I wasn’t buying them anyway. BUT, when I saw this vintage snowman sitting on the sidewalk of a junky thrift store (there was a big santa too that I could not resist) I postponed my grocery store trip and went home with Frosty. Then my husband hung some big colored lights around the top of the porch, that we found in his parents attic last year. They have some vintage flair too.

Oh yes, we do have fun with the holidays around here.

 

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Celebrating a birthday, and a treat bag free party

While I’ve been away from this space the last week or so, trying to manage all the things needing my attention at home and with my family, a lot has happened in our little world.

My middle girl is now six. We celebrated with a bowling party, where she could be surrounded by as many friends we could find to attend a birthday party in what fill the hectic Saturdays of December. 

Among the busy times of getting ready for the holidays, I dawned on me that I didn’t prepare any take away treats for the kids at the party.

My husband  begged me to “start a revolution,” and skip the treat bags, or takeaways that kids usually leave a party with these days. He has zero recollection of ever attending a party as a child where this happened. I think I do, but I could be fogging those days together with today’s party planning times. 

Either way the effort, time and money that usually goes into the small treat bag, movie or handmade goodie – was one more thing on my to-do list that I have been desperately trying to pair down during this holiday season. I wanted to follow his lead, but doing nothing seemed like a party sin. Because if you haven’t noticed before, I do throw good kid parties. 

I put this post on my personal Facebook page: “Brian is begging me to “start a revolution” and skip the party bag at my daughter’s birthday party – because he has zero recollection of ever getting one as a kid at a party. I have, in the past, gone a little over the top in this department sewing tea party tablecloths for kids. BUT does anyone not do it all??? That seems like a sin to me.”

Within an hour there were 30 comments of all my friends showing their despise for the traditional sugar laden, plastic filled treat bags in a day when children receive too much stuff as it is. I felt empowered – and started the revolution!

Instead we had balloons at the party, which the kids loved running around with, covering them with stickers and finally, taking one home. And that was the take-a-way gift. Simple, perfect, classic fun. 

The bowling party as a whole was perfect, easy and affordable. The kids from ages 3-10, boys and girl, all had a blast. And the parents bowled too. Most importantly, my birthday girl thought it was great!

We also celebrated at home, because we like birthdays and every girl should get two cakes right? I’m selfish with birthdays, I must admit. I’m all for a party but I want my quiet moment at home, to celebrate another year of my baby getting older, to sing Happy Birthday, and have her all to myself.

Her sisters feel the same way.

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Elf on the Shelf bed and our advent box

Let me start by saying we have the 1.o version of Elf on the Shelf. Meaning we have had our Eddie the Elf for four years, before posting sneaky elf happenings went viral on Pinterest. Until now he had a simple life of landing on spots up high in our house, where the temptation to touch him (because he loses his magic that way) was avoided, and he was safe from becoming a chew toy for the dog – minus that one mishap!

Now that my oldest daughter has gone to other people’s homes and seen what kind of shenanigans their elf’s are getting into. She was inspired to give Eddie some royal treatment.

This is the scene she created for Eddie yesterday. She got out her sewing machine and sewed the pillow to complete his Christmas bedding, and crafted the canopy on the bed as well. She made him a compass and a headlamp, put out doll size snacks for him, gave him a stocking with M&Ms in it, and left out the book Twas the Night Before Christmas for him to read. THIS WAS ALL HER DOINGS!

Eddie is no longer a 1.0 version of Elf on the Shelf. This is what we found him doing this morning!

Eddie has one more job at our house. Every night he leaves three M&Ms in our advent house, one fore each girl. After the girls eat them they put a dried bean in the box for that day, to mark them as days gone by. It’s kind of the reverse of an advent calendar.

Eddie thinks this works better than leaving them all out at one time, because there have been toddlers and puppies living here the last four years. And asking them to not open the boxes and eat all the M&Ms at once is just too much temptation to for them to resist.

The girls LOVE this tradition. In October they start talking about when Eddie comes back, and counting down the days to his return. During the month of December they RUN to the box every morning to get either M&M and find Eddie.

They also leave notes for Eddie to take to Santa, next to the advent box on our mantle.

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Finally, photos of our finished kitchen – Ta Da!

Living without a kitchen, or in the “fake kitchen,” for two months was hard. But it was well worth the results. And now, we are eating every meal here in our new space, happily at home.

Last week we did a weekly meal plan, something new and foreign to this family. Usually it’s me standing in the kitchen at 5:30 looking in the fridge to decide what to make for dinner. Yes we are loving the new kitchen.

I’ve had seven years of living in our house, built in 1919, to think about what kind of kitchen I would love to have. There were times when I wanted to rip out the old 1950’s metal cabinets and head to Home Depot for the quickest fix I could find. But I knew that wouldn’t really make me happy. So I waited – and waited and cursed my old kitchen until I couldn’t stand to curse it anymore.

It was important for me to honor the bones of our historic craftsmen house and the galley kitchen that we couldn’t do anything about given the house layout. But the most important goal was to have a space that functioned for our family. I wanted room for them to help me cook, be in the kitchen with me and not have to fight for the tiny bit of countertop space we had while baking cookies together. I also wanted a grown up kitchen. We’ve been at this parenting gig for eight years and I’m kind of done living in a kid proofed house. This new kitchen works for the kids, but makes mom very happy.

The pantry, drawers and fridge are all set up much like our old kid-friendly cabinets, having everything they need within their own reach – including the microwave where they heat up their own oatmeal, hot chocolate, cheese quesadillas, spinach pizza snacks, popcorn and more. The countertop height stools (from World Market) swivel to adjust the height, so from adults to three year-0lds, everyone can sit at the right height for them. There is also a child size table in the mudroom that get’s used a lot as well.

When we moved into our house I cut out a picture of a galley style family friendly kitchen featured in Cookie magazine. Their was a seating area and big doors leading to the backyard. I loved the concept so much that I held on to the photo for longer than the magazine stayed in print.

When it came time to hammering out the details with our contractors at Clinch River Custom Builder, I knew exactly the layout I wanted and the details that were important to me. I made all the decisions while my husband was at work and we didn’t have any professional designer help.

We put in custom hand built cabinets to match the one bank of cabinets that was original to the house, and countertops that are period correct to the house. We decided on soapstone opposed to the marble that I researched by visiting the Tennessee Marble Company headquarters. The old screened in porch was enclosed as a mudroom and opened up as part of the kitchen. All the windows and oak entrance door were custom made, by hand, to match the original windows of house. The kitchen’s original built cabinet was stripped and painted green.

There are french doors with stairs that go directly into the backyard for the kids (and dog) to run and play inside and outside as they wish. We kept our seven year old GE Profile appliances and range hood because they worked just fine. We did get a new refrigerator with two freezer drawers that is a 24″ counter depth unit, to add to the sleek built in look. The chimney was exposed and the exhaust hole from the original wood burning stove (used to cook on back in 1919) was sealed up – I’m still looking for some artwork to cover the blue foam board.

This is outside the mudroom, leading to the backyard. And the backdoor off the sidewalk with a shot of the garage and the coordinating oak carriage doors – also built by our contrators. Fancy landscaping is still desired, hopefully before another seven years!

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Tips for taking professional photos with kids

Getting heirloom quality, Christmas card like photographs of children with smiley faces is no easy task. As a mom I’ve learned what works best for us, and I asked our family’s photographer to share some advice as well.

We have our family pictures done every year by a local photographer, Lori Anderson of Simply Southern Photography. Sometimes we’ve had them done twice a year, when there were pregnancies and new babies.

We’ve been doing this since the fall of 2008. We’ve had times when the girls have fun with it and take some great pictures. But getting them to cooperate always takes a bit of bribery and creative ways to make it fun.

This is my first tip. Choose a place your children will find interesting, where they can be themselves. For us, that means being outside. With the exception of one new baby session, all our photo sessions are done outside.

Once I took my kids to a studio place for photos and the kids’ expression resembled a deer staring into a headlight, while the workers obnoxiously waved stuffed animals in the air behind the camera.

While taking photos of children, our goal is to let the kids be kids, while their photo is being taken and they explore what is around them.

When I was pregnant we did a shoot walking through our neighborhood, and as the end of session treat we all ran through garden sprinklers as we walked home. The last photo taken was of our family standing on our front porch, soaking wet with the dog.

I loved that day. It was so HOT. But we had a great time and made fun memories.

Secondly, sometimes it pays off t0 let them take a favorite toy along for the photos.

One time the girls brought their dolls with them, which were included in some of our photos. That was a treat and something fun for them.

One of my all time favorite pictures of my middle girl was taken from a distance, with her sitting on a park bench playing a mini harmonica that was on her necklace. She was totally in her own little happy world.

That’s when I think you get the best pictures with children, when you go with the flow and let them have fun with the process. Plus you’ll have some photos to remind you of your child’s interests and personality at that age.

My other favorite session was down in the Old City of our small town where we walked on railroads and through rustic rundown train depots. There was so much for the girls to explore that they had never seen before, that they cooperated so well and Lori was able to get some amazing shots. I loved the artistic value to those.

My third speak-from-experience tip is to consult your children about their outfits. In the beginning days it’s nice to dress them how we see cute. But as they get older, they want to display their own style. And naturally, if they approve of their clothing they’ll be more apt to approve of having their picture taken.

My middle girl blindsided me with that one during our most recent photo session. She wanted her hair in a ponytail and I said no I wanted it down. She wished her tights didn’t match her younger sister’s dress and she would have preferred the headband I bought for my oldest girl instead. Can you say middle child???

As a result, the whole session was a struggle with her. I learned my lesson the hard way on that one.

The forth is, don’t attempt a long photo session with a change of outfit. My girls are usually done taking photos after about thirty minutes – and sometimes much less. Lori offers 30-minute mini session for a fixed price where you get a CD of all the photos. I think more photographers should offer this. It’s perfectly kid friendly.

Fifth, schedule photos for a time of day that is a good for your kids. Earlier in the day works best for us, before little ones naps get missed, and children approach the cranky dinnertime hours. For the older children be mindful of a time before they get involved in other play, and don’t want to be interrupted from doing something more fun. Who wants to stop playing in the dirt to go get dressed for photos?

In the appearance department I feel like it’s also worth noting – that runny nose seasons are impossible to avoid. So accept that and keep tissues handy. Photos of large sizes show every little detail!

I asked Lori Anderson for some advice on things parents can do when taking professional photos with kids, and this is what she said.

Try not to stress. Be calm, because the kids feel a parent’s stress.

While having boundaries is important, be sure not to over react to a child’s behavior during photos. A child who gets upset and cries for being fussed at is not going to yield good results.

For clothes, keep it simple and comfortable. Children do much better if they are comfortable.

Play it up and make the idea of taking photos seem fun. Look at photos from the last session, in preparation. A great idea is to give little ones a play camera so they are comfortable and know what is going on.

Make sure you work with someone who specializes in kids. Just because they are good at weddings, etc. doesn’t mean they have the patience to work with kids.

Don’t practice “cheese.” It is a bad word! It gives a strange smile.

It is okay to offer a “reward” to the kids. Portraits are very important to a parent and it doesn’t hurt to do that. As long as it’s a small treat, not too over the top or they will come to expect that.

* * * * *

Here’s a little stroll down memory lane, with what turned into a huge list of my favorite pictures taken by Lori. When I think the girls are a mess and nothing good will come from a session, she always surprises me with goodies like these. It is a testament to hiring a good photographer who has patience and savvy to work with kids (Lori even has several of her own)! 

Please use this photo when pinning this post to Pinterest. Thank you kindly! 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a busy day with us splitting our time between our two separate families, which are two hours away from each other. We choose to do it this way because seeing family always means a lot to people, and we are always glad we did it.

This year one of our dinners will bring together 36 family members! There are second cousins meeting each other for the first time and cousins who seem all grown up since the last time I saw them.

My aunt put together some beautiful table decorations for the adult table. She has a family event planning business called Cork and Copper, where they create and collect beautiful party decor they rent to clients.

When I saw the table decorations on Wednesday I knew I wanted to share them with you. They are simply a collection of mason jars holding old family photos on display. Some have battery operated tea candles. Others are adorned with additional burlap ribbons, raphia or lettering that was created by painting on a brown paper bag.

Seeing the old family photos is what makes the decoraitons so special, and that there are 36 people from four different states who will be gathered around them. Now that is something to be thankful for!

In addition to this table, their will be a “young adult table” and a “kids table.” I think this is funny because at age 36 and with three kids, I’m still, essentially, sitting at a kid table. I’m totally fine with that.

I just secretly wish I got the kids table where we can draw on the table cloth. I’m sure I’ll be joining them at some point anyway, because I always do. And I’m very thankful for that too! As well as having a wonderful life with my splendid little family of girls.

Thank you for letting me share it with you. I’m grateful for this space here, and for every one of you who find your way here. Wether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or just having another ordinary day, I hope it’s a happy one!

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Hall landing play nook reveal

Previous to renovating the upstairs of our house there was a closet at the top of the stairs that had two sliding doors. The girls already liked playing in the closet, using it as a little fort space during the months when it wasn’t too hot to be upstairs.

When the walls were torn down we found wasted space on either side of that previous closet space. Immediately, I saw it as a perfect play nook in the hallway, serving as an overflow space for the two girls who are sharing a room. Luckily there was extra pine hardwood flooring in the unused attic part of the house, which was moved to build the floor you see here. Also, the flooring allows for the space to count as added square footage to the house.

Right now it serves as a baby doll play area, and a corner with the doctor cart.

Later I imagine it as a study space, with desks as the girls get older. And like everything else, it will get shifted and recreated with every new phase these girls ring in.  But for now, it’s just perfect the way it is.

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