The Best Years

First off, I have a language funny to share.  We were at my parents' house for our usual Tuesday night dinner and I can't remember the exact circumstances, but Evie was trying to make sure that all of us got equal parts or equal participation in whatever it was she had going on and when it was pointed out to her that she didn't have to continue to worry about that, she said, "Well, I didn't want to outclude Mama."  I love when kids invent what is a perfectly reasonable word that just happens to use the wrong prefix.  It makes sense... INclude vs. OUTclude...

On Saturday, we went for our annual viewing of Peter Pan.  This show has been running nearly every season at our local playhouse for the last 20 years and this was Evie's 5th year to attend.  The blocking is pretty much the same every year so I always get us seats in the section where the characters come down from the stage and choose a little kid to help scare away the crocodile.  Once again, for the third time, Evie was chosen and she did a great job.  In fact, the pirate asked her, "Have you done this before?"

On Thursday, I went to get Evie and for the first time in a while, we had good weather and time to play on the playground.  She ran around, playing with some kids she didn't know and I just watched her graceful run, her squeals of delight, her joy.  She would occasionally look at the little boy who was chasing them and she would sort of check in with him without words, making sure that he knew they were still having fun and not trying to avoid (or OUTclude) him and that they wanted him to continue playing.  Her emotional intelligence astounds me.  So does her athleticism and her general spirit.  She is everything that I wanted to be when I was a kid.  She is popular and funny and smart and beautiful, and even though she has a ton of self-confidence, she is not conceited about her gifts and she is incredibly kind.  I am always in awe of her and she is honestly the best person I know.

As I told her on our drive to church on Sunday, I am constantly aware that I am living the best years of my life right now.  I am in good health, I have good jobs, but most importantly, my family is in such a fun stage of being right now - Evie makes every day better and more wonderful.