Mormon Girl in the Bible Belt

Emma in January 2005, four years old.

This year, at eight. Doesn't she have the most gorgeous mouth??

We are leaving tomorrow to go to Disney. We will be celebrating my sweet Emma's 9th birthday. Nine!! I remember being nine. How could I have a nine-year-old? Just yesterday, she was toddling toward me, arms outstretched, a chunky monkey happy baby. I swear I just turned around, and now she is toothy, lanky, opinionated, and still happy. No matter what I do, the days keep flying by and she keeps getting older.

The great thing is, she still loves to talk to me. When she was four, she would plop down next to me and say,

"Mommy, let's talk."

"Ok, Emma, what would you like to talk about?"
"Let's talk about Disney World. Tell me all about Disney World."
And I would.

Just today she lay down on the bed next to me and started talking to me all about the girls next door. Rolling her eyes the way girls do in some parts, smiling sweetly in others. I love when she flips her wrist and says, "Well, actually mama..."

Anyway, back to this weekend. We will not be going into the parks. Just eating, swimming, and lazing around in general. My kind of relaxation. The kids will be splashing and swimming, Gary will be near, and I will ever so often look at the clouds and wonder how childhoods can go by so fast. I will remake my yearly pledge to savor every moment, and imprint every toothy smile on my heart.