Slack Lining and Turkey Day

Thanksgiving this year was a red letter day as far as I am concerned. Anya’s temperament is one that doesn’t handle new things well. Once something has already been experienced, she is just fine and mellow about it all. But this last year has been one of ALL new experiences, with all the turbulence that it created. So, a repeat of a holiday Anya had already had with us was something I was looking forward to. It’s funny, we are going to Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park again in a couple of days and I started telling her stories of her 3 hour visit with us last year. It’s like telling your child or niece about a cute thing you remember from when they were little, but our remembrances of Anya that we share with her are only a year old. Her response is usually, “Oh…......yeah…I remember that!” as if it were years ago.

She hadn’t met with Dave’s whole side of the family before, as last year Dave’s brother had an accident in December, so that group didn’t make it to the Christmas celebration and we arrived home with Anya the day they wanted to have Thanksgiving. So, this past weekend, we met at “Gramooshka’s” (Anya’s mushed together word made from Grandma and Babooshka) for Thanksgiving. On the way home, she told me, “Mom (she doesn’t really call me ‘Mama’ anymore-boo hoo), I had a really good day today with my family.” AND she gets to go to Knott’s in two days.

Anya set most of the table for Thanksgiving dinner this year!

I have grown to LOVE that smile and the mischievous eyes that usually are trying to hide a trick that is being planned.

Big brother brought his slack line for the cousins to use.

Anya's turn!

Literally dancing on a skateboard.

Look what she let's me do. The braid stays in all day and keeps most of the shorter hair out of her eyes. Awesome.

(Notice the stool Anya dragged across the yard to be able to get up on the slack line alone? I went over to make sure to catch her when she fell at Matt's request.) Matt took this picture and basically told me, "Mom, you're going to love this photo. It reperesents the past year and what you have done for Anya." Look at her confident independence on the line, yet her secure dependence on her mom, poised right there, almost falling under the weight of it all, ready to catch her when she falls. And who, with the two of them still laughing, will let her do it all again. 

~Monica