Nine is so Fine!

I am shocked to discover it has been almost two years since I last blogged, ok, I now see I did blog last year, just never posted it!. I've now started looking at this blog as a place for memories, a place my children can one day look back on to remind them of all the things we did together.  I will, once again, commit to making an effort to update more often.

Yesterday we celebrated Molly's 9th birthday.  I know I say it often, but I can hardly believe my sweet Molly-Pops has been here 9 years, already.  What a great year she had, she played baseball for the first time last year, proudly serving as the only girl on the team! Boy, were we impressed.  Come fall we signed her up for girl's softball and she was a natural.  She played short stop right away! One of the funniest things I heard, and it is so typical Molly, was her coach, Coach Ramie Brown, describing his first encounter with Molly:

Apparently he hit the ball to Molly, while she was on shortstop, and the ball went between her legs (this was one of their first practices):

Coach: "Molly! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Molly: "Coach! What are YOU doing?!"

Coach said he had to stop, scratch his head, and think, "What AM I doing?" Laughing wholeheartedly the entire time.

This is our Molly. She is fierce, competitive, sensitive and loving.  She wears her emotions on her sleeves. Julio says, like her Mama, she can cause the barometer of the house to change, at a moments notice, just by entering the room.  She is a force to be reckoned with, but loving and sweet at the same time.

Molly's favorites this year: Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Teen Titans, Super Girl, Tacos, Softball, Gamecocks, Her best friend Hannah, Her third grade teacher Mrs. Didelot, Swimming, Horror movies, Her kindle, Country Music (she went to her first concert this year-Big and Rich), and cuddling.

In the past, Molly struggled with asthma like symptoms when she'd get a cold.  We suffered many a night with the nebulizer and dose after dose of albuteral and steroids.  Well, since visiting the allergist last year, Molly has not had to use the nebulizer since Spring of LAST year! She does take daily doses of two different allergy pills, but so far that is doing the trick.  We are all so very relieved.

I am so proud to be her Mom.  She is immensely talented, fiercely funny, and very smart. She loves wholeheartedly, feels deeply, and loves her family above all else.

Every year I watch Molly grow more independent, courageous, determined and strong. This kid is a leader, not a follower and I am so proud of her.  She is the epitome of a "strong willed" child, and while this certainly presents some challenges, it is a characteristic that should serve her quite well all her life.  Yes, she is stubborn, and demands things go her way, and this can be quite a challenge as a parent, however, this past year I saw her begin to learn to be more forgiving, and teachable, learning to say "I'm sorry, I was wrong" a little sooner and a little easier than she had in the past.  She is learning and she is simply an amazing kid and one I, again, am so very proud of.

I love you, Molly Pops, always and forever.

"Hush little "mini-me" don't say a word..." Momma will love you forever and a day.