The Beauty of a Butter Knife

We're seeing changes around here. Great, big grown-up changes.

Stella has attended pre-school for only two weeks now - she LOVES it, thank you very much - but we're seeing huge shifts in her independence and sense of pride. While we're thrilled that Stella feels engaged and embraced at her new school, we're even more thrilled with her new found love of "doing it by myself." It's so obvious that she feels genuinely proud of herself with all her new accomplishments, and we're more than content to sit back and admire what a beautiful person she's becoming. She's turning into quite the problem solver - "Mama, I have a plan. I'll fix it, okay?" - and is always thoughtful of others - "Let's bring lavender bouquets to all my friends at school today!" And today, she offered to make her own sandwich for lunch while I fed Phoebe. I seriously thought she'd just end up standing at the counter licking the butter knife as she dipped it in and out of the jars. But no. She made that sandwich like she was disarming a bomb - total and complete focus. We're all about process around here right now, and I love it. It's an honor to be witness to such gorgeous growth.

(And no, I can't keep pants on this kid, let alone underwear. We've hit the Little Nudie phase with a vengeance in our house. It's a good thing those buns are adorable!)