Carly's Summer Wrap-up

Carly grew up this summer. She didn't have her growth spurt or gain weight or hit that pre-pubescent stage. She grew up in other ways . . .

She became a nurturer. I know, a lot of little girls are mommy-types. Carly's different.

She spent a lot of time helping me care for my Dad. I don't even know if I can remember all of the remarkable this she said and did.

While Jason was babysitting Caden, Carly came with me to get my Dad for his radiation treatments. These were rough on him. He often didn't feel well after and was pretty nauseous. Carly would carry his bucket, hat, and water everywhere we went. She would hold the house and car doors. She would fold up his walker and load it in the car. She took it personal if Grandpa didn't have what he needed the minute he wanted it. AND she knew exactly how he liked his Wendy's Frosty.

But its more than that even. If Jason didn't quite wake up on time in the morning and I had run to my Dad's quickly, she could make Caden's breakfast and make sure his dish made it to the sink.

More recently, we learned Caden was allergic to bees. She knows exactly what to do in a "bee-mergency". She knows where everything is kept and what symptoms to watch for.

She also hired the neighbor boys to help clean the house recently for my birthday. She made lunch for the boys that day (with Jason's help on the eggs).

She had little to no time on her own or to hang out with friends. She didn't play a sport. And - she had a small conflict with a friend that just broke her heart.

After a bit of a discussion, we thought of an idea. A Puppy.

It's something she'd been wanting and definately something she deserved. We were able to get her a sweet Cava-poo puppy she named Esme.

Now, school has started and she is not the same girl she was when 3rd grade ended.

Carly reads all of the time and doesn't complain. We don't force her to read things she isn't interested in and neither does her teacher. She may not be on "level" but what is her reading level anyway? She is reading and loving it. I'm happy - she's happy.

She is also soaring in math. The year started with geometry and all of those terms. But she got it! Her first test and second were A's! She is also getting A's on her spelling tests and that has never happened before.

I couldn't be more proud of my young lady right now.