Gwen turned Ten! Wahoo!! She had planned for us to go roller skating with the Fogle's as her special birthday outing, but they caught a case of covid and had to quarantine. So, birthday shenanigans are still pending, but we tried to make the day special nonetheless. She had her #10 pancake, and then since it was a school day, we skipped core school and instead opted to go on a hunt to see how many Free Little Libraries we could find. We drove to 6 addresses, and found 4. Some had a good selection, others were so-so, but it was a fun way to spend a morning. We listened to "Where the Red Fern Grows" and snagged some pizza on the way home. That night she requested cauliflower Alfredo for dinner, and then she wanted this ice cream Sunday cake we saw online-with orange sherbet ice cream. We opened presents and her big gift was a balance beam, so she can practice her Acro moves more. That night she and I stayed up late to watch a movie of her choosing: "High School Musical". It's hard for me to slow down enough to just sit and watch a show with my kids. But it's so wonderful to just snuggle with them and give them my full attention.
Gwen is awesome. She is brave, she is a leader, she is confident, she is sweet, she is capable, she is smart, she is sassy and exercising some pre-teen attitude-including shortening her words (as in: "obvi" for obviously, and "T-Y" for thank you). So far everyone is pretty annoyed with it. :) She's a natural at so many things. Math is giving her a run for her money these days, but she is really learning how to deal with the struggle- and that's good for her. She usually presents herself so strongly (which is great), but I also love when she lets her guard down a bit and is extra tender and lovey. We love our Gwenny so, so much.