It started with a letter...

One of the letters from your kids school where you first panic they were sent to the office for some unheard of crime, then you wonder if they were wrongly injured on the playground (Ok...so maybe I allow my mind to wonder freely too often). This particular letter arrived on a Friday afternoon...one full week before school would be out for the summer...one full week before Pagie's 6th Birthday celebration weekend was planned. I quickly learned that Paige had not been sent to the Principal, nor had she been injured...she had been exposed to lice. Initial thought...disgusting! I checked her that night at bath time and honestly didn't think about it again.
Fast forward to the next Friday. It was Paige's FINAL day of Kindergarten. I took the morning off to participate in her classroom ice cream party. All the parents talked about how quickly the year flew by, how much our brave tots had accomplished and amazement at the attitude and endurance of any human who has the patience to teach a room of 27 five and six year olds. Truly, I felt old!

The next morning, the birthday weekend was scheduled to begin. Starting off with annual portraits. Paige has ALWAYS loved to get dressed up and have her pictures taken...she begs to do it. So we bathed and dressed the kids and started to do last minute prep work before heading out the door. Like a flash of thunder, I was immediately taken back to the dreaded letter. As I was combing Paige's hair to get her ready, I saw the first of the inhabitants. Our girl had LICE!! I will spare you the details, but will tell you that about 4 hours later after finally treating and removing all said creatures I could locate we determined that her bowling party for Sunday must be cancelled. You would think that would destroy all hope of a nice weekend. {Enter the parental realization that our oldest is truly growing up and maturing before our eyes.} Paige cried for about 2 minutes, then calmed at the promise of a rescheduled bowling party and something special the next day.
On Sunday when it appeared we had the "ants" {as her little brother came to call them} under control, we gave her free reign of what the special family activity would be for the day. She immediately declared that we should go to "Build-A-Bear." We were in the car and on the way in less than 10 minutes.

I couldn't help but think when the lady told Paige to make a wish on her animal's heart, and I saw how intently she was focusing on that wish, that she had to be wishing with all she had in her to get rid of those "ants!" This was Nathan's first trip to B-A-B, and he loved it. The ironic thing is that as part of the treatment for the lice, we packed up every single stuffed animal in the house and put them in garbage bags for a few weeks. Let me tell you, Build-a-Bear was the last place that child needed to visit. Quite a few of those animals will never make it into our new house. On Monday, her actual birthday, I did something I have vowed for 6 years I would never do. I ended up working late that night and knew we needed to do something special to celebrate on her actual day. I BOUGHT A CAKE!!! It took every ounce of pride I had, but I knew I needed to have something for my girl's day. Wouldn't you know, she ate more of that crappy store-bought cake than she has ever eaten of my creations.
If there is one thing Paige does not lack, it is emotion and passion. She feels things deeply and expresses them clearly. Apparently, Boppa and Bammy hit the target with her new camera...And the excitement was matched when she opened her first (of 5 total from her aunts, uncles and cousins) Zhu-Zhu pet. I thought the kid was nuts when she started asking for this thing...one of the latest crazes for school-aged kids. But in reality, they are pretty cool. It's like having a hamster without all the nastiness. They play together, talk to one another and run around their little village.
It was certainly NOT the birthday celebration we had planned, or she had hoped for. But, you never would have known. She was content, smiley and joyful...even with the "ants" situation. Thankfully, we were given a mild case and after a few days of confinement, seemed to have it under control. We are still searching and washing as a precaution, but we believe them to be a nightmare of the past. This birthday seemed like a big milestone. Paige has entered this new world of independence and freedom. She still loves to have us around, but is starting to assert her own opinions and beliefs in so many ways. She loses more "little girl" every day and we see her becoming this KID! And what a cool kid she is. Paige, we promise to get you that bowling party...before you turn 7! We are so amazed at how much you are learning. You love to read and you have a heart the size of the ocean. When you are happy, it is contagious. When you are hurting, we hurt for you. We are so proud to be your parents and look forward to another great year of experiencing life with you.