Cinderella Days! Free Spirits!
My granddaughters greeted me this past Tuesday morning with their usual exuberance, and after their mom gave me a couple of quick instructions before leaving for an early morning meeting, Makena couldn’t wait to tell me that she was going to be trying out a new gymnastics class the next day! (Makena’s pronunciation of the word is more like “gi-NAS-tics”! I can’t help but laugh every time she said it! It’s too cute!) It’s been so exciting to watch Makena anticipate all the fun, new changes in her little five-year old life! I know it’s bittersweet for her parents, but Makena’s absolute delight in being able to go participate in these activities is a joy to watch and it makes me wish I could be more courageous in trying new things!
Makena knew her request to practice her summer-salts and hand-stands could be easily accommodated on this particular “Cinderella Day”, since one of hers and Marli’s favorite things to do lately came about by sheer coincidence! After my husband had attended a scout camp one weekend earlier this summer, he left his sleeping bag and foam pad in our garage to air out for a few days before putting them away. When Makena and Marli came to be tended a day or two later, they quickly spied the big foam pad and were both very eager to try their “gi-NAS-tic” skills out on it! Thus, began the love affair these two, cute girls have with this free-spirited activity! More often than not, items found around our homes that are inexpensive and very simple, are the things that end up providing children with many hours of pure, unadulterated bliss!
At this age, their “free spirits” seem to defy gravity! My camera tried hard to keep up!
Each time she started down the mat, Makena would say, “Watch me, grandma! I can do this so good! Why is it, I wonder, that we sometimes lose this ability to really believe in ourselves?
It truly seems to be a state of pure, free-spirited bliss!
I think we might all feel better if we explored our inner “free spirits” more!
What simple, ordinary things do your kids or grandchildren find fun to play with?
Also…
Congratulations to Makena, who started her first official day of kindergarten today! As you can see by the huge smile on her face, she was so excited! 
Seems like yesterday when I was taking her mom to kindergarten!
Knowing that Makena would be starting kindergarten this week, my son-in-law, Cole, sent me this link to a funny YouTube clip on how children responded to questions about their first day of kindergarten…I asked Makena a few of the same questions:
What did you do in kindergarten today?
“Ummmm, I played on the new playground…and oh, I learned stuff and got to put my book bag in a cubby!”
Did you make any friends?
“Well, I played with a lot of kids on the playground!” After some prompting from my daughter, she said, “Uhhh, I have a new friend at my table named, Claire!”
Are you excited to go again tomorrow?
“Yes, but I have to help my mom do a lot of papers by tomorrow!” (My daughter can definitely vouch for that! Ha!)
Hope it’s a great school year for everyone!
–Mary