"it's the lovelight in her eyes..."*

 

Look who turned 15 this weekend!

Miss Maddy had a fabulous Saturday birthday: breakfast with some friends after her violin lesson, picnic+pie+presents with family, and then a party extravaganza with more friends (20!) here that night. 

Yep, Maddy's a joy and I feel lucky to know her and love her and mother her. She's one of those souls that came to earth already wise, curious, and open-hearted. One night when she was barely three, the girls were getting ready for bed. I asked them what they wanted to do for their last activity before bed. Read a book? Tell stories? Little Maddy piped up "I know! Let's talk about our feelings!" It cracked us up but it is very much who Maddy is: observant and sensitive and aware of everyone's feelings.

It's not that she's perfect or doesn't have struggles (remember this?) but she bravely lets herself feel the difficult emotions (like her occasional bouts with anxiety or sadness) or acknowledge whatever challenge she's facing, talks about and works through it, and is stronger and more compassionate for the struggle. 

{Brag alert.} I forgot to mention this earlier this year but maybe it's a good time to say it today. For posterity, right? {Feel free to skip; I'll never know.} At the end of the school year, the faculty members of her school select a student who has made outstanding contributions in the areas of the school values: service, leadership, character, and loyalty. Maddy received the award this year and here is part of the tribute one of her teachers wrote--he even was a bit verklempt as he read it out loud:

In the classroom, all of her teachers past and present describe her as a student who makes positive connections with students and teachers alike. She can always be counted on to do the right thing and she puts others before herself. Beyond the classroom, as a member of Student Leadership, she has been a leader of leaders. The faculty advisor describes her as "one who knows how to lead in a gentle way." As a member of the Model United Nations team her diplomatic skills are exemplary. These skills were clearly apparent as she carried herself as an ambassador would, admirably representing [our town] on the middle school trip to China. She has been integral in organizing and presiding over many of our student assemblies, including this one we are enjoying today. 

 She's a keeper.

*"it's the lovelight in your eyes where'ere you go" is the final line of one of our family's traditional birthday songs. We're the third generation to sing this particular string of 6-7 songs before the candles are blown out and the kids hold us to it every birthday (even if we do sometimes forget some of the words and make up our own).

How to have a perfectly lovely birthday

1. Get up in the morning and find a package on the table from G, an invitation to go out on Saturday on a surprise adventure.

2. After doing the early morning seminary run and getting the kids off to school, come back home and get back into bed. Don't mind the grey skies and rain, they are all part of the coziness.  Read for an hour and doze a little, too.

3. Give yourself the day off from doctoral writing commitments.  Only feel the twingiest of guilts about it. 

4. Install new curtains (finally! three years later!) in the front room and love them (pictures to follow).

5. Have a Very Facebook Birthday. Seriously, is there anything more gleeful than getting birthday wishes from people from all corners of your life? Elementary school, high school, college, family, Virginia friends, town friends, church friends, school friends, blog friends. I was feeling the love. Thank you, you lovely people.

6. Discover packages on the porch! And good mail!

7. Attend the 7th grade barbecue and dance. What are you gonna do? The most important social event of the year for your son's class is on your birthday. Enjoy sneaking peeks at the dance downstairs and socializing with the other parents. Get out of driving carpool for your older daughter when another parent hears it's your birthday. Sweet.

8. Take advantage of your Friday birthday by pushing the celebration into the weekend. 

9. Saturday night, go to eat with G in Boston at Beacon Hill Bistro. Have steak frites and a lemon tart. What?! It's your birthday! 

10. Attend the Speaking Clock Revue!  G hit the mark on this one and surprised me with tickets to this one-of-a-kind show. T Bone Burnett put together a fantastic night of music with one show in Boston (last Saturday) and one in NYC (this Wednesday) Oh. My. Goodness.  What a fun night and incredible music: Elvis Costello, Elton John, Neko Case, John Mellencamp, Punch Brothers, The Secret Sisters, Jeff Bridges, Karen Ellson and more. Such a cool, rip roaring evening.  If you're in NYC this week, try to get a ticket to this rare treat.

 

I'm so grateful for my life and the people in it.

xo

Listen:

This is The Song ~ Punch Brothers

also this one is fun

The One I Love is Gone ~ The Secret Sisters

There's something about Maddy

We've still got two weeks of summer left in these parts.  Miss M is finding all sorts of kooky & kicky ways to brighten her days. Yesterday it was the fort-making, complete with music, lights, fan, art supplies, a soft nest (she slept in it last night), food, books, and phone. Proving that you're never too old for a good fort with white lights.

 "Rules of Maddy's party fort:

1. Marvel at the wonder from a distance, please!

2. No biting pillows or blankets (you know who you are. *Louie*)

3. If your name isn't Louie or Maddy and you weren't formally invited into the fort, guess what? you weren't invited [this is a bit of a little-red-hen situation. no one would help her make it.]

4. When music is playing, lights are on, and fan is fanning, fort is occupied.

5. No harming or ta(m)pering with the fort or else you won't have chairs at dinner tonight.

6. Rules spontaneously come up by Maddy must be followed in the fort.

Thanks, the tenant"

. . . 

On vacation, Maddy came across a card & quote at a museum gift shop that called her name:

"I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara I could save the world"

Last week she and her best partner-in-crime decided to go ahead and equip themselves & save the world.  These are their costumes (plus scooters, some monster spray, and a lot of chutzpah):

I love this Alice shirt

She is hilarious. Man, I love that girl. 

. . .

 Listen:  Sweet Disposition, The Temper Trap

Cheers

This guy

is the birthday boy today

so we are busy celebrating:

pulled pork sandwiches, blueberry pie, presents, and snow tubing.

He's a gem. And I'm a lucky girl.

. . .

1. love the paisley shirt, the swiped over bangs, and the freckles.

2. volunteering to help teach middle schoolers mock trial and negotiation skills 

3. more tributes and lovey-doveyness here and here

4. on an unrelated note, Letters to a Parent is slowly but surely blossoming again. New post there...click on over if you'd like. You can also click to subscribe to LTAP posts via email.  Fancy!

Seize* the day

Never mind all the post-vacation unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, email-returns, phone calls, cleaning, and everything else. I can't wait another minute to acknowledge and celebrate that she

turned 16 over this weekend.

Any words are inadequate to the task of expressing my feelings on this milestone. I love her dearly. She is the one who has taught me the most about myself and about mothering, the daughter who suffers from an inexperienced & flawed mother who is doing everything for the first time (and flying by the seat of my pants, mostly). We do clash sometimes (as mothers and daughters do) especially as I learn to hand over more and more of the "controlling interest" in this lovely life I have nurtured and cherished and played a role in creating (but, really, I know it is her life, after all). She is a vessel of light and laughter. She has a good heart. She makes us proud.

Look out, world, here she comes, with keys to the minivan in hand (very soon) and dates on her calendar...

Also, world, please be good to her.

*French for sixteen. I know, getting all fancy!