f o u r

our little miss penelope anne is four.  four, it seems so huge, so grown up.  and yet she remains my littlest girl.  she told me that when she turned four she wouldn't need to be carried any more, my heart almost broke on the spot.  since that time she has been in my arms more times than i can remember, she has been kissed more deliberately and tucked into bed more carefully.  she seems so small in some moments and in others, her legs hang below my knee caps when she is held, her printing is out of this world and her sense of adventure rivals most.

i can't stand this growing up thing.  it hurts my heart.  i long for the days to go a little slower, for the moments we have together to linger a little longer, for those times she still falls asleep in my arms to last a moment more.  she is growing out of her boston accent, and losing that timid shy self.  she is becoming more and more, each day, the girl that God has created.  and in the same breath that i say i can't stand it, i rejoice in it. i rejoice as i watch her make good choices, as she develops a character that is lovely and beautiful.  i rejoice in her love for the Lord, in her urgency as she prays for others in need and without the Father.  i weep even as i write this, i just love this little girl.  her heart and her spirit, her passion and strong will, though it often gets her in trouble i admire her strength.
she is a funny little girl and can laugh so deeply it moves us all to stitches.  she could care less if she gets in trouble and yet can't hold a lie in her heart.  she will hold your hand in every moment as long as she can be beside you and she will chat, without ceasing.  she is okay to play on her own and at the same time can't stand the moments that her sister is away from her.  she love cheetahs and flamingos and most days she will come with the request to be your pet baby cheetah.  you don't have to do much as the mama, just enable her to crawl on all fours and hunt for food.  she has requested to be a nurse for the people when she grows up and has also stated that she will have me over for tea when she has her own house.  her plan at this moment in time is to be a mom to over one hundred children.  i think she will make an amazing mom.

grow in faith and truth sweet girl.  know the Father well and the love that He has for you.  He is ever faithful. i love every moment i get to spend with you pen pen and though i hate that you are growing up i look forward to watching you follow the desires of your heart as you follow the plans that the Lord has for you.  choose well, stand strong in your passions, love deeply and never loose the urgency with which you pray with.

rewinding

...just a bit, back to august.

once upon a time a ferry took three crazy girls to vancouver island, victoria to be exact.  there, they were met by some other crazy people where they continued together to make memories through shared adventures.  the days that each event happened on has long been lost in a memory that is full of cob webs and other such adventures, however the pictures make clear that each step of the way was well enjoyed and documented so that a date was no longer required.

the royal british columbia museum, the dinosaur exhibit.  we walked off the ferry and drove straight there, we had been waiting for the dinos to come to the museum since christmas time, and we were excited   we even have the dino stuffies to prove our journey was a success.  an imax about the arttic and then off to see dinos, woolly mammoths that are still a little scary, and an experience through old town complete with a train ride and a visit to china town.

{exploring at the museum with nana, auntie shantel and matthew}

wittys lagoon.  when you grow up on the island and now live on the mainland your heart kinda aches for the sound of the waves, the smell of salt in the air and the feel of it on your skin.  it doesn't seem to matter if the sun is out or if the sky is covered in clouds, the beach is always a place where adventures can be had, the ocean is full of life and memories.  this is the beach that i grew up exploring on, both ends, though i learned to stay to one end of the beach soon enough as the other was home to locals without any clothes on.  apparently after such a visit i returned with eyes the size of saucers and my mom knew right away what i had found.  why she didn't warn me not go in said direction is still unknown.  i plan on sharing with my children that only socks will be found down to the right of wittys lagoon.

 {the ever practiced "dive" of the summer}

{my mom, bless her heart, ps, this is where penny gets her face}

{waiting and watching as the tide comes in atop their castle}

fort rod hill.  wide open spaces.  crazy kids.  lots of energy.  always a good combination.  history to learn about, the ocean to hear and smell, picnic tables to eat at, and tunnels to play with flashlights in.

{...and then this happened...awesome}

shawnigan lake.  a new adventure full of water and more being wet.  we arrived, we already had our bathing suits on, we got wet, we ate lunch, we got wet again and then we went home.  always a good time when you are in the water with friends.

{the "face" by penny}

{i had a rough time getting in, always made easier when you do a little ballet before hand}

parksville.  a visit to coombs and rathtrevor beach.  ones adventure to the island is never complete until you have coombs and rathtrevor under your belt.  the blessing here is that grandma lives in parksville and we love to play with her.  so we picked her up and spent the day making memories and poking around, visiting the tea shop and eating dinner on the beach.  we played in the tide pool until there were two very wet and tired girls.  a complete adventure always ends when your clothes are soaked by the sea.

{ice cream in coombs}

{our dinner spot by the sea}

there are no more pictures to document what came next...and i can't remember all that happened.  i know we had some amazing visits with our families, we came home tired and dirty and that is just the way we like to take our adventures.