growing up

A couple of weeks ago my mother had her knee replaced. She is stuck at home recovering for another couple of weeks. S#2 is about to gut her kitchen and a bathroom for a total re-do. They will be tearing out wall and floors and concrete. It will be messy. Mom lives in the house while S#2 lives in Kazakhstan. Mom has bad allergies and asthma and doesn't need to be living in a house that is undergoing major destruction. Therefore Mom is moving in for a week or so.

Mom moving in means she gets A's room. Mom moving in means A has to clean said room. That is a major undertaking. It doesn't matter that she picks up her room at least weekly and we majorly overhaul her room almost quarterly, it is an unending pit of trinkets and baubles and bits of paper, fabric and string.

Mom is coming on Sunday. We started the cleaning tonight. Thankfully, she is getting older and more cooperative in the cleaning process. I took a chance and suggested cleaning up the girls (aka her 5 American girls) and all of their accessories. They have been stacked in various places in her room, piling up and growing since Kaya first joined our family when A turned 5. Wow, 6 years ago!

I know A is growing up because tonight she agreed to box up some of their things and put them in the closet.





Their beds are still safe and sound next to A's. All girls got to sort out the pillow and blanket situation and they are all very comfortable.



I remember the hours she spent playing with the girls. She took Kaya everywhere with her for years. She made toys and clothes and books and presents for them constantly. She spends way more time with her books and her itouch now. At least she still isn't ready to put the girls in the closet. She isn't all the way grown up yet.