Big Girl Talk in Columus

 Elli played flute this year in 5th grade band and the final concert was with the middle school and high school.

 Bowing:)

 We took off right away for our night in Columbus. We got milkshakes on the way and Elli was quite excited to stay in a hotel room with me.

 That night, we had a great conversation and it carried over to the next morning.  We read from a couple of books about how boys are different, another about the girl's body, another about making memories based on character traits, and we read from the Bible.  We asked questions like, "Who are you and Where are you going?"  Elli described herself and I described her as I saw her.  We then talked about God's design and how perfect it is.  This conversation carried into the next day where we put the final piece of this several years long conversation about sex.  It couldn't have gone better and I love that we were able to share this conversation in an open and God honoring way. We then headed to Easton for some shopping and tea at the American Girl Store.

 She has wanted to do this for a few years.  She loved everything about it, well except some of the food:)

 My mind kept thinking about how she is really my little girl, but we just had this big girl conversation.  How can that be?  She really is straddling two worlds between little girl and big girl.  She even carried her American Girl doll in a backpack on her back while we shopped.  She also got this doll's ears pierced.

 She is so sweet and so very special to me.

I cannot believe we are at this stage of life where she is "between" two worlds and changing so rapidly.  I hope she remember this weekend with as much fun as I do.