my little Gordon girl....

Rasa is so Gordon (my maiden name and a term my friends and family refer to when speaking of the similarities both personality wise and physically between my Mom, my Sister and I). She is always barefoot, LOVES campfires, walks, dancing to the beat of her own drum, nature, the touch and feel of puppies, soft blankets and soft skin. She doesn't care if it matches, looks "cool" to anyone else, she will wear whatever she fancies with conviction and defend her choice to the bitter end (and let me assure you the things they puts on are usually combinations only to be seen in movies like Pricilla Queen of the Desert!!). She searches around here for plants popping through the dirt and touches them ever so gently and looks up at me with glowing eyes that scream the miracle of new life. Today as she was admiring our fern garden I asked her if she wanted to plant and grow tomatoes like she did last year and she looked away, thought about it for a minute and ran up to me with a smile saying, "I want to grow tomatoes!!! I want to grow them now!!" She doesn't say or do anything without thinking it through first. Last year she planted six of them and they grew twice as tall as she was. She was excited to see them grow and to eat their delicious fruit. This was her last summer tending to her garden :)

Last night Adia was spent so we put both girls to bed at 8pm (very early for them). Rasa hopped the baby gate and came strolling out about a half an hour later while Adia was fast asleep. She was such a good girl all day so I allowed her to stay up with us for a couple hours and enjoy being an only kid, something Adia used to do quite frequently months ago. When it was time for us to go to bed I persuaded Royce to let Rasa sleep with us again and she did, happily snuggled between us just like not so long ago. It was nice and we decided we need more time with both of us and each kid separately. We spend time one on one with the girls more frequently now but memories I have as a kid on birthday's when my parents would take me out to any restaurant I chose and got a sitter for my siblings made me feel so special. To own all of the attention of Mom and Dad, even for one night a year, was so meaningful to me that now as an adult I don't remember a single birthday gift but I remember a half a dozen restaurants we visited just the three of us. So again tonight Rasa is on my mind and all of the little things about her that make her so unique, so difficult and so extraordinary.