The Princess Years...

       "I want to stay with you forEVER!" I hear it every day. I hear it all day. My three year old is stuck on me like glue lately. I must admit, I'm flattered and loving every minute of it... well, almost every minute... except when I go to take a shower, need a few minutes to think or when I just plain want two minutes of quiet after hours of answering the question of the century: why?

I don't know why. That's just the way it is. Because if you eat them you'll get sick. Because there are tiny little germs on them. Well, because there are germs on everything. Yes, bad germs. No, not on that. Those are good germs. The difference? What's a germ? It's an, um... Let's just Google it.

       But then sometimes I wish she could stay with me forever- and stay little forever. I can hardly believe she'll be four in two months. I didn't see it coming. This evening we sat outside in the spring breeze talking about princesses and dresses and castles while I made a crown from clover flowers. When I put it on her head I was taken aback at her beauty and innocence. She's such a beautiful person- inside and out. She is compassionate, inquisitive, kind, spontaneous, imaginative, creative, bold, funny as all get-out, intelligent, passionate, peaceable (most of the time), and so much more. If she were to stay three- and if she were to stay with me forever- I would be robbing the world of a rare jewel. So I suppose I'll let her grow up, slowly. And in the mean time I'll continue to take hundreds of pictures to help me remember these sweet, day-dreaming princess years with her red, sparkly Fancy Nancy shoes, the tutus, the crazy morning hair and the sweet joy that comes over her face every time she discovers a new freckle.