We just had a heart-breakingly fantastic time with Jayme and little Sophia in NY.  They were home, visiting J’s parents.  (Who are awesome, btw.)  OMG we have MISSED them!

Raines and Soph are crazy-cute together.  Such buddies still, after all this time.

We all went to a little fair – the kind with rides and some games for the kids, etc.  Sophia was all about the Fun House – the tame kind, where you climb through a ball pit, up a rope ladder, then down a slide.  This is not surprising.  Soph hates rides.  And super loud noises.  Or anything fast.  And the wind.

Sidenote (a conversation between R and Soph in the car):

Raines:  7, 8, 9, 10…uh…..twelve-teen?

Sophia:  11, 12, 13, 14, 15…..or you can count by 10s!  10, 20, 30, 40….  (I am exaggerating only a little)

Raines: Sophia, you are a really good counter!  You know numbers WAY better than me.

Sophia:  That’s true.  But Raines, I am afraid of the wind.  You are MUCH braver than me.

Raines:  You are afraid of the wind?  Why?

Sophia:  I don’t know.  It’s just the way I was made.

Carnivals are NOT homegirl’s scene.  But we somehow end up at one every July 4thish.  Last year she just watched (you can see her little by-herself pic at the bottom of this post.).

But just like Sophia makes Raines much more interested in numbers (or letters or reading)…R makes Soph a little bit braver.  This has always been true….and despite the distance, despite the fact that these two little four year olds have been living across-country from one another for the last 25% of their life….it’s still true.

They cruised by in monster trucks….

…and little motorcycles going slowly round-and-round…until all of a sudden, Sophia announced that she wanted to go on the roller coaster.

Wha???  I mean….it’s basically Sophia’s perfect storm:  loud, fast, and windy.

J and I exchanged a nervous glance, but, not wanting to psyche her out, plastered smiles on our faces and marched on over to the kid roller coaster.

R, as you can imagine, was ecstatic.

We gave them their tickets, and they got on.   To my great surprise, Soph didn’t get off.  She just sat there, looking terrified.  

(It cracks me up:  R’s all, “Oooooh, BABY!  Bring it!”)

The ride started, and I watched with a lump in my throat.  I had warned the operator (once the kids were seated and out-of-earshot) that he might have to stop the ride early.  I crossed my fingers and watched them go around the first bend.

Oh, honey.  I recognized that hunched-over position from my sister’s one attempt at rides.  It means SCREW THIS.  I actually started walking over to the operator, waving my hands, all “abort mission”.

But Sophia, man….she held on.

I mean…OK.  That is NOT the face of enjoyment.  Grim determination, maybe?  But, you know….she’s doing it.  At one point, Raines started talking to her, comforting her, I think.

Then I died from cute-overload.

Suddenly, it was over.  And Sophia emerged…shaken, but quietly satisfied.

I did it, Mom.

Sophia the Brave.

There is something pretty awe-inspiring about watching a four-year-old face down her fears.  Just think….if this is what she can do at four, then what will she be capable of at 24?  40?

Like the wind, she’ll fly.

Go, Sophie-bird, go.

xo,

S