Squirt's Inauguration

The Young Women came and grabbed Aeryn from her Sunday school class when it was time to go to YW and dolled her up. They tied ribbons correlating to the YW value colors into her hair. One of the leaders sent me this pic in the middle of Relief Society and I'm so glad she did. 

The Girly was so excited. She was not, however, super excited to recite an article of faith from the podium in sacrament meeting though. She tends to get really nervous in front of people and I was worried for her, but she marched up to the front confidently and said her piece then marched back to her seat with her head held high. Only after I hugged her and told her how proud I was of her did she let the anxiety pour out and she started sobbing in relief. This sweet girl gets so very nervous and anxious. It made me teary to see the confirmation of exactly how hard that small task had been for her, which in turn made me even more proud. 

There was a fireside in the evening and she attempted to leave the ribbons in until then, with mixed results. Some fell out on their own. 

At first I expected this change to be hard. I thought it would make me sad that she is growing up and not a kid anymore. That I would miss being the confidante and favorite person. That it would be hard when she didn't want to hang out with me. Instead I'm finding myself really happy about the change. She is ready for it. She needs to be around older kids and learn how capable and strong she is. She will benefit from relationships with amazing leaders- leaders who I admire and wish I could be more like. She is ready for the adventures and primping and little secrets. She needs a life that is separate from me. 

I thought that would be hard, but it's so so fun to watch. I'm thankful to be here, more so than I ever expected.