Baby, Slow Down

Just when you've caught one-half of a breath following the flurry of a Crawford Christmas, the 27th brings around the anniversary of Grace Caroline's birth...five years ago our last angel (of destruction?) descended and rounded out our happy crew, so why not gather with the extended fam to have a belated Christmas dinner, gift exchange and a My Pretty Pony birthday cake while watching the Broncs let another one slip through those orange fingers? Why not, indeed!
Grandma K knows a way to a girl's heart...Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Cafe! We can only thank the public library for supplying us with what seems to be an unending variety of the little red-headed girl's videos ("Straw-buh-buh-buh-berry, so extraordinary!") and a previously undiscovered outlet for Grace's already-teeming imagination.
She also received the Snow White DVD, Snow White and her Seven Dwarves dolls, (are you with me on this? It's not 'dwarves'. It's 'dorfs.' Right?) and, drum roll please:

The beloved new bike, received by all Crawfords upon their 5th birthdays! This one is princessed-out: a plastic holder for, I guess, holding things, and a water bottle! This spring, Gracie rocks Candleglow Street! Lock up your small children and animals!

How can you describe Gracie? She's such a girly-girl: all ribbons and bows and pink fluff. A pure cuddle-cake, with a belly laugh/snort laugh like Gloria's on Madagascar 2: irresistible.

She's I Corinthians 13: 4-5: as the caboose, she suffereth long through many practices, games, meets, concerts, recitals, and there's nothing trivial about it: Grace is kind. She envieth not, but is usually content with her own little corner of the universe, and would love it if everyone would join her and just be happy.

Grace doesn't behave herself unseemly (usually!), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. She strongly dislikes being the butt of a joke, receiving undue attention, and dealing with people who don't share.

Grace came to me after a playdate and informed me, incredulously, that her friend "didn't even know what a 'diva' is." And though the obvious joke is to say that after meeting her, he surely has a firm grasp on the term's meaning, it's not even true. On her worst day, Grace is welcoming and friendly, sugar 'n spice and everything nice, but if you equip her with pom-poms and a nice house soundtrack, nothin' but fierce!