…is the wolf cry of the sheep who up until last January routinely still came into our bed in the middle of the night. Once we bribed taught her the value of sleeping in her own bed all night we no longer had a solid reason for her to not go to a sleepover. So when the invitation came for her first big girl birthday party sleepover (at a schoolmate who we haven’t met’s house no less!) we were hardpressed to say no. She started packing days in advance. We had to talk her down to just two bags and a sleeping bag.  The mother happens to be the room mother for kindergarten and that helped tremendously in relieving some of her anxiety. A couple of days prior to the main event though the little girl hosting got a case of the nerves and her and Zuzu weren’t being entirely kind to each other. I suggested we cancel, but Zuzu would have none of it. The approval had been given and she was not going to pass on running full on in to this milestone. So I warned the mother and she assured me they would take good care and if there was any trouble they would happily bring her back to us no matter the time of day or night. Fortunately it went swimmingly….

That Dora pack isn’t Zuzus. When the Quail caught wind of the big sleepover she packed her pack and put it out with Zuzus in hopes of being included.

….so swimmingly that when we recently visited St. Louis to gather with old friends and our friend Amy suggested Zuzu join her 8 year old daughter and our other friend Pam’s 8 year old daughter for a sleepover before we leave that she once again started packing up her bags quick, quick, quick! She had some mild hesitation about the fact that they were new friends to her and slightly older but once again was crystal clear she had no intention of not going.

When we picked her up the next morning she tumbled out of a house that smelled of chocolate-chip pancakes with a new outfit and a pack full of hand-me-downs and a big grin. Lil miss likes being a big girl.