I must have dozed off after bringing my toddler downstairs from her early awakening of her nap, for I woke up covered in rubber animals with a giraffe charging across the couch going “RAWR!!!” Kenna hadn’t realized I was awake and I got to witness a rare moment of “unobserved” child’s play. While the cow “RAWR”ed back down the couch I lay in amazement at this beautiful little girl who is so different from her sisters and yet, is re-teaching me, as they had done, how the world looks from the eyes of one who has collected no expectations of what it has to be. She tucked as many animals as she could into the plastic Safeway strawberry box lined with green christmas garland that used to be the home of a favorite tiny toy alligator, and brought them to the edge of the couch to place them the length of my leg once more so the giraffe can chase them off again.

What an unexpected and rare moment for me. What an unexpectedly amazing little girl.