This past Thursday, my delightful Dagny Tess turned 8. Though she is the third of four kids, Dagny makes sure she doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

I think I can, I think I can.

Despite her tiny size, she displays a determination that is hard to miss. She likes bugs, she climbs like a spider monkey, she’s always without shoes, and she lights up a room with her grin. She is, not surprisingly, the only one of our grandchildren who has fallen from our tree house (without serious injury I’m happy to report). Recently, when everyone else was screaming and hiding under tables in fear of a bat that had gotten in through a window, Dagny was eagerly chasing it. That she would be wanting to study it comes as no surprise to anyone. That’s curious Dagny.

Though most 8-year-olds cringe at the sight of an insect, Dagny firmly declares that she WILL be an entomologist when she grows up. I’m quite sure most 8-year-olds don’t know what an entomologist is. Let’s just say that whatever she ends up doing with her life, as my sister Jen always says, Dagny won’t be working in an office.

Shortly after the photo was taken, Dagny did, indeed, eat the bug she is holding.

I’m glad Dagny is a part of my life.

Have a great weekend.