Horray Day

As you may have read already, we have decided not to celebrate Mother's Day in our house. We acknowledge it, but no gifts, no cards - just spending the time in a meaningful way together. It's too much pressure for Penelope.
She tried to use the day for purposes of splitting saying "My Mommy won't let me buy her a gift for Mother's Day." I exposed her little sham. She just gushed about it like "Yeah, I tried to be tricky like that." But she said "I did make you a gift but it's not for Mother's Day." I said "Oh really?? What is it for?"
She went and got this clay head she made in Art Class at school. It was my gift. It is suppose to be Bella from the Twilight Series. Except she has purple hair and green eyes and vampire fangs. It's a wonderful paperweight as it's super heavy.
She said "It's for what I call Hooray Day." I said "What's Hooray Day?" She said "The day that I came home to live with you permanently." I had to think about it, and she is right! Now, it's not Mother's Day and she didn't do it today, but on the 5th. I don't really have a way to figure out exactly when but she is within a few day I believe. And it's not the day I gained legal guardianship, or the day I moved her in. It's the day she came back to me after her father took her to live with him and his 2nd wife, who abused Penelope too. It's the day her step-mother kicked her and her father out of the house blaming Penelope as the cause. It's the day I told her father, "Never again. She stays with me from now on. I don't care if you re-marry again, she is staying with me from now on."
But I love LOVE that name. "Hooray Day!" We will celebrate it every year! I told her. "It will be easy to remember! It's Cinco de Mayo. So when you are 21 we will go have a margarita to celebrate!" She just gave me this look with her hands on her hips "Uhhhh I don't think so! I don't drink alcohol Mom." I said "Well, not now but when you are old enough." She said "I don't think I will then either. Alcohol is a drug and I don't do drugs." I laughed and gave her a hug and told her I was proud of her.
Another prideful thing to mention is that she did end up run/walking the Girls on the Run 5K on Saturday morning. Her Papaw, my 68 year old father who already had his quadrupedal bi-pass surgery a few years back, agreed to do it with her to give her the strength to make it through. And she finished! 45 minutes. I had to work, but she called me. "Mom, I did it! I did it! It was great! I got a medal when I crossed the finish line!" Very proud. And thank GOD for Papaw. Papaw did his first 5K with a bunch of 11/12 year old girls. He said there were lots of families in the 5K as we were mildly concerned he was going to be the only guy in the 5K. I can't wait for the pictures. Too bad they ran out of the pink GOTR 5K t-shirts before he got his. =D