Growing Up

OK, time for a proud papa moment.  I've been seeing things the last few days that make me happy.  Just a few examples:  Earlier in the day at lunch, Cecily needed a bathroom (as often happens when Cecily is bored.) She asked for directions, and we told her to ask the server.  So she did, in flawless Italian, earning herself an ushered trip to the bagno.  Cecily's complete lack of fear of the language is amazing, and she is the first to throw herself into an order or a question, using the words she knows and trying ones she hasn't yet mastered.  Meredith has taken command on this trip in a most-unMeredith type of way.  She is often 10-20 feet ahead of the rest of us as we walk down the street, and is often showing the way to our destination.  Tonight at the grocery store, I turned her loose.  She completed the entire list by herself, competently moving through the aisles retrieving everything we needed.  At the end, I handed her a 20 Euro note and a pocket full of coins and told her to manage payment while I bagged groceries.  When the checker told her "vente uno i quatordiche,"  she didn't bat an eye but counted out her $21.14 and told the checker, "grazie" on her way out of the stand--she might as well have been at home.  Olivia, meanwhile, has been coming to terms with her young adult self, starting with her blue hair streak experiment, her strong expressions of opinion around faith matters last night and a decision tonight to buy herself a rather daring two-piece bikini.  Oh yes, my little girl--all my little girls--are definitely growing up!