y'all ready for this?

No. 1 is going steady.

"Mr. WonderfulVeryFirstBoyfriend" actually asked my permission if he could ask her out (which means the same thing that going steady did in our day).  I was surprised, as I didn't think Chivalry was still alive.  Mais oui!  After I totally melted, I regained my composure and went over my expectations of him (this is her first time being more than just friends, homework comes first, they must go out with a group at this point, he must remember he is a gentleman and she must remember she is a young lady) to which he replied, "Yes ma'am.  I know what you mean and I understand." 

He asked her the next day after school.  She turned her Claddaugh ring around, and her feet have absolutely not touched the ground since then.

Homegirl is fun to be around.  She is happy.  She sings.  All the time.  She teases with her sibs.  She hugs King and I a lot more.  And she has been walking around wearing silly glasses like these:

....ever since they went to see Star Wars in 3D!

She rocks the glasses.

Mr. WonderfulVeryFirstBoyfriend has helped to bring back that fun little girl who ran away to an unknown safehaven in the 6th grade when mean girls were loose and on the prowl.  I forgot how much I missed that girl.

So ever since then it has come to my attention that the Velcro-esque noise I keep hearing is the sound of me letting go. 

 little.  by.  little.