About midnight, I was up working and I heard a small cough from the top of the stairs. Hayley was up to go to the bathroom and wandered down for a hug.

We snuggled downstairs and headed back up as I was ready to crash by then. Normally she hops in bed with us for about ten minutes and then will go to her room with much prodding.

Tonight we got to the top of the stairs and I asked her if she was coming in. She hugged me and said, "I'm going to head to my bed so I can get as much rest as possible".

WHAT? Who is this kid? It wasn't just the words but the tone - it was so mature. Wanting to get back to sleep so she can tackle her day with gusto was a great decision to make.

I laid in bed thinking how she was growing up and feeling sad for myself to let go of the younger version of my daughter.

Then I remembered that the next day (today) is the Avril Lavigne and Jonas Brothers concert. The desire to charge those personal batteries was for rockin' not schooling.

On that note, let's hope I stay sane at the concert tonight with four nine and ten year old girls. We've found another neighborhood mom who is bringing two or three kids of the same age, so we'll meet up there and tag-team the bathroom-snack-random roaming cycles.