Layla...

Layla only has three more days of kindergarten. I would cry but I am so excited for 1st grade, I can't even stand it. (Kindergarten hours are just annoying - too short and right in the middle of my day). She is excited for 1st grade too. We have to go to a new school (just in the next neighborhood) because we moved, but she is looking forward to being even more grown up than she already is.

Here are a few facts about our post-kindergarten, pre-1st grade little girl:

She has lost 8 teeth (and couldn't be more proud).

She loves, loves, loves clothes. She changes her outfit at least 3 times a day. She mixes and matches and comes up with some c-r-a-z-y combos, but she definitely rocks each one.

She loves animals. She is scared of dogs but is trying to show me she is brave because she wants a pet sooooo bad.

She is my biggest helper. Seriously. I ask her to do things for Isaac as if she were Caton or some other adult. She loves being the big sister and does things without even being asked (dishes, read books to Jack, change Isaac's diapers...).

She is such a good sister to Jack. Jack drives me up the wall some days but she is so patient with him. He follows her around like a little puppy dog. They play all day together and rarely do I hear about a fight between them that starts with Layla.

She loves to look beautiful. For starters, she is beautiful. But if she could wear makeup and jewelry everywhere she went, she would. I tell her "no" for school and church so as soon as she gets home, she glams up.

She is a good little artist. Her number one default - I'm bored - activity is drawing. She draws and draws. She is really good too. She stays within the lines and creates stories with characters. She loves to draw her family and she always makes me look cute (and I don't even make her do that).

She is very tender. My biggest challenge with Layla is not to snap at her or criticize her. She internalizes everything and will bring up something that I said hours after I said it. Part of me wants her to toughen up a bit, but a bigger part worries that if she does toughen up, she will lose that sweet empathy she has for others.

She gets nervous in unfamiliar social situations. I don't know if I would call her "painfully" shy, but she is definitely shy. But even in her shyness, she has many friends and even makes an effort to befriend people who are "rude." She is one of those people who just loves everyone.

She is a good reader. I don't know what all you adults remember about kindergarten (I remember story time, cut and paste, coloring) but kindergarten today is a whole different game. She graduates this week knowing how to read, write, and even do simple math. She truly loves to learn and I hope, hope, hope she will continue to read and love reading as much as I do.

In a nutshell- I love this little girl. I feel very overwhelmed at times that I am not parenting her well. I lose my patience far too much and she gets most of my frustration because she is the oldest and I foolishly expect her to act twice her age. I need to remember that she is still just six. Remember and enjoy it. Because she is perfect and I love her with all my heart.