In this month that I could not wish away fast enough, Isabella has remained one of the few sources of happiness. She is not perfect by a long stretch. She is prone to epic whining fits and a very strong sense of self-righteousness. She will make a good lawyer one day, because the kid seems to enjoy arguing.
But she has been sweet and kind and comforting to me. And she's shown Louie a lot of gentle love and affection, which never ceases to make me tear up while watching.
She ran her second kids' race, the "Candy Cane Run" to my Jingle Bell 5K. It was foolishly scheduled 10 minutes after the 5K began, so I didn't get to see her run, but I heard she had a great time.
The arts-and-crafts-projects obsession continues. This was the Christmas of the art supplies, so she was overjoyed when opening this box o' crafty bits from Santa.
Appearing tops on her list for Santa was bowtie macaroni. Not to eat, of course, but to use in art projects. So, Santa hooked her up with those too.
I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that my kid is really into art. I mean, a lot. Every object she finds has endless possibilities for creative use in her little mind. Given a glue stick, some paint, markers, papers, and found objects, she could entertain herself for hours.
I am not artsy. That gene skipped over me (my grandfather, mother, and younger sister are all artists), so having a child who is so involved with something with which I have no expertise is difficult.
So all I can do right now is provide her with the space and the supplies and let her do her thing, which she does willingly. It's really awesome to watch her, actually.
My mom graciously bought her an awesome "Clay Play" art class at our local art gallery, and that starts in a week. She is so excited. Saturdays will be busy for her for awhile. She'll have her clay class, a 45-minute break, and then tennis lessons. All of a sudden, I'm that parent with the overscheduled kid. But as long as she enjoys her lessons and doesn't resist going to them, I figure it's okay.
Much like me, Isabella is a child who never wants to stay home. Every day she asks me what we're doing both in the morning before preschool and in the afternoon once I've picked her up. She wants scheduled events, and if I don't have anything on the itinerary, she gets upset. This? Is exhausting. Because while I would love to take her to the library after school or to the museum or to a playground or outside to play, doing so with a 1 adult to 3 young children ratio is not easy.
She's become slightly physically aggressive with Luci and Nicholas. She will push them, grab toys out of their hands, or climb on top of them when they're bugging her. When they start to cry, she immediately launches into maternal mode, hugging them and saying, "It's okay honey. You're fine. You're fine." as if she weren't the cause of their misery.
It's bizarre.
There is a Parent Orientation for Kindergarten meeting scheduled on my calendar for the end of the month. Isabella is headed to Kindergarten in 9 short months. And rather than look at this new step for her with longing for her baby days, I cannot wait (and not for the reasons you might think).
I know she is going to love it.
Current Likes: Raw baby carrots for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, taking pictures with her new camera
Current Dislikes: Staying home, L&N messing with her stuff
In the picture where she's holding up the bowtie, she looks just like you. :)
That box of craft supplies is very cool. I'm sure she'll love it. I'm glad she likes art so much and I'm glad you indulge it. It really is that easy at that age. I hope she'll enjoy her class.
She's growing up, that's for sure.
I remember the year Hannah got TONS of art supplies from the grandparents (on both sides). She was in heaven! I bet Isabella will have a blast. :-D
Don't you just love finding their projects? I have book after book of pages that Corinne has drawn upon. Not to mention the boys stuff! It's overwhelming, all of this sweet art stuff.
She looks ADORABLE in that Christmas picture! so cute.