Sugar
Besides the fact that our sweet girl really enjoys the taste of sugar; particularly in the form of candy or ice cream, she also does things throughout the day that are so endearing. Free spirited, she is, she will tell you exactly what's on her mind. So often we hear things like, "You are the BEST!" or "Ganks you SO much." It's music to our ears when we hear, "That makes me SO happy!" or "At be yike a pan?" She loves to spend her time fluttering in the world of imagination and often invites anyone there who'd like to go. She can never get enough of her friends and alternates between being the leader or the follower. She is so flexible. I keep saying to Brian that at this point I could do just about anything with her or take her anywhere. She's rational and understanding, she's caring and fun and really loves her life. She allows herself to become incredibly excited and puts a lot of thought into what her day will look like. She loves Luke day in and day out. She is rarely upset with him and even shares her toys on most occasions. We love hearing them giggle together.
Spice
If I had a dollar for every time someone commented on her expression, I would have paid for her college by now! Really, truly, we hear all the time that she is the most expressive little girl "I've ever met." From her teachers at Sunday school, to the mothers of friends to strangers we meet throughout the day...her expressive face and theatrical body language is something we've fallen in love with. You can imagine, however, that if her mood swings to the "spicy" side that expression can be channeled into a dangerous form of melting down or disobedience. Fortunately for us the Lord has made us in His image and inherently good; so the pendulum swings toward positive expression most of the time. I think really when I think of Carly's "spice," I think of her will. I've always believed being strong-willed is quite important in life, so I value that she has desires to do things her way and that she will fight for her point to be made. But that also means that there are a lot of times she sits in time out, gets a little booty swat or loses privileges. I can't wait to see how the her personality continues to spice up our life.
Everything Nice
Carly has quite a few things near and dear to her heart, so that's what this section is for. She does say with much inflection in her voice, "Niiiiice." She is obsessed with wearing princess dresses and changes into her Queen Elsa or Princess Anna dress each time she wakes up or walks in the door from an outing. We even went into her room the other night to turn off her lamp and she had gotten out of bed to put on her Elsa gown. Books are loved by our little miss, and she will generally choose the same book to read at night for weeks on end and then all of a sudden be onto the next one. She always takes 3 books to bed with her and we generally find more when we go to turn off her light. Everything nice also includes her Monkey, her Paci (Lord have mercy) and her long "white" hair that she asks, "why does my hair get so many knots in it all the time?" She knows the answer to that question: she twirls it with her fingers and refuses to wear it any way but down. Most days she is also seen wearing one of her two necklaces and brightly painted fingernails and toenails. Ah, yes, she is "sugar & spice and everything nice."
Carly, I can't believe that little infant who refused to sleep and cried during most of her awake hours is this same sweet, stubborn, strong-willed, fun-loving little girl I get to spend the majority of my time learning alongside. I love being with you and you make my heart jump for joy. I am so grateful for our ever-forming friendship and bond. God has certainly blessed me with a beautiful daughter. I pray every night that you will someday choose to live a spirit-filled life and that you'll know that being "blessed" means that you've been saved by Grace. Welcome to childhood, my dear!
