- What is your favorite color? PINK!
- Favorite food? SHRIMP! No...shrimp in soup!
- Favorite dessert? ICE CREAM!
- Favorite candy? GUM!
- Favorite book? Candy Castle
- Favorite movie? Snow White (I'm pretty sure she's never seen that movie...)
- Favorite Princess? Snow White & Cinderella & Belle & Ariel...
- Favorite Friend? Mommy (her words, not mine!)
- Favorite outdoor activity? Climbing a tree
- Favorite playground? She thought on this one for a long time and then said...."Grandma's playground"
- Favorite Disney Park? EPCOT
- Favorite Ride? Figment spelled with an "F"!
- What makes you happy? When mommy plays princesses with me
- What makes Mommy happy? When we play chase!
- What makes you sad? When Luke pulls my hair
- What makes Mommy sad? When we disobey
Who do you like better...
- Anna or Elsa?
- Mickey or Minnie?
- Donald or Daisy?
- Pluto or Goofy?
- Pooh or Tigger?
I asked Brian to describe Carly in a few words. He said: Adventurous, Imaginative, Fun & Loving. Wow! She doesn't have him wrapped around her finger at all. ;)
Adventurous.
Carly is up for just about anything...especially if it involves staying in the house while wearing her jammies. ;) There are certainly days when she just wants to play at home, but by & large her eyes grow 10 sizes when we talk about an outing. Disney, church, the playground, a playdate....Carly is up for it and right away! Life just excites her and she is such a delight to take anywhere.
Imaginative.
Little Miss C doesn't miss much! She's quite the little listener and Brian and I have been questioned on a few topics we thought had gone over her head. Oops. She struggles with this concept of being "patient" and is constantly interrupting. We feel like that is pretty common for her age. ;) Nevertheless we are working through methods to shape her mind into understanding the standard. We are doing our best to shepherd her little heart. (This fabulous parenting class we are taking puts it this way: when two rules are conflicting, will your child's conscience have been taught enough to make a good decision? For example, if two children share a bedroom and the instruction has been given not get out of bed; yet one night the younger sibling begins seizing, for example, will the older child "disobey" and help? As parents, our goal is not that our children follow rules, but they know the difference from right & wrong. Easier said than done!)
Adventurous.
Carly is up for just about anything...especially if it involves staying in the house while wearing her jammies. ;) There are certainly days when she just wants to play at home, but by & large her eyes grow 10 sizes when we talk about an outing. Disney, church, the playground, a playdate....Carly is up for it and right away! Life just excites her and she is such a delight to take anywhere.
Imaginative.
Little Miss C doesn't miss much! She's quite the little listener and Brian and I have been questioned on a few topics we thought had gone over her head. Oops. She struggles with this concept of being "patient" and is constantly interrupting. We feel like that is pretty common for her age. ;) Nevertheless we are working through methods to shape her mind into understanding the standard. We are doing our best to shepherd her little heart. (This fabulous parenting class we are taking puts it this way: when two rules are conflicting, will your child's conscience have been taught enough to make a good decision? For example, if two children share a bedroom and the instruction has been given not get out of bed; yet one night the younger sibling begins seizing, for example, will the older child "disobey" and help? As parents, our goal is not that our children follow rules, but they know the difference from right & wrong. Easier said than done!)
I think I bring this up under the imaginative section only because there are times she gets so wrapped up in pretending, that she crosses the "what's okay" line. "But Mom..." she'll say, as she proceeds to explain that she did such-and-such only because she was pretending to...fill in the blank. Nearly all of her play is imaginative, so there are times it's difficult to convince her that this is real life.
It's wonderful though, that she can turn a playground into a pirate ship or castle, that she can be the mommy to her princesses or to her monkey, that she can decide in a moment that she will spend the next 30 minutes as a kitten, or that she's getting married to her brother. I hear more than anything else, "Mom, I'm just a-tending." ;)
Fun
Giggly, bubbly, sweet...Carly is all for having fun. Preferably by her rules and set of expectations. Running, jumping, rolling, climbing, kicking, dancing...you name the verb, she's done it. She laughs harder than anyone I know and her smile takes over her entire face. She's grateful for her life and her experiences, her friends, her toys, her dresses and she's always having the most fun when she's with her extended family. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins...you guys rock her world.
Loving.
Her little heart. May God bless her innocence, authenticity and desire to understand the emotions of herself and of others. She very much cares what you think and what you say...how you treat her. We are working on helping her take ownership in how she treats others. She likes to tell us every wrong move her little brother makes...and we have learned that we must follow those remarks with, "What did you do to make him pull your hair...?" She is SO honest. My Mama taught me at a very young age that honesty was always going to be the best way out and I hope that we've instilled that in our kids. In fact, if they tell the truth, they usually get themselves a much lesser punishment. But because of her honesty, it's opened up some wonderful conversations into her sweet, sweet heart. And I tell you what that heart is incredibly loyal, so loving and ultimately quite kind.
It's wonderful though, that she can turn a playground into a pirate ship or castle, that she can be the mommy to her princesses or to her monkey, that she can decide in a moment that she will spend the next 30 minutes as a kitten, or that she's getting married to her brother. I hear more than anything else, "Mom, I'm just a-tending." ;)
Fun
Giggly, bubbly, sweet...Carly is all for having fun. Preferably by her rules and set of expectations. Running, jumping, rolling, climbing, kicking, dancing...you name the verb, she's done it. She laughs harder than anyone I know and her smile takes over her entire face. She's grateful for her life and her experiences, her friends, her toys, her dresses and she's always having the most fun when she's with her extended family. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins...you guys rock her world.
Loving.
Her little heart. May God bless her innocence, authenticity and desire to understand the emotions of herself and of others. She very much cares what you think and what you say...how you treat her. We are working on helping her take ownership in how she treats others. She likes to tell us every wrong move her little brother makes...and we have learned that we must follow those remarks with, "What did you do to make him pull your hair...?" She is SO honest. My Mama taught me at a very young age that honesty was always going to be the best way out and I hope that we've instilled that in our kids. In fact, if they tell the truth, they usually get themselves a much lesser punishment. But because of her honesty, it's opened up some wonderful conversations into her sweet, sweet heart. And I tell you what that heart is incredibly loyal, so loving and ultimately quite kind.
Carly, I am so thrilled to see how you've grown in four years. I could say a million things about how God has blessed me with the perfect-fit for a daughter...but I think if I could say anything to you at this point I'd say....be you. choose joy. love others. trust Jesus.
