Kate Update

The other day she surprised me by pulling over a chair to the couch, laying down with a blanket, proclaiming herself tired, and falling asleep.

I realized it has been a long time since I've given a good Kate update! So here goes.

Kate has officially broken out of her painfully shy spell. She loves to say hi and good-bye now to anyone and everyone. After she says it, she'll tell me, "Say bye, Mommy!" Meaning, she's proud of herself for saying bye to people. She loves to play with other girls and boys and talks about how much fun she had with them long after they're gone. Nursery is her favorite place, and we were happy to hear from the nursery leader that Kate is the most well-behaved kid in the class! And she is the only one who volunteers answers during lessons. I'm so proud!

Kate also LOVES the sacrament. Her hands are always reaching into the bread tray before I can get one out for her. Today, when she saw the water tray coming, she said, "Ooh water!" then leaned over the back of our pew and took a cup of water out of someone else's tray!! She proceeded to slurp it down noisily, saying, "Yummy water!"

She is so kind and thoughtful, it makes me tear up sometimes. She frequently will hook her arms around mine, look up at me adoringly, and say, "I love you, too, Mommy" even though I haven't said anything. She proudly goes potty before bath time and always gets a fruit snack as a reward. I only give her two or three for going potty, and she will often give Daddy one and give me the other. Fruit snacks are one of her favorite things in this world, so I know it is a real sacrifice.

She continues to love going outside, going on hikes, and camping. She's not one to roll around in the mud, though. She likes to stay clean and will refrain from going down the slide if she deems it "too messy."

She loves all things princess! She knows all of the Disney princesses, even though she hasn't even seen all of their movies.

When I ask her to do something, or tell her it's time to go home, her favorite response is to say quietly, "No no, Mommy." Then she puts her little index finger to her lips crookedly, and says, "Shh." It is so cute, I usually don't have the heart to drag her away from what she's doing.

In the mornings, her typical greeting to me is, "I don't feel so good." When I ask what's wrong, she says with a sigh, "I tired." I can relate. She has stopped taking regular naps, but at night she will tell me she is sleepy and needs to get some rest.

She LOVES to clean up and generally does so without me mentioning it. She has become very independent and likes to get her silverware out and put her own butter and jelly on bread, push the grocery cart at the store, etc.

She now sleeps in her very own toddler bed. When we put it together and rearranged her room, she was SO excited! She kept running around, throwing her arms in the air, and exclaiming, "It's PERFECT!"

It seems she is somehow managing to get cuter and cuter with time, and she is a joy to be around. If ever I stub my toe or otherwise yell out in pain, she is always there to see what's wrong and how she can help. She even offered to carry me the other day. It didn't work out so well...

More and more I look forward to seeing the person she becomes.