Amazing Ellie

I have 4 children.  Ella Katherine is #2.  She is 5 years old and in Kindergarten.  She loves girly things, nailpolish, makeup, jewelry, playing with small dolls and My Little Ponies, candy, dresses, riding her bike and whatever her older brother is interested in at the moment.  She's going to be a pink Power Ranger for Halloween.  She loves to read these "books" that she's made to you.  They're really only scribbles in a small notebook, but she "reads" them with a fantastic inflection, just like she's actually reading a story.  She's good at school, follows rules, doesn't struggle academically, makes friends easily. And she's deep.  Before school started I had to talk her out of a meltdown because she was afraid to die.  She's always asking if kids can get cancer, what happens when you're legs hurt, what happens if your stomach gets too full of water...will you die?  What 5 year old dwells on their mortality?  Yesterday, she was supposed to be in bed, but she was out in the kitchen as I cleaned up.  "Who were the first people, Mom?"  She's supposed to be in bed so I just told her I didn't know.  "Where did they come from if there wasn't anyone for them to be born from?"  Again, I don't know, go back to bed.  Where did THAT come from?!
I'm reading a book, Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin.  It's the sequel to The Happiness Project, the book that inspired me to start this blog.  In this book, she focus on what she can do at home to be happier.  In the chapter I'm reading right now, she's talking about her family.  This made me realize that I don't focus on my family enough.  My "To-Do" list rules my life.  I feel like THAT is my goal for the day.  Everyday I vacuum, do LOADS of laundry, clean one room, blog, pack lunches. do homework, run kids to activities, and whatever else I have on the list for that day.  When the day's over, I'm tired and I look back and realize, I never read to Ellie.  I didn't really have a conversation with Caden.  The days are long but the years are short.  Gretchen Rubin quotes that frequently in her books.  It's so true.  And I feel like Ellie's getting lost among my to-do list tasks.  What's more important, talking to Ellie about where people come from, or making sure there's less dog hair on the floor?  She's so good and just goes with the flow, I feel like she's getting lost in the commotion.  SO, I'm going to focus more on Ellie.  When she wants to play with me, even though it's painful to sit there as she barks out directions for out play, and lists rules that include, "There's no laughing or leaving the room unless I say so."  It's important.  She's important.  So, just like Gretchen Rubin, in her books, I'm going to start by focusing more one Ellie.  She's still at a mid-point where she's not quite as independent as Caden, but not as dependent as Olivia or Vince.   Tonight we're going to paint, and make pudding, while she stirs.  She's an amazing kid and it's my job as her mom to make sure she knows that too.  It's important for her to get sleep, but it's also important to answer those deep questions, and calm her fears of pediatric cancer. 

At her dance recital.

Face painting at Sesame Place

4th of July sparkler