Full of engery she is

And determination and intensity she is too. On top of that, she is quite a funny girl. This summer, she enjoyed her time at the Lake, playing outside as often as possible, swinging as often as possible, and eating as many popsicles as possible. It was awesome to see her use her imagination out on the fort and playing with Katelyn so well…well, not all of the time, but after all, they are sisters. Anytime she could get into the water, she would, regardless if she was fully-clothed. Vanessa’s first horse-riding was not as comfortable for her as it was for her sister. She was so sure of herself at home that she would ride the horse. But once we got to the stables, it was a different story. But at least she sat on one, which of course we made a BIG deal about.

Her painted nails lasted, oh, about 5 minutes. On the way home, she peeled off the paint on her thumb because she felt she couldn’t suck her thumb with paint on it. And of course, that led into peeling off the paint on the other fingers too over the next few days. Funny thing is…when we paint them at home, she doesn’t peel off the paint. But she did from the nail spa. So sad, becuase it really was a cute flower design.

Vanessa’s new love of her life is her dance class. She would go daily if I would let her. She has been waiting to take ballet forever, if you ask her, but I told her she had to wait until she was three. As soon as we get home from school, she puts on her leotard and wears it for the next several hours. Needless to say, it is so not clean by the time we head off to dance, but there is no way I am changing her into a clean leotard because in our house, the laundry breeds on its own so we don’t need to help it along.

And speaking of school…she has finally opened her wings and landed as the beautiful butterfly that she is. She is comfortable within the classroom and with her teachers, loves to do art and play on the playground, and is learning how to use her words. Of course there are many days where she is hesitant about going and asks for me to stay in the classroom or clings to me outside the door, but as soon as she engages in a job, she has relaxed and is ready for the day.