Ansley is less than three months shy of turning nine. Her last single-digit year. She will be entering fourth grade in the fall.
And I can tell in many ways, some subtle and some not-so-subtle, that she is growing up.
For example, I took her on Saturday to get her hair cut. It was VERY long, and she insisted that she wanted it cut much shorter. "It gets so hot in the summer, Mom, and besides, it's MY hair!" she says. So that's how she ended up getting seven inches cut off. (I have to pick my battles carefully these days; this was not one of them.)
As we head towards nine, I've noticed a definite push towards independence, a tendency to argue about everything (I tell her she'd argue with me if I said the sky was blue), and a higher priority placed on friendships.
In other words, there is no more little girl.
{Ansley after getting seven inches cut off her hair. She loves it!}
It's interesting though, because there are definitely things about Ansley that have always been that way: she is deeply affectionate, she LOVES animals, and she is very spunky. These are things that we have noticed about her since she was a year old.
She is our snuggler, and still loves to curl up on a lap, lay down next to you, or on top of you! And she is pretty affectionate to most people, whether she knows them really well or not. (Christian is NOT this way - he has to know you very well before he is affectionate.) I don't mean like strangers, I just mean if we haven't seen you in awhile, Ansley doesn't care, she'll run right up and give you a hug.
She has a deep, passionate love of animals, and really, all living things. She is my bug catcher - if she hears me scream (because that's what I do when I see a bug) she comes running. But she never kills whatever it is, oh no! She just picks it up and puts it outside. Even spiders. Even creepy bugs. Lizards. You name it. She loves it, and saves it. I can't even count how many bugs she has kept in a box, birds, lizards, and spiders she has rescued and called her pets. She loves to go to the pet store just to look at all the animals.
And, she's just spunky. When she was younger, this meant that she had to be disciplined a lot because she was defiant and strong willed. She made us work very hard in her younger years. In the elementary years, this has meant asserting her opinion more, which is not a bad thing, but we have had to work a lot on her tone and attitude when asserting her opinion.
{Enjoying one of her favorite things: swinging.}
Ansley is EXTREMELY helpful. She has a servant's heart (like her Daddy). She is eager to help, and wants to be involved in things. She enjoys (most of the time) taking care of her sister and playing with her (including changing her diaper and rocking her to sleep), helping in the kitchen, building things with her Dad, or running errands or doing things around the house. Avery has been what I would call a difficult baby, and honestly there are days I'm not sure I would have made it through sane without Ans. She is THAT helpful.
Her nickname is Ans. We call her that a lot.
She has strong opinions, and this means about her hair, how she wants to wear it, and especially about her clothes. If she doesn't like it, forget it. She won't wear it. I always have to take her with me shopping nowadays so she can try on clothes first. She had phases where she would only wear certain things, but these days she wears it all, just when she wants to. Just bathing suit shopping, for example, was quite a challenge. It couldn't tie around the neck, that's uncomfortable. It couldn't be too ruffly on top, that's too heavy. It could be a one-piece or tankini, but not a bikini (thankfully). But if it was a tankini it couldn't ride up too much. It can't rub her shoulder wrong, or criss cross in the back.....we did finally find a few bathing suits she liked. I know, that's hard to believe with all that criteria!
{Remember what it was like to swing in your bathing suit and not care? Yeah, me either, but here's Ans swinging in one of the approved bathing suits, obviously before the haircut.}
Ansley is a GREAT eater. Fantastic. She eats well, she loves fruits and veggies, and she loves trying anything new. She loves most ethnic foods, and has favorites that are not the "typical" kid favorites. Like pot roast, for instance, that's her favorite meal.
She has a bit of silly and crazy in her. Or maybe a lot. She has energy to spare. She loves to jump on the trampoline, swing, ride her bike, run through the sprinklers, swim.....and she can go on and on. She can hang with wild and crazy boys, and she can play sweetly with girls. She loves to laugh and be goofy. Probably her absolute favorite thing to do is dance. She has always been a dancer - when there is music, she can't resist. She is SO excited to finally start dance in the fall!
{See what I mean? Just silly, totally unprompted.}
She loves playing with friends. She is always asking to have a friend over or go play with someone. We are discussing more and more the qualities of a good friend, and why we do (or don't do) certain things. She doesn't have her own phone, wear mascara, or go to bed at ten, like some neighbors that she has been playing with lately. She's not at all bothered by these things, she just likes to understand the "why". She's not happy with what I heard when I was growing up: because I said so! Our discussions these days are much deeper, rich with honest questions, good discussion, and of course snuggling!
{Trampoline time with neighbors.}
Ansley loves books. She reads well, and enjoys reading, but she always prefers for us to read a book together. She is a self-proclaimed math hater. She is fascinated by science, and Language Arts and writing seem to come easy for her. She is an eager learner, but she does have her moments and can get frustrated with things. I'd say most of her frustrations stem from math, though.
She loves playing with Christian, and they are close. She definitely loves being a mini-Mama to Avery, and I know they will remain close as she gets older. I do look forward to seeing her relationship with both of them deepen over the years. They spend a lot of time together, so they know each other well.
Ansley is fearless - she loves to try anything. She will tackle John when he gets home from work; she jumps off a dock or into a pool; she wants to ride roller coasters; she is daring.
She is our first born. She is spirited and spunky; loveable and sensitive; emotional and talkative; giggly and fun. We sure do love her!
Very well written. I sure love her too. :)
Posted by: Jonathan | June 25, 2012 at 12:03 AM