Kara

So an update on our Missy Monster (for some inexplicable reason we often call Kara 'Missy Monster' and Sophie 'Missy Moo Moo'!).

Kara's "I'm a kitty cat" phase has lasted 5+ months ... and counting. Other times she'll be a robot (gotta post a picture of this as it always involves a dust pan, a kitchen broom and a veggie steamer!), and occasionally a bear, a rocket ship, or a scary pumpkin (obviously seasonal) ... but mostly she is a baby or mummy kitty cat, or a 'real' mummy. I always like these 'mummy' role plays as it really exposes her gentle, caring nature.

So here is an update on Kara's portraits.

We all have eyes, mouths, noses, arms and legs ... and all pretty much where they are meant to be. In fact the first figure is quite good I think - Kara often starts out very slowly and carefully, then things get creative thereafter. And for some reason all the heads had to be a different color than the features.

Kara will usually start out with her marker or crayon (or fork/spoon) in her right hand, but will swap to her left hand within seconds and continue to draw (or eat) with her left. So it appears she may primarily left handed (or she is still undecided). Unfortunately this means she often smudges her writing and paintings with her wrist as she works from left to right, which means I'm forever soaking the left arm of her clothes!

We enrolled Kara into gymnastics just before her 3rd birthday. It's as expensive as all heck, but the shear pleasure she gets out of each week certainly makes up for the price. Every day she wants to go to there and she pretends to be Teacher Colleen or Teacher Danielle with her bears and animals all week. Kara gravitates towards the uneven bars each week and it's a pity she doesn't get to spend the full hour just on these! Then again, by the time the hour is over they have covered balancing, landing correctly, strength exercises, group activities, individual activities, as well as listening and being patient, etc.

I think the local YMCA has a much less expensive gymnastics program for kids ages 4+ ... so we might try for this next year. Having said this, it's the only "class" she goes to and if she continues to enjoy it so much, we don't mind wearing the cost.

Kara is becoming incredibly social, which can be a good and bad thing. The good part is that she is really interacting so well with our friends (and if Kara really likes someone, then Sophie instantly likes them too ... which often means our friend's have to deal with 2 very active, giggly girls relentlessly wanting their attention!).

And as you can see from the photo, it doesn't take Kara long at all to "fit in" with the crowd. Here Kara is watching ice-hockey on the internet with Jason .... even looks like she has a beer belly too! (One can only assume she is just holding daddy's beer for him .... right daddy?). Jason is staying with us for a while and is certainly getting used to waking very early in the mornings, but as you can see everyone gets along quite well.

The bad-ish part of Kara being the opposite of a wall-flower is that she'll often start talking to complete strangers. We have always been with her at the time, and it's usually at playgrounds and the adult has been with a child ... but once or twice I've been in the supermarket and Kara has begun randomly talking to someone else. Recently I was in the supermarket when Kara started talking to a woman who walked by, telling her that her mummy was looking for special diapers for her sister Sophie because Sophie does extra pee-pees at night (I actually was looking for those extra absorbent liners because, indeed, Sophie does soak through at night ... but I couldn't find the liners meant for babies and I was instead in front of the 'depends' section). And I know the lady meant well by keeping up her end of the conversation, but it only encouraged Kara to keep talking. You realize how quickly your kids grow up when you have to start having all these serious "life" conversations with them!

Overall, Kara is doing great and loves life. We spend quite a bit of time at the aquarium, zoo and children's museum (unfortunately not free like in DC), walking around the streets and local playgrounds, watching daddy and Jason renovate the house inch-by-inch, playing in the street with the neighbor's kids, visiting A. Chris and M a bunch, and doing the occasional boat trip on the lake. And chasing Sophie around the house of course. My gosh - Kara does not stop even for a single second. All-in-all Kara keeps me mentally very young ... and physically very old!