My Kyndal Joy!

My dear firstborn daughter! Kyndal is such an amazing girl. She is constantly amazing me by what she knows and how she sees the world. She has a mind of her own and she is sure to use it. She has a memory like no other 5 year old. She talks randomly about something that she remembers happening or doing even 2 years ago. Like the flowers that were at the stampede when we went 2 summers ago. Something that we have never talked about since then. She doesn't miss a thing that we say. We can't even spell things out anymore because she can figure out what we are spelling. She really thrives on learning and is very academically driven. She got a new reading journal from school and proceeded to read and write about a bunch of books because she was so excited about it.

She is so kind and caring to her sisters. She loves them and really tries to look after them. She does that in her own way! When playing with Grandad tonight, he likes to pick them up and rough them up. It was fun to see them coming to each others rescue, to fight off Grandad (all in good fun!) They are like all sisters, they love hard and fight hard. Really girly in some ways, like always wearing a dress, really always, loving to play dress-up and princess and not girly in others, like playing wrestling wolves (or whatever animal it happens to be at the time).

I love to see those moments when they are just like me. Well I love them and regret them at times too. But she is like me when a camera comes out and she puts on her pose. It is either the camera smile, the new hand-to-face pose or the silly face that won't change until a picture is taken. Depending upon what mood she is in. She is such a funny, goofy girl!

I have been really shocked with how grown up she is getting. She is having experiences at school that she is learning and growing. She is developing that mind of hers. I am amazed at times when we are butting heads over something and she tells me why she wants it a certain way, it often makes sense. And with some good negotiating and deal making we can both be happy. And that is a great process because there are not easy ways for me to change her mind, or make her do something that she doesn't want to do. She is strong minded!

She is just so amazing and I am grateful for all of the things that she teaches me about being a parent. She challenges me to be better and try different things. She is forgiving of my many mistakes and thinks my short memory is really funny, as she gets to remind me of many of the things that I forget. She is such a great child and I am grateful that she is my girl! My big girl, my Kyndal Joy!!