And Now, Kendra's Turn

You didn't honestly think I'd do posts highlighting two of my kids and completely ignore the other two, did you?  Of course not!  So today it's Kendra's turn.  (Hint: Bentley will be the next blog post!)

Excited for presents on her birthday

Kendra is my easy child.  And I don't say that lightly.  Kendra is fairly calm, fairly rational, and always sweet.  She loves to help out, loves to cuddle, loves to do whatever she can.  I call her my little mother, because she loves to help out with her little brothers, probably because she gets a chance to boss them around.  But she's pretty good at it, so I usually just appreciate the help.  This is not to say she's perfect-- sometimes she's a little overly cuddly and sometimes in her efforts to be Mother #2 to Ryder she'll take things too far and I'll have to get after her.  But overall she's a very good girl.  I think sometimes because she's so good, I take her for granted and expect a level of maturity that just isn't possible for a 5-year-old.  For that reason alone, it's been fun watching her come home from preschool proudly sporting a cowboy hat made from construction paper or some other silly thing-- it helps me remember that she really is just a very little girl, still.

Keeping Colton happy for me

Sharing her brand new sleeping bag with Ryder

And sharing her birthday sundae with Ryder, too

 Unlike some of my children, who will yell and scream if I ask them to do something they don't want to do (hint: Bentley will be the next blog post!), Kendra never fights with me.  She does, occasionally, completely ignore me if she doesn't want to do what I'm asking.  And she might resort to whining (although not as often as other kids her age, I discovered when I was running preschool).  But it won't devolve into the all-out yelling match that I sometimes find myself in with my other kids.  And that sure is nice!  As I've realized her tricks, though, I've been trying to be better about not letting her get away with ignoring me.  She's a sharp kid, and tests me in very subtle ways.  For example, I realized today that one of her tricks was to NOT brush her hair, but just ask me if it looked okay.  Then, if I was being nice and said that it did, she would just skip that step on her chore chart.  But I'm on to her now, and will just answer her question with the question, "Did you actually brush your hair yet?"  And she's too honest to lie about it, thank goodness!

Showing off her awesome sunglasses

Preschool this year has been the highlight of each week, and she checks with me every day to find out if it's a preschool day or not (the dates tend to get changed often, due to one thing or another, so it's a legitimate question).  She brings home the various crafts they make and shows them off to me and Daddy and anyone else who will pay attention.  Most of them are stashed in a drawer, because I hate to throw them away when she loves them so much.  And, like most little girls, she likes to draw pictures for everyone.

At the end-of-the-year preschool party (which, unfortunately, Kendra was sick for)

 Kendra will be starting kindergarten next fall, and while I'm going to miss my little girl (especially all her help around the house and with her little brothers!), I'm super excited for her because I know that she is going to LOVE being in school.  And I know that she's going to do really well, too.  She's been pretty bored here-- especially in the afternoons when everyone seems to need a nap but her-- so I know she is just going to soak in everything her teacher has to tell her.

Isn't she pretty?

I sure love my sweet little daughter!