There was a little girl

There was a little girl,
who had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
she was very good indeed,
but when she was bad she was horrid.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(I actually remember this a little different, but I found this on line. I always thought this was a Mother Goose nursery rhyme.)




Okay, so I don't actually think Chloe is ever horrid, but she is definitely a little girl of extremes. She can be the sweetest little girl ever, and then in the next moment, she's hitting her brothers or boldly defying me. I know this is typical of her age, but I'm constantly amazed by her. Kids grow and change so quickly that I feel the need to write this stuff down so I can look back on later. Some days I just look at her in awe. I still remember thinking two kids was it for us. I just can't imagine not having her.

• I love to hear her songs she makes up. She sings and talks constantly, until we get in public. She has two volumes, loud and not talking.
  
• She has a great and wild imagination.
  
• I never imagined how much she would love her boys. (This shouldn't have surprised me. Being a third child myself, I should have seen it coming.) This morning Avery had an orthodontist appt., so he was going to school late. She told me that she didn't want to take Avery to school because she would miss him!
  
• She's in this stage now where she doesn't want kisses. She'll wipe them off if you're able to sneak one. If you tell her that you love her, she'll say no you don't. We used to agree with her, and then she would say yes you do, but that doesn't work anymore. You can't get much past her.
  
• She has an unbelievable memory, and is too smart for her own good.

I feel like we're getting ready to enter a new phase with her. She is very good now about resting after lunch. She sits in her bed and looks at books for a little bit. Sometimes she's quiet, and sometimes she sings the whole time. About half the time she falls asleep. It's nice right now. I feel like we've got a good routine going, which is nice after the past month and a half of construction. As nice as this feels, it almost seems like the calm before the storm. I know from experience that just as you get used to and figure out one phase, another begins.