Although I’m pretty good at capturing events in our girls’ lives and even writing yearly birthday letters, I’ve realized this week that I’m terrible about documenting the small things. Mannerisms and quirks, preferences and aversions, personality traits and friendships. I’m hoping to share more frequently about them as people, both as a way to document their growth and to share a better glimpse of who they are.
Ella is ten and a half, going on thirty-five. She is analytical and organized and very concerned about sticking with the schedule. She asks a million questions about the itinerary, the weather, and our contingency plans.
She is not a morning person. This is not a secret, she would agree with me unequivocally. She needs at least thirty minutes to feel like a whole human and she’s not interested in talking, eating, or getting dressed until she’s had a moment. Most days, I wake her up thirty minutes earlier than necessary, to give her time to lounge around. In the time it takes her to get out of bed, Sophie can be dressed, completely done with her hygiene routine, pack her lunch for school, and be eating breakfast. I try not to consider this a character flaw, because she gets it from her mama.
Remember when I told you she was 10 going on 35? She is such an old soul. She’s the oldest in her class and wise beyond her years. She is growing up way too fast, but it’s not because she’s rushing, it’s just that she seems to be maturing more quickly than we would prefer. We had a big conversation last week about attending children’s church and I think we’ve decided she’s ready for something with more meat. She was beaming when we told her she could join us for “big church” for a few weeks and we would see how it goes. It is so important to us for her to have a strong biblical background and we feel like she’s grown leaps and bounds since our church move eighteen months ago.
I’m going to say this in the most humble way I know how, but the honest truth is — she’s brilliant. Much like her daddy, she remembers almost everything she reads. She is studious to a fault and has never missed an assignment or a deadline, to my knowledge. She double-checks every signature and form that I send back to school (this is a pet peeve of mine, so we’ll have to agree to disagree on the necessity of this morning routine). I regularly text her teachers at all hours (thank goodness for a great friend and a sister-in-law who put up with our shenanigans), to put her at ease about deadlines. She is in her second year of the gifted program and thriving. I never realized how many of her personality quirks could be attributed to her high-functioning mind until attending her annual GEP (gifted education plan) meetings. She thrives on being challenged and always wants to be the smartest person in the room. For that reason, she is extremely hard on herself and we have to make a point to encourage her.
She is one of the hardest working people I know. Competitive dance means her schedule is harrowing. I complain about it all the time and I’m only doing the picking up and dropping off. She crams a week’s worth of homework into a single afternoon so that she can spend every other moment at the studio. She misses meals, family events, and sleep on a regular basis. She attends a weekly strength and conditioning class, but still runs, bikes, and practices turns regularly at home. It’s exhausting, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Food is serious business to her. There aren’t many things that drive me nuts about this kiddo, but the constant conversations about when and what we’re eating next, get pretty old. I’ve established a policy where I refuse to discuss food with her beyond telling her what we’re having for dinner. This drives her crazy, but it saves us both a lot of tears. “What are we having for dinner?” had become the first thing she asked when I walked in the door every afternoon and I had to make it stop. She’s a pretty adventurous eater compared to Soph and will usually try anything once. Even when she thinks something looks gross, she carefully considers whether or not she likes it and you can always trust her response. Her favorite breakfast foods are pigs in a blanket and sausage balls (usually only served for holidays or special occasions). She alternates between eating in the cafeteria and carrying a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Her favorite fast food is Zaxby’s, but she also loves Panera Bread’s macaroni and cheese. She loves cheeseburgers, poppyseed chicken casserole, pico de gallo, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. She hasn’t had milk since we weaned her and with the exception of an occasional glass of half sweet/half unsweet tea, she prefers water at all times. Ask her to try a soft drink and she will legit freak out on you — anything fizzy (even sparkling water) is a no go — carbonation is way too “spicy” for her.
Ella is naturally athletic and good at everything she tries <insert eye roll here>. She is a wildly talented dancer, but we learned recently that she’s pretty solid at softball and her daddy ordered her a set of golf clubs just yesterday (shhhh). I wish there were enough days in the week for her to try everything that interests her, but when asked, she’ll tell you that dance trumps everything.
She has big dreams. She talks with us often about all the things she wants to be when she grows up. She asks us questions about colleges she’s heard of and always wants to know where they are in relation to our favorite cities. At various points in the last year, she’s declared allegiance to Juilliard, Harvard, NYU, and UCLA. What about an SEC school, Bells?
This girl is the best kind of friend. She is completely drama free and I can’t remember a single time when I’ve had to correct how she handles a friendship or a conflict among classmates. She is so encouraging to those around her and genuinely wants to be friends with everyone. She does not handle bullying or gossip well and is always on the side of the underdog. She’ll never understand why girls only want to be friends with one person and would be hard-pressed to tell you who her “best friend” is. The fact of the matter is, she loves them all.
Kind is cool and so is she.
