I have often said that God knew what He was doing when he gave me girls. Boys scare me a bit. I’m not sure how I would have parented one, or more than one. I know that I would have learned on the job of course, but I still believe that with my anxiety that girls fit me better.  I am amazed when I watch my nephews or my friends’ boys play.  They play so different than girls.  More movement, less talking, less drama and a lot more rough play!  My one regret with not having a boy is not being able to have some really cool birthday parties. I would have loved to have had a Pirate Birthday party with a treasure map activity.

My youngest Elle has allowed me to glimpse into the land of boys.  She is my Star Wars fan.  Thanks to her I can go into the boys section in search of Darth Vader shirts and R2D2 pajamas.  I also find twigs, dirt, rocks and bugs in her pants pockets when I do the laundry. She will wear the same undies for endless days as well as socks if I don’t watch her.  All of these things are things that I have heard are “boyish”.

Elle is also a pack-rat-slob. I feel bad about this attribute as she got it from me and I got it from my dad. It’s a family gene.  The other day I was gutting her room getting rid of the millions of items she has tucked away and I found this:

6 Pieces of gum...right beside the Disney fairy!

Chewed bubble gum. Saved for later.  Yucky, but funny. Very funny. Just don’t tell her I told her so.

Elle, however, is the baby.  Her growth and maturity always catches me by surprise.  I’m not ready for her to grow up. I know she will, but I treasure her youth and try to hang on to it.

The other day we were sitting outside on our porch, just Elle and I. I was reading her a Magic Treehouse book.  She is really serious when she asked,”Mom, can I ask you something?”  She then goes on to ask about a conversation she overheard between Hubby and I a couple of days earlier.  She is confused and asking me to clarify.  She was so grown up, so articulate.  My heart was full of pride and sadness.

Then on Easter morning we were watching the news. They were showing a reporter trying to find an Easter Service in China.  The Chinese had guards at a popular church site and were turning people away.  The reporter told a police officer “Happy Easter” to see what the response would be.  Meg happened to walk in and say Happy Easter about that time. I murmured not in China and Elle says yeah, they are having a crack down. Hubby and I looked at each-other with surprise.  She is watching and understanding the news?

The age of understanding isn’t always convenient for parents, we have to watch our conversions a little more closely now around her.  It seems Hubby and I can only talk like big people after 9pm now!

I took this over Easter weekend. I think it is the best shot I have ever personally taken of my littlest girl.

Does she have to grow up?

Photo Credit Mandy W. 2011

Princess Leia and my Elle.  Dreams do come true!

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For More Wordless Wednesday check this out!

Photo Credit Mandy W.  2010

Still she has her sense of style as noted in this picture.  Notice how the camo pants set off the purple and pink just so, with her summer dress blowing in the wind.  At least she is wearing shoes now, even if they are rain boots!

Check out more You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry.  Next weeks theme is Water.   I should get some good shots at King’s  Island this weekend.

Photo Credit:  Mandy W.  2010

In the spirit of the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) I bought a Tinker Belle Halloween Candy bag to put the Littlest Pet Shops in so that she could reuse the bag.   Elle made three cards in the spirit of using as much paper as possible!

As we got into the car on party day, she asks me, “When are you picking me up mom?”.  I told her that I was staying for the party, that she just wasn’t old enough yet to go by herself.  This made her grumble a bit and I think she may have rolled her eyes, but I cannot confirm that (denial:).  On the way out of the driveway her three older sisters were yelling at Elle to “Have Fun”  and “Bring us back candy” as they were very happy for her.  Elle screams back at them to let the dog and the cat in and out while she’s gone!  Letting the pets in and out is Elle’s chore and she takes it very serious obviously.

She is growing up way to fast.  Here is a picture of her right before we left for the party.  Note that she is looking a bit goth/grunge/tinkerbellish in her new over-sized dress, white capris and Enu’s old boots that are three sizes to big!  I have a feeling this is not a phase she is going to grow out of, and she will always be my “creative dresser”!

Photo by Mandy W.  2009

I had assumed that she meant her fake food she often shares with us.  She will walk around with a pad of paper and a pen and make us write down what we want to eat and then give  us a plate full of what ever she finds in her plastic kitchen.

After the  phone brought me out of my not-so-slumber slumber I ran into Elle in the  Kitchen.  She had a cookie sheet with  a napkin on it, a small pile of ketchup, two burnt french fries (left over from lunch), a buttered bagel, pepperoni, applesause, four teddy grahms and a banana (she had a big sissy help her peel it).  This was the sweetest gift from her.  She had worked hard and was so proud of herself!

Elle tries so hard to be big like her sisters and I want her to stay little.  I cannot stop the clock and deep down I don’t want to. Elle shows such a compassion towards people, animals and insects.  Watching her grow and become who she is meant to become will be an amazing thing to experience.  I will miss my little baby though, when she is all grown up and starts rolling her eyes at me!