emmy. . .our weathergirl

I was thinking the other day about Emmy.  I decided that the best way to describe her is "mostly sunny with a slight chance of thunderstorms".  That's because our Emmy is happy most all the time.  By happy, I mean haaaapy.  I don't know if anyone does happy the way Emmy does.  She gets this light in her eyes that is so alive.  The way her eyebrows raise when she smiles, her dimple. . .there's just something electric about a happy Emmy.

The slight chance of thunderstorms?  Watch out!  When the storm hits, it hits with a vengeance.  But again, it doesn't happen all that often, so we can hunker down and weather it out.  Pretty soon, we know sunshine is on the way. 

That's my Emmy.

The latest on this girl. . .She is Claire's best teacher.  Claire is so, so happy when it's time to pick up Emmy from school.  When the two are together, I know what role they will each take on.  Emmy will be the teacher, Claire the student.  This isn't always a good set-up, as Emmy has very high expectations and Claire. . .well, she's two years old.  The other day, Emmy was adamant about teaching Claire to read.  When she started getting frustrated at the rate of progress, I suggested that perhaps Claire was a might young for reading.  Maybe it would be better to scale back a bit?  Start with the alphabet, for instance?  Emmy looked at me with that trademark look of determination, hands on her hips, and exhaled, "Well, she's gotta learn to read sometime!"

No time like the present, that's Emmy's motto for life.  (Meaning that patience is something we continue to work on.)_

This week is Emmy's last full official week of kindergarten.  Next week she is off while the teachers do kindergarten assessments- her sisters still have to go to school.  When I explained this little vacation to her, she grinned and exclaimed, "I love kindergarten!"

Yesterday during dinner we were having the "What did you learn at church today?" discussion.  Emmy told us how she learned about prayer and then told us a lengthy story about a little boy who learned that sometimes Heavenly Father answers our prayers the way we would like and sometimes He lets us solve our own problems.  For example, He answered this little boys prayer about finding a lost toy, but didn't give in when the little boy prayed that he could eat ice cream for dinner instead of "mushy broccoli casserole".    We spent a few minutes discussing prayer as a family.  Later, Emmy wanted me to let her drag a mattress into Kate's room so the two could sleep together.  I wasn't going to allow it (we don't typically do "sleepovers" on school nights as it usually turns into a late-night giggle fest).  However, after she asked me, I saw her enter her room and hunch over her bed in prayer.  I knew that she was praying that I would let her have her wish, and my mother heart wouldn't let me say no.  I loved that I was able to witness that simple show of faith.

Emmy's still in ballet and loves it.  (She often hold ballet and tap lessons for Claire, too.)  She values looking "just right" and is very picky about her clothes and hair.  She's becoming a great reader and enjoys piano lessons, but practicing?  Not so much.  Yesterday, after a week of not practicing, she got out her book and decided that she was going to master her two songs in one sitting.  Let me tell you. . .I uncharacteristically showed an enormous amount of patience in her endeavor.  Because her teacher (Aunt Nan) lets her record practicing for each time they play the song (although ideally, it is daily practice instead of a once-a-week cram session), Emmy now has a practice sheet filled with twenty circles (she makes circles instead of check marks).  All in one day. 

As with all my girls, I'm so in love with Emmy.  I already dread next year, when I won't have her home for the afternoons.  And Claire?  I'm afraid she'll be beside herself, albeit with a little more time on her hands without all of her "lessons". 

Better go. . .I'm listening to Emmy lay down the law to Claire about her afternoon schedule.  Seems we have a full schedule of schoolwork- the ABC's are on the docket today.  So much so that "we may not have time for recess today", she says.  Heaven help Claire.  I'm hoping to divert my little school marm with a field trip to the nursery and a garden planting excursion.  Sounds educational enough, doesn't it?

Emmy Summer.  When we named her, we couldn't have known how appropriate that name was for her.  She is our little ray of sunshine, filling our days with happiness and an occasional cloudburst.  She has a zest for life that is unique to her, and makes her quite irresistible (in my humble opinion, anyway).

 Mostly sunny with an every-so-often thunder burst.  That's our Emmy, and I wouldn't have her any other way.