my kate

I'd like to introduce you to my Kate.

Kate is super kind and super likeable.  She is always friendly and finds it easy to talk to people.  Just yesterday we had someone here working in the yard.  I  had to leave for a minute and reminded her to practice the piano and finish her homework and to stay inside.  She didn't want to stay inside, of course- she wanted to visit with the guy working in the yard.  So I had to laugh when I asked her about her homework/piano status last night.  She brightly told me she had finished both and then had plenty of time to chat with our friend.  She didn't break the rule (Kate doesn't like breaking the rules).  She just opened the windows and stuck her head outside so she could visit while he worked.  Just followed him around the yard via the closest window.  

I love that story- it's so Kate.

Kate loves gymnastics- with a passion!  What I think is great about this is that gymnastics doesn't come easily for her.  I like that she doesn't love it simply because she's good at it.  She has to work her buns off, and she still loves it.  This year she has really learned to stretch herself and has had to work extra hard to see progress.  Just this morning she was telling me how she has "made her vault better".  She proudly told me that Miss Carrie (her coach) thinks a light bulb has finally gone off for her.  She has recently mastered a few skills that she's been working on all year- ones that seemed to come a little quicker for the other girls.  We both know that the "light bulb" hasn't come easy.  She has worked super hard the past few months and I am so happy for her. 

Kate loves to read.  I think even more than I do, which is hard for me to believe.  It isn't uncommon to see her walking from point A to point B with a book in her hands, trying to finish a paragraph.  Sometimes we have to put a kibosh on her reading because she loves it so much.  (If she's into a good book, she's in a different world!)  I love that she is so thirsty to learn.



This girl of mine has a heart of gold.  She is always giving me the biggest hugs.  I often get a great big one out of nowhere, along with a "Thanks for everything you do, Mom."  She is quick to compliment, and quick to forgive.  She hates to see me sad, or anyone else.  She has a kind, loving, and sensitive heart.





She happens to be super-duper honest.  I can always count on hearing the truth from Kate (whether I want it or not).  She is straight-forward in the way she thinks and goes about life.  (And Kate is always thinking!)  I like that I always can depend on her to let me know the real story.  I always know where I stand with her. 

Kate reminds me of her Dad in some ways.  She is very particular about things and likes to think through everything before she makes a decision.  Last week she asked me, "Mom, am I rational?  Ryenne says I am rational."  She gets that from her dad.  She can be quite private, and when something is bothering her, I have a hard time getting to the bottom of it.  (I, on the other hand, am an open book.)  She is willing to work hard to do things, and if something is hard for her it almost always makes her more determined to figure it out.  Again, just like her dad.  

I love this girl.  I love the way she and Claire call each other "Mama Bear" and "Baby Bear".  I love how she can get along with most anyone and comes up with the most amazing insights on things I haven't thought twice about.  I admire the way she thinks before she comes to a conclusion, a trait I haven't ever been able to master.   I think she is beautiful, inside and out.  I just plain love this girl.

So glad she's my Kate.