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| So happy to be six! |
Writing about my children is always surprisingly difficult. How do I sum up someone who, though they’re so young, are so complex, interesting, and unique? I don’t know how without falling short but here’s a glimpse of who Kate is. First off, she has an incredible, healthy sense of humor. She is quick to laugh and says some of the funniest stuff, especially when it comes out without a shred of guile. She speaks her mind and a lot of what she’s got going on in there is hilarious.
She is 100% a girlie girl. She loves everything from makeup to dresses to shoes to makeup. If she doesn’t feel fancy enough, she remedies it with homemade bling, like paper tiaras to taped-on earrings. However, her love of all things feminine does not mean she won’t run around until she’s sweating, dig in whatever loose patch of soil she finds and lives with perpetual dirt under the nails, or wrestle and play, scraping her knees and elbows. She’s just very ladylike farm girl.
She loves to serve and pamper others, the same as she enjoys. She’ll offer foot rubs, fixing hair, and applying makeup to whoever will sit still long enough.
Kate is extremely competitive and the older she gets, the less I have to even the playing field. Now she’s got a steady enough hand and smarts to win a lot of things on her own.
Though she’s still little, she’s a thrill seeker. She gets a wide-eyed, terrified look when she goes on theme park rides and insists she would love going on full-fledged roller coasters. Um, we’re going to wait a little longer…once you’re on that ride, there’s no getting off!
Life might as well be a beach for Kate. She loves the water, the sun, the sand, and the carefree life of it all.
If you ever need a friend, Kate is your gal.
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| Kate and her twin cousin, Elsa. |
Curiosity is strong in Kate, especially if it involves bubbles.
Life with her is like living in a funny nature documentary. Have you ever seen a jaguar drag its prey up a tree? It’s like watching Kate scramble up our walls and onto one of the support beams, where she sits and observes, eats snacks, plays with toys, colors…
…or reads her favorite book.
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| Definitely uses her upper body strength to get up there every day. |
Motherhood comes naturally to her.
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| Snuggling cousin Felicity. |
Not only that, she makes everything FUN, whether she’s teaching Henry to ride a bike, taking Zoey for a spin, or playing peek-a-boo with a baby cousin. She is already a way better mom than me.
To say Kate loves the water is an understatement.
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| She has the cutest little dimples! |
So much so that she and her siblings were in the pond as often as possible this summer. I have to give Kate credit for patiently encouraging Raven to enjoy the water. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a good thing to have a wet dog every time the kids go out to swim but they sure found having her paddle by entertaining.
Kate loves all animals, including chickens.
She would totally kiss a toad.
She adores the cats.
(Not quite as much as Claire, though).
She’s given up her initial discomfort around bugs (June bugs in particular) and has followed in her siblings’ footsteps to embrace insects and all their creepy, crawly awesomeness.
Of all of the animal kingdom, dogs and horses are her favorites.
Fancy is her middle name.
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| She loves pink! |
And her sweet tooth is alive and well!
The day of her birthday, she was in heaven, reveling in the attention and special exceptions. Henry, Zoey and I ate lunch with here, where she smiled like a benevolent queen to her subjects as they sang Happy Birthday to her.
For her birthday dinner, she requested a picnic of fruit, veggies, bread, and cheeses. The weather cooperated wonderfully and she got her wish!
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| A picnic by the pond. |
Then, we scarfed down Dirt Cake (her all-time favorite) and opened presents like there was no tomorrow.
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| You can never have too much bling, cake, or pink when you’re six! |
Though we thought Kate’s arrival may not have been ideal, it turns out that everything about her is just perfect. She is a representation of how long our family has been in Indiana, and is one of our last ties to Iowa. She is a ray of sunshine with adorable dimples that show every time she smiles. Kate is quick to forgive, willing to befriend anyone, a born-and-bred farm girl mixed with high-class, and one of the biggest helpers we’ve ever seen. We sure love her and are loving watching her grow!
Happy birthday to our adorable, giggly, beautiful,
talented, smart-as-a-whip Katherine!
