I love ALL of my children with ALL of my heart (I'm sure that I don't REALLY have to tell you that;) and even though I love all of them equally, I am VERY well aware that when I talk about my children; Nicky and Lyndzi almost always come off sounding like angels and Kelsie like the perpetual thorn in my side. Oh, Kelsie is my very strong willed child. The one who is always pushing the envelope and pushing me to my limits. Kelsie keeps me on my toes and doesn't miss a trick; and because she is so prone to mischief and frquently makes comical remarks, my posts tend to accentuate her escapades while those about Nicky and Lyndzi are usually more about their academic, artistic, athletic and altruistic achievements. But what can you do; they are who they are.
Kelsie is just 6 years old, but if you talk to her you would think that you are talking to a much older child. Her vocabulary is vast for a child of her age and her thought process is uncommon (in both good and bad ways.) Kelsie often gets the short end of the stick because in addition to acting older; she looks a lot older. She is particularly tall for her age and her face has a more mature appearance than that of most 6 year olds; which makes it quite easy to forget that she herself is only a tender 6; and therefore, everyone seems to expect much MORE from her.
I was reminded of Kelsie's actual age just a couple of weeks ago. I was cooking dinner and Kelsie came over to me crying HYSTERICALLY. Now Kelsie, (future Oscar winner that she is,) cries A LOT; but this cry was different ~ it was a HEAVING cry that caused her to gasp for air as she tried to get out the words "I'm so sorry," and "I didn't mean to." Kelsie was trying to explain that she had flooded my bathroom. I calmly told her "That's OK, accidents happen," but she continued to cry and said "I tired to clean it up, but there's water everywhere." I quizzically asked "There's water everywhere?" And then decided that I better go upstairs and see what catastrophe she thought she had caused. Well, she was right; it was BAD. I waded through my bathroom as the water continued to cascade off of my vanity. The garbage pail was full of water and the entire bathroom was about half an inch under water. I asked her how it had happened and she told me that she had been playing in the sink, and she didn't realize that the plunger was down. She said that she went to lay down on my bed and play, and she didn't know that the water was still running. Nicky and Lyndzi helped me to find every towel in the house. We used everything from bath sheets to bath mats, beach towels to wash cloths, and between it all, AND a mop; I got it cleaned up. Now just on a side note; I have to tell you that once the water was cleaned up, Lyndzi said, "Mom, I hate to tell you this, but my Quesadilla is missing." I said "It's missing?" And asked, "Do you think that Hershey ate it?" Lyndzi replied "Well, I didn't get down and smell her breath, but yes, I think she ate it." Ahh, just the comic relief that I needed after Kelsie's latest calamity.
As a parent, there are few things that are more rewarding than when you observe a positive transformation in your child and although I don't want to jump the gun; Kelsie has done some things lately that are absolutely blogworthy and make me SO extraordinarily proud. Nicky has known how to ride a bike for a couple of years; but even though both of the girls had bikes, neither had shown any interest in learning how to ride without training wheels and truth be told, they didn't take the bikes out very often. Well, just before Spring Break, we discovered that we had some wonderful children living just a couple houses a way from us and the outdoor play abounded. All of the kids knew how to ride bikes and rode regularly, so Lyndzi decided that it was time for her to spread her wings. In no time at all, Lyndzi was riding Nicky's bike and was ready for a new bike of her own.
Then last Friday, Lyndzi told Kelsie that it was time for her to learn how to ride and within literally 5 minutes; Kelsie was riding. On Saturday we made a trip to Walmart and found a new bike for Nicky. We had planned to give Nicky's bike to Lyndzi and Lyndzi's to Kelsie and we also needed helmets for the girls. Both girls picked out new helmets but something seemed to be bothering Lyndzi. After much prodding she finally told me that she didn't want Nicky's bike. I apologized to her and clarified that Nicky needed a bigger bike and since his was in fine condition we had to pass it down to her. We continued looking at helmets and were astonished by the prices ($20-$50 each.) And then Kelsie said, "I don't need a new helmet; I can just use the one that Nicky had." I was incredibly surprised and extremely impressed.
I asked Kels if she was sure and she said yes. I encouraged her to use Nicky's helmet and said "It's red, so it doesn't necessarily look like a boy helmet and if you like, we can decorate it with some stickers;" and she was pleased. Lyndzi's attitude continued to be sour UNTIL she and Kelsie came to me and Kelsie said, "We've been thinking... Would it be OK if I took Nicky's bike and Lyndzi kept her bike?" "OK?" I couldn't believe my ears. I asked Luis if Lyndzi's bike was still big enough for her and he said yes; so I told the girls that it would be fine and they were delighted. I was SO moved by Kelsie's gesture that I gave her a great big hug and I told her that I didn't think that I had ever been more proud of her. We talked about what a kind and thoughtful proposal she had made and I told her that I was going to get her a little thank you treat. Later that night, while shopping in Michael' s with Michelle (not too much longer) K and Kelsie told her that she was going to get a treat. Michelle asked if she had done something good and Kelsie nonchalantly said "no." She then told Michelle that it was because she had asked to have Nicky's bike so that we didn't need to spend more money and buy another bike. (See, what did I tell you - unusual thought processes for a 6 year old. )
Now in all fairness I have to say that Kelsie has been unusually well behaved this week. Nothing has been destroyed (that I'm aware of.) She hasn't cut her hair or shaved her eyebrow, or aggravated me in any way. In fact, she gave me quite the laugh the other night, when I asked her if she thought that I needed a haircut and she said "no." Followed by "Your hair looks like a shrub." I laughed so hard at that and then asked "So you think my hair looks like a shrub and I DON'T need it cut?" She then said "Um yeah, get it cut," and I did; last night at 5 o'clock. After my haircut the kids and I went to Big 5 sports because I had seen swimsuits in their ad that looked similar to what the swim team was going to be usin; but for at least $10 less per suit. I explained to the kids that these suits might not be identical to the ones that the team was getting, but that it would be a great savings. When we went in, they only had a suit in Kelsie's size. She tried it on and it looked great. Kelsie asked if she could get it and so I pointed out that if she did, Lyndzi might not have the same one and it might be different from what the other girls on the team had; and then Kelsie looked up at me with her big, brown eyes, and the sweetest voice and said "I don't care if my suit isn't the same as Lyndzi's or the team, as long as I have a suit;" and I almost burst into tears. For the second time in less than a week Kelsie had REALLY amazed me. I said "OK then," and asked the sales girl to check for Lyndzi's size at another location. Thankfully another store had it and so after purchasing Kelsie's swimsuit we got back in the car to head to the other store. Kelsie asked where the other store was and I told her that it was near Freddy's Custard. Kelsie then asked if they could get custard and I said yes. Lyndzi then went on to give Kelsie a pep talk. She said "See Kelsie, when you're a good girl and helpful then Mommy can give you rewards like custard; doesn't that feel better than getting in trouble?" (Enter the BIG SMILE on my face.) I did add on to what Lyndzi was saying by letting them know that what Kelsie had done was beyond GOOD, it was considerate and caring and so VERY appreciated.
We got to big 5 and Lyndzi and Nicky both tried on suits that fit them perfectly. A big weight was lifted off my shoulders. I had purchased their swim team suits before leaving for vacatio, and saved at least $30 as well. The kids and I discussed that it was OK to have something that was slightly different than the rest of the team because it would set them apart; but I can PROUDLY say that it's not ONLY the swim suits that set my kids apart from others. I am so truly thankful to have ALL 3 children thatI HAVE; warts and all. And I am going to count my blessings that Kelsie is EXACTLY who she is!!!
