E at 6 years old

E is six...hardly seems imaginable.

Let's see...what can I document for E at 6...

E wanted to earn some money so that she'd have more money to spend after her birthday.  So, she designed posters (or 8x11 white pieces of paper with some stickers) to sell.  First, she wanted to charge $1, but I asked her if that was a fair price and she decided it wasn't.  So, she lowered the price to a penny.  Upon reflecting on that price, she decided that wasn't high enough because she'd only make 6 cents.  So, she decided ten cents was a fair price.  Then, she set to selling them.  Her dad and brother bought one.  She tried selling them in the yard but no one passed by.  After her initial success and then stalemate, she made a few more 'boy' posters with hand-drawn Yoda, Thomas, and Darth Vadar combinations.  Then, she decided to sell them at her birthday party and told everyone to bring a dime to buy a poster, but she forgot and so only G'ma Daron got to purchase them.

E decided that she wanted to do a show for her birthday party for her guests.  She had it all planned out.  She was going to be Kira from the Barbie Princess & the Popstar Movie.  X was going to star as Tory (the princess) or Riff (the obnoxious, hyperactive dog).  She decided she need a practice run with G'ma and Aunt Stacey on Saturday...well, she decided preforming was a little nerve-wracking and that they were a big enough audience so the birthday party participants didn't get a show.  But, that doesn't keep her from singing the theme song repeatedly when it is just us at home..

E loves to read.  We've read almost all of the classic American Girl books this winter/spring.  We've read Samantha, Addy, Felicity, Kirsten and now we are working on Molly.  She started a Junie B. Jones book (reading independently) but decided she didn't like Junie B's attitude and put it away.  I was impressed by that decision.  We started Anne of Green Gables this winter.  We are about half way through it...she'll say things about 'scope for the imagination' sometimes and it just cracks me up.   She is constantly reading signs and containers.  It is very strange to have a reader in the house now.  It is difficult to put many things past her since she's mastered that skill.  She also reads with so much inflection and dramatic pause.  She's amazing.  I love to listen to her.  Sometimes, she over-dramatizes things and it is a bit over the top, but regardless, it is impressive for age 6.

She amazes me with her addition skills.  We did a bit of it but not much this spring...nothing over a sum of ten.  She'll just out of the blue add some things in her head and says...'Well, that is 14'...and she's correct.  She surprises me all the time.  It is fun to watch her blossom.

E's handwriting and drawing skills have exploded this year.  That has been a fun development.  Her writing is so much better. She loves to writes notes during church.  Her spelling is even pretty good for someone that hasn't had any formal spelling lessons.  I love reading her notes that she leaves me in the pews.  They always make me smile.  Her drawings have changed from stick figures to body shapes and details in her art.  It is amazing to see her progress through the year.  I love being her teacher and seeing all the changes!

For pretend play, E is sometimes the princess or the popstar, but generally she's Princess Leia or Queen Amadala.  Star Wars reigns supreme at our house.  She loves playing the XWing game or Star Wars Wii.  Jut has introduced the olders into some very basic role-playing type scenarios.    E LOVES it when Jut puts them to bed because he doesn't read to them...he tells stories.  He makes the stories up based on characters that they'd like to see in the stories.  This winter the stories involved Princess Rose and Prince Birch...now they typically are Star Wars themed.

My little girl is gone.  I have a 'big' girl now.  She gets in 'big' girl trouble by having improper attitudes and being mean to her brothers.  Time outs are no longer an effective form of punishment.  I no longer have to brush her teeth for 2 minutes every night...I just have to 'double check' them.  She picks out her own clothes...puts on her own shoes...and is generally self-sufficient (at least compared to the boys).  She is my ever-present helper.  She's always willing to run for diaper wipes or chase down shoes for the boys.  She's my eyes when I'm busy doing something else.  I know she's shout bloody-murder if they are doing something improper.  She's very responsible and a great little mother hen.  If I tell her to keep an eye on C while I run in the house for something, she's his shadow until I get back outside.  I have to be careful to remind myself that she's only six and I don't really want to encourage that bossy, mother hen attitude, but sometimes her help is invaluable!