Reese Evaluation

Reese, of course, is our next little bundle of joy in need of evaluation.  And there is quite a bit of joy in that little bundle.  There is a lot of other stuff in there too, but joy expresses itself most often, thankfully.

Reese is definitely growing.  Although she is a little more petite than her sister was at this age, there is no denying that she is no longer a toddler.  In fact, most of the time, Reese thinks that she is Callie's age and can do anything her sister can.  And often, not only is she right, but she sometimes is willing to try things her sister won't.

This evaluation could best be summed up by the phrase, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Looking at her evaluation from last year, here are the things that have not changed.  She is still incredibly expressive and shows dangerous signs of future class clowndom.  She remains a nightmare at bedtime.  She loves to dance, and started her first dance class in January.  She eats a lot and constantly says that she is hungry.  And she continues to live life at full speed.  If you see her smile at you from across the room, you better get ready because she is going to run at you and jump on you.

That being said, there are some wonderful new facets to her life.  She pushes and pushes and pushes, and then when she knows you are at the breaking point she looks you square in the eye and says one of two things:  "I love you" or "I want to give you a hug."  She is dangerous and we only hope she will use her powers for good.

This has also been a big year of learning.  She can count to ten in three languages because that is one of the things we do when we brush teeth.  In fact she also knows many of the presidents since that is one of the alternate tooth brushing methods.  Reese can snap her fingers, loves the song Call Me Maybe, and can belt out Adele like nobody's business.  She has also learned numerous nursery rhymes and can "read" a book of them to you without hesitation.  Reese also loves her big sister.  Fashion continues to be something she desires full control over.  We had to do wash weekly to ensure the blue button dress could get maximum use.  John also had a hard time persuading her that tights should not be worn in 90 degree weather.

It is remarkable how strong her personality is in a very good way.  She has the ability to connect with just about anyone.  If they are at our house, and she sees that they are our friends or family, then that is all she needs to sit in someone's lap or give him/her a hug.  Loveable is a great word to describe her.  Sassy is too, but we will keep that on the down low for the next couple of years.