big girl games

Kenly has turned into a girl over night. It seems she skipped right over the toddler phase. I promise. One day I had a snugly baby, and then wham, she morphed into a little girl. I am amazed at how big she is these days--a person fighting to exert her own will and opinions. An individual wanting independence and freedom. When I think about this change, I experience overwhelming emotions. The first emotion is relief. She doesn't need me for everything anymore. I feel pride with every new accomplishment. The second emotion is sadness and mild panic. She's growing too fast, and she doesn't need me anymore. So, these days we are playing big girl games...

Our sweet neighbors, the Reeds, gifted us this sandbox. Their grandchildren no longer used it, and we became the beneficiaries of their kindness. Kenly is over the moon for the sandbox. A day rarely goes by without a trip to dig in the sand.

Nana and Papa gave Kenly some preloaded paintbrushes for Easter. Kenly loves them. They are messy, but oh so easy to clean up. Kenly was enjoying the art on her hands as well as on the paper.
Nana picked out these leopard print pants for Kenly. Apparently they make her sassy and spunky. When she wears them, I always get a workout. We restarted Toddler Fun last week. She wore this outfit to class along with some pigtails. She looked like a punk chick from the 1980s. Anyways, during class a little boy named Riley kept playing with her pigtails and her pants. She was enamored with Kenly--the boy has good taste. At the end of class, he came up and hugged her and said "friend." Kenly leaned over and kissed him smack on the mouth. Adam says Kenly can't wear the pants anymore because they drive young boys wild and make Kenly a bit two "forward."
Kenly loves Chance...sometimes a little too much.
Here is Miss Independent tackling the stairs without Mommy's help.
She finally has enough hair for an up-do. She likes her pony tails now. I'm getting better at making them look more presentable. Putting her hair up makes her look like a three year old to me.
Slow down, Kenly Shae. Mommy doesn't want you to grow up too fast.