Maggie is growing up growing up growing up. She's getting more independent and skillful (she likes to use the bathroom all by herself without any help or peering eyes now); able to follow complicated instructions (like "find me a bib for Tessa in the clean clothes in my room which are in the hamper next to the bed"); and taking initiatives (bringing her dishes into the kitchen without being asked). Her teacher at school is constantly bragging about her smarts (for instance, she can recognize the written names of all her classmates). She is a stronger hiker and biker than her peers or kiddos even older than she is. Soccer didn't turn out to be a super good fit for her (at their last game Maggie did get a dribble in, but it was toward the wrong goal). Generally she just flitted around the field looking off to who-knows-where, if she was on her feet at all, and turned her head to me in interest when she would hear me screaming to chase the ball. Maybe it's an age thing. And, boy, can she ever remind us that she's three years old and perhaps our expectations shouldn't be quite too high. Especially the day after a school day. Hoo, doggy. But in general, she is an outstanding kid and we love being around her every day.
Here is a sampling of her recent activities:
Yoga at the library. She did great for about half an hour and then decided she needed some less structured movement.
Maggie dressed herself for dinner. Crown, ladybug wings, dress, bracelet, sparkly skirt, tutu, and magic wand make a beautiful ensemble.
She hiked the Hogsback up the street from our house without being carried. It's a steep sucker of a hill, with 825 feet of vertical gain in one mile. She did great!
And afterward looked like this.
And it's about time for Mags to graduate from her pedalless Strider bike to a pedal bike. We got this one for free from a friend, but it's a bit too big. The one we found in a bike store was $250. So we'll either save our pennies, wait until she's tall enough for this guy, or find something at a garage sale in the meantime. She's very proud of this, though, and tells anyone on a bike, "I have a pedal bike in the garage! It's too big for me though. But I'm going to ride with pedals just like you! I'm Maggie and I'm three and a half. My birthday is in November. This is my baby, Tessa." And then to me if they don't respond, "I guess they were concentrating." (Did I mention she's not shy?)
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