Delight

I told Maria the other day that she was a delight and she cut her eyes at me and said "I don't know what that means".  Ha, I told her, it meant she was a joy to be around and she said "well, that's good!".  She must be used to me complaining about her, ha!

She really is fun here lately.  She is still bugging me a lot about going to people's houses but I think she is getting more in tune with social mores.  I told her yesterday, look, you can go play on your bike, you can go for a walk, and if you see someone who asks you to play, you can play!  So she did go out and she ended up playing with our neighbors who go to the same school as she does, she had a really good time and she wasn't bugging me, and it was a win win.

I'm going to her school today to volunteer at the library, we are still enjoying that.  Today we were on our way into school and she said oh no!, I forgot to read my AR books!  I said, all weekend?  I mean, it seems to me like we read a lot of books, but I guess somehow she didn't read the ones that she was supposed to.  So we decided she could read them in the 20 minutes she had before school started, crisis averted.

Everything is fine, boring, which I guess is good if you are me and BAD if you are Maria.  Veronica always says "boring as a NORING", which means it's really bad.

Here's a cute picture of Maria as Isadora Duncan on her bike:

Pride

Yesterday I was volunteering in the library at school and Maria's teacher popped in to say what a great reader she was.  Maria's friend Clive said that Maria finished all the petals on her flower, which I guess means that for each Accelerated Reader test that she passes, she gets another petal on her flower, anyway, he was impressed.  I told Maria's teacher, I knew she could read and it was very exciting but she is also very competitive and I thought the contest part of it was really appealing to Maria.  It's really exciting.  I mean, I assume it would be exciting anyway but she's really our first to read and I love it.

Veronica is starting to spell and read too and she is kind of exactly where Maria was at this time last year.  Maria is not exactly the most supportive older sister.  We did that LAST YEAR, she is always shouting at Veronica.  We talk a lot about how it would be kind and helpful if she told Veronica what to expect and to remember how excited she was to learn things in Kindergarten, but it doesn't always stick.

She is really doing well.  John is in town and brought them a book called Vampirina Ballerina, which is a combination of their favorite things and they love it. Maria was reading it this morning and it's just wonderful - she just reads away, like she's always done it.  When I think of what's out there for her - all the books and all the great words out there, waiting, it just blows my mind.

Here are some pictures!  The first is of Maria in her luchador mask, the one that my brother John brought her.  The second one is one that I took of the three girls when we were at our SECOND urgent care of the day on Sunday morning.  Last night Maria told John that Sunday morning was the "worst morning of her LIFE", all because it took us two hours and two urgent cares to get Felicity treated for an ear infection and pneumonia.  Ha, I think she might exaggerate a little!

Ugh

Ugh.  Today Maria went to a neighbor's house, she and Veronica both, and they were there for a while.  Later we looked out the window and we saw the oldest child from the neighbor's house playing with the other neighbor and we were like, um, what's happening?  Then Maria came home crying and crying, saying that the first girl's mom said that she was 'resting' in her room and so Maria stayed anyway to play with the little sisters and Veronica.  Then I guess she got the idea to go to the other neighbors' house and the dad there said his daughter wanted to play with her friend and, I guess, not with Maria.  OH, she was SAD.  SAD!  Crying and crying, on and on, how rude! she kept saying!  Why would they be so rude to me?  I don't know, I felt like crying, myself!  I went to get Veronica because I felt so strange about her playing there at the house where the mom - I mean, could the mom really have told Maria that her daughter wasn't home?  When she was actually just playing with the other neighbor?  I don't know but I just felt like I had to take up for Maria.

I said to Maria, listen.  I think it's best that you take a break from playing with those girls, let's just take a break.  She went on and on about wanting to go back there - back to where they clearly did NOT want to play with her and said you are a fun, smart and great girl and if those girls don't want to play with you, then the HECK with them!  Tomorrow you can go to school and you'll be back with your school friends, who love you, and it will be fine.

I don't know what to do with such a situation.  I know that I wouldn't lie to a neighbor, for my kid.  I think that sets a very bad example and I just - I wouldn't do it!  But I also wouldn't say that my kid could only play with one kid at a time.  I mean, in a lot of situations, Maria and Veronica come as a matched set and if you can only play with one friend at a time, that would be a problem for us every single time!

I just feel so bad for her - and of course she is not going to be everyone's cup of tea and she can be a pain but it makes me really sad for her when she gets so upset.

Later, she asked if she could go around the block by herself and I said she could.  Veronica immediately asked, can I go with her?  I said no, she wants to be by herself! and Veronica said okay but can I go?  Tonight she is sleeping by herself in Felicity's old room.  I don't know.  I don't feel like I get any better at this, ever.