So..... running just a little behind on posting Cora's yearly update (sorry Baby Doll). Just like with her 20 Questions post, the one downside of traveling on (and leading up to) her birthday is that things get busy and mama gets forgetful. But Cora's 6th year deserves recording, so without further ado...
Cora's 6th year was a good one. She ran her first obstacle course 5K (Tomahawk Tromp, last August), she learned to read (and graduated kindergarten near the top of the STAR Early Reader scale), she got glasses, she lost her first two teeth, and she finally got back on her bike with confidence! She had three wonderful trips to Gramma's house and the Atlantic beach and one awesome trip to Grambot and PawPaw's house and the Pacific beach (and added another National Park to her passport book with Lassen Volcanic). How many 5-year-olds do you know that get to dip their toes into the ocean on both the east and west coast?! Other adventures included Great Wolf Lodge, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Rocky Springs, Excalibur, Canton Christmas Lights, Jacksonville Zoo, Curry Farms, Chattanooga and Raccoon Caverns and the Tennessee Aquarium, the Ice Cream Safari at the Jackson Zoo, Legoland and Disney World, and a few beautiful State Parks and Natural Areas. It was a busy year for her between all the adventuring, school (her first year in public school and dealing with larger class sizes and more limitations), fall and spring soccer (she truly is an athletic child, and it really shows on the field when she's in the mood to give it her all), her first year of Girl Scouts (cutest little Daisy you ever did see!) and her first all-girl Campout, and of course dance (including participating in her first production number). I'm not sure I could call last year a true "Fantastic Five" (at least not in the way I imagined it, based on the promises I'd heard of 5-year-old girls becoming significantly calmer, quieter, and less sassy...)
Oh the sass! And the backtalk!! And the fussy noises she makes when she doesn't get her way (that make us want to strangle her)!!! It is such a constant battle (both at home, and at school, starting those last couple of months of kindergarten - she went from nearly all purples every week to MANY yellows and oranges and even some reds), and everything we've tried has yet to curb it. There has been soap, there has been loss of privileges, there has been loss of toys, there have been many MANY instances of being sent to her room, and there has even been some spanking. Nothing has worked and it honestly seems as if the issue is getting worse as we roll into this 7th year... We can stop it quickly when it starts, but we can't stop it from happening to begin with (and it happens EVERY day, often multiple times per day). I always vowed (before having kids) that I would not be "one of those parents" whose children threw tantrums in public places or disrespected adults. We've succeeded on the tantrum front, but I feel like it is even more embarrassing to have to discipline her for sassing me or back-talking me in public. And don't even get me started on how embarrassing it is to have her teacher call me about such behavior in the classroom. She has been writing a LOT of lines lately...
But back to happier topics! Despite her penchant to ruffle the feathers of adults, she seems to consistently be a very good friend. She made a new best friend at Daycamp this past summer (Mary Morgan, who goes to a different school and is soon moving away from our area, unfortunately), had a few close friends at school last year (Alanna, Trey, Ruby Rose, and Willow, before she had to go back to Ohio in January), became closer with some of her dance class girls (she especially loves Cara Beth, who is also a Girl Scout friend), became closer with Lauren (now that Lauren is older, she and Cora can really pair up, and its so nice for Cora to have such a sweet little friend who seems to, for better or for worse, look up to her a bit), and has remained extremely close to her brother (choosing him above all others more often than not and still working the system together).
She is still a night owl more than a morning person. Bedtime is 8:00pm (or a little later) in the summer, but during the school year she's in bed closer to 7:30pm most nights (not including soccer practice nights). Now whether she's goes to sleep at that time (or even before 8:00pm) is a consequence of whether she received ample time to run/swim/swing/play/dance that day... Sometimes I go back to check on her at 9:00pm and she's still reading books by the light of her LED "Elsa" Christmas Tree (and her rainbow, and her MANY nightlights - there isn't a bare plug in her room). Sometimes she drifts off before I pry myself from her bed after our song and snuggles. She almost never falls asleep in the car (excepting summer Daycamp evenings) or naps on weekends, so I assume she's getting the sleep she needs.
Cora is still our busy, happy little girl. She is never bored and is fully capable of entertaining herself in almost any situation. Her imagination seems to know no limits, and she often recruits James into her make believe worlds (though that goes both ways, since he's just as creative as she is). She loves to help take care of the chickens and rarely complains about helping with yardwork (mainly just clearing sticks off the lawns/walkways and making burn piles). If she has a choice between outside and inside, she'll choose outside every time, even if it's insanely hot and humid and buggy. She'd wash the dishes if I let her (but it takes too much time and wastes way too much water), she still helps with laundry (sorting socks and transferring loads), she LOVES to help me bake (not that I do it very often), and when I clean house on weekends she'll usually offer to help with at least one task. Though she doesn't like cleaning her room. And especially not her closet. She is SO GOOD about doing her own chores though (of which she has very few, and feeding Jude is her main task each morning and evening) and never needs to be told twice (and often remembers on her own before needing to be asked at all), and sometimes we catch her doing James' chores too. Our girl has a very tender and giving heart. And she is clever and independent and just plain adorable. We consider ourselves very lucky to be on this adventure with her.
6-Year-Old Top Three:
Movies: Frozen, How to Train your Dragon 2, The Lego Movie
TV shows: Teen Titans, Wild Kratts, My Little Ponies
Toys: costumes, baby dolls, Barbie's
Games: playing house or school, cards (Uno and Slamwich)
6-Year-Old Stats:
44 lbs and 46.5"
