I wrote an entire blog devoted to Madison and now its Kelsey's turn. I have actually tried to write this blog several times, but I just have a hard time putting my thoughts into words. It was a tad easier for Madison because I am still learning her personality, but Kelsey has a personality and is totally showing it. I'm not just guessing or sharing facts about her. I also get what's going on in her mind which adds a whole level of discovery.
Kelsey is the deepest thinker I have ever met. I'm not just being bias. Kelsey thinks so hard about everything she hears or is told. And you can see the wheels spinning as she process things. She will just stare at you for like 10 seconds as she takes in what you are saying. Its almost as though she wants to fully appreciate and understand each word that you have said. From the words, she wants to understand the phrases, and from the phrases she wants to understand the sentences. I will ask her honestly "do you understand," and she will not respond until she can actually say yes or no. If she says no, she can then tell you exactly what she does not understand (although its harder if she doesn't know the word. That's like trying to explain how a tomato tastes.) and if she does understand she says yes and moves on. I love this about Kelsey.
Kelsey loves music. But I don't think you understand. Kelsey LOVES music. She actually listens to words on the radio. Sometimes I'll be driving and I will think she's asleep when all of a sudden she will be like "mom. what does it mean to "take the floor" referring to the song. She is so awesome. If there is music she is dancing and not just tap your toes dancing but completely change my outfit, get up and MOVE dancing. She loves the piano and thinks other instruments are amazing. Once we were listening to a Taylor Swift song and she was like, "I love the piano in this song," WHAT!! How did you know that Kelsey, "Because you can hear it." I don't think Kelsey will be the next Taylor Swift and I don't think she is some music prodigy, but I do think that that girls hears, understands, feels, and LOVES music. It moves her.
Her life is all about routine. Everything about everything has to be the same routine or we do not move forward. If I put last drink before last song or put sunscreen on before her bathing suit or even eat candy before lunch, she has a serious moment of pause. Sometimes it leads to crazy freak outs, but all times it leads to a "Are you kidding me?!" or "what the..."
Kelsey has such a big heart and a big mind. She thinks things over so much. She wants to know everything and why it happens. "Why are do you make me eat carrots?" "Well WHY Do they help my eyes?" "What if I stopped eating carrots and ate candy instead?" She just wants to know it all. She will also hear me and Ethan talking and walk into the room just to know what we are saying " What did your boss say?" "Why was the lady hurt?" "How did she get hurt?" "Who got into trouble?"
Kelsey's heart is so big. She truly loves her friends. Like really, truly, deeply, loves her friends. She cares when they are hurt or sad. She gets upset when they aren't having fun and wants to give them everything she owns if it means make them happy. She has taught me so much about how I look at my own friends. Because she care so much, this also means that she gets sad really easily. She gets so worried or offended even when people are mean to her. Even if they aren't trying to be mean, kids are kids and sometimes Kelsey is the butt of the "attacks." She just has such big emotions. I mostly just can't get over how much she really loves her friends/cousins/associates. We will leave parties and she will go "AH! I forgot to give them a hug," or "Oh my gosh! I absolutely didn't tell them that I love them," and so on. We leave play dates and she hugs her friends like 100 times, she tells people she loves them so freely and willingly, and she just has no touch bubble. Kelsey loves with all her heart everywhere she goes.
And speaking of love, I have never seen anyone love their sibling more than Kelsey loves Madison. She LOVES Madison. She is excited to see her, tells her about what she is learning, whats to carry her, holds her hand, and just wants to be involved in every aspect of her life. If Madison is crying, Kelsey will try to comfort her. She will involve her in games and tells me over and over and over how I am doing my job wrong. I've seen her get frustrated with Madison when Madison takes a book or toy or something, but I have never seen her get upset at Madison. IF they are fighting over something 9/10 times Kelsey will just quit and let Madison win just to cool the temperature. Madison will be crying, Kelsey will run away, and come back carrying her blanket or a toy or a book or something to comfort Madison or make her happy. She is so grateful that Madison is in her life. Kelsey teaches me so much about patience and love everyday.
Kelsey has always been very verbal and age has only brought on bigger words. The difference whoever, would be that know that she knows the bigger words, she can't always use them in the correct context. For example "I absolutely watched Madison for you mom," Big vocab but wrong usage
I can go on and on and on about the traits and qualities of Kelsey that make up who she is, but I really think I have hit the highlights. Kelsey LOVES screen time and doesn't know I exist if she is watching a show. She loves to dance, be a chaleader, play dress up, and pretend. Kelsey expresses her emotions really well, but sometimes that causes us to butt heads a little bit. She is truly genuine in her compliments and tells me often that I am a beautiful mom. She freely gives out her love along with her name, age, and address (working on stranger danger) Kelsey gets really shy when all the attention is on her and would rather sit and hide than have people sing happy birthday to her. Kelsey loves her cousins and hates scorpions. She knows that good food makes you grow big and strong and shows me her muscles every time she eats something good. She loves sugar and thrives on rewards. Kelsey HATES to get in trouble so most of the time she tattles on herself (She has put herself into timeout) She goes to bed like a champ, is learning how to swim, and gaining potty confidence. More than anything, Kelsey hates to run. She will tell you all about how much she hates to run because she hates to breathe hard and sweat. Shes tells me all the time. "Do I have to run because I hate running." " Do I have to sweat because you know I hate to sweat." She loves to know everything about everything and asks all the questions she can. She is so obedient that I honestly never have to double guess the answers she gives me. Kelsey doesn't like most of my cooking and hates to go to bed outside of her routine (potty, quiet time, prayers, last drink, last story, last song, dreams) Kelsey hates living far from her cousins and loves everything girly and pink. I have seen Kelsey wear shorts maybe twice in her life and she loves to do her own hair. Kelsey you are a true rock star. You are confident, willing to learn, swallow your pride, and have more love than this world combined. I love you girlfriend. Keeping practicing being grateful though. Its a hard thing to learn, but hopefully you'll get it some day.
My favorite Kelsey-ism right now will be when she looks at me dead serious, straight in the eyes and says "We do NOT..." and then she will proceed to say what she thinks we do not do. Sometimes she is right and sometimes she is wrong but all times to is 100% convinced that this is the way that everyone should be thinking.
Kelsey is a little CEO. I swear! That girl will run her own business someday. She is always delegating tasks to us or finding ways to bargain. Kelsey you have 10 minutes before bed," "how bout 3 minutes?" Shes off on her math but the concept is the same.
One night the house was particularly crazy but I was too tired to do anything. Ethan was helping Kelsey go potty when we got a second wind and started to clean up. Earlier that day I had told Kelsey she could leave the mess until the next day because I was too tired. Well she walked in and saw that the mess had been cleaned up meaning she wouldn't have to do it the next day "Good job cleaning my mess mom and dad. It looks so good." I swear!! That girl!!!
To call Kelsey go with the flow is a hard thing to stand by. She is totally go with the flow if she feels like it is in her realm of routine. She is go with the flow in the sense of "the pink blanket is dirty so you can use this blue one" and " Sorry Kelsey. Kathryn is not home so lets go to the library instead" She never really argues. Where she gets really hung up is the routines that matter: bedtime, church, even how we go to the store and I let her unbuckle Madison's top buckle. These are the things that matter to her.
Last but not least, Kelsey is a daddy's girl through and through. She loves Ethan more than I do sometimes! I truly get jealous with how much they love each other. They are best friends and it melts my heart. They talk on the phone like they are equals and make each other laugh like its nothing. I'm ALWAYS trying to make Ethan laugh!! One thing that I have learned to laugh at is their ability to team up against me and then feed off each other. I'll say something to Ethan and if Kelsey feels any sort of injustice about her father she will immediately stick up for him, which makes him laugh, which makes her laugh. For example: " Ethan, can you please use the other soap?" "Mom. Let dad use the soap he likes!!" " Its true, I do like this soap better" "HAHAHAHA!!!! MOM!!" Its hard to type out, but it really is amazing how much they love each other.They need each other so much. I'm just waiting for the day when Madison and Ethan become best friends too. Its already happening. Soon they will be a cute little three amigo club that I will just sit and watch from the sidelines.
* Kelsey sings all her thoughts, dances more than walks, and is terrible at finding things. She was sitting next to her book and called me from another room in tears becasue she couldn't find it. As funny as it should be its terribly frustrating.
We played at the Mannings a lot
