one of my very favorite pictures ever taken of my cate, instagrammed this morning. (follow me @kellymccaleb). the sun was out, she was excited for school, and she was wearing her new "mommy shoes" aka minnetonkas i found that had never been worn at the thrift store in her size. those little thrills make life so good.
cate is growing up in hyper speed right now. she's lost the little girl look in her face and seems taller every day. when we watch a movie together she suggests things like father of the bride, rather than a kid show. her vocabulary is huge and makes me chuckle everyday with the five dollar words she uses so casually with her little lisp.
ever the straight A student, i usually have to wait 5 to 10 minutes past when school's out for her to come out of the building. she is determined to never have homework and finishes it all in her spare time at school. i've never even seen one spelling list this year, and she's gotten 100% every time. sometimes she's late coming out because she can't put the book down that she's reading.
she keeps grant and i honest. we have to pay her $1 for every swear word (whether she hears it or not, she interviews us), and frequently questions if we are saying our personal prayers. she makes grant leave a pillow by the side of her bed early in the morning to prove that he has knelt and said his prayers before leaving for work. she does not accept that there are movies and shows that she can't watch that we can because of content. cate implores us to up our standards. and i quote: "if they are too bad for me, then they are too bad for you." we fight about that one.
her temper, ever present, seems to be mellowing finally. however, the little smarty pants likes to be argumentative and right, and that's the main thing she gets in trouble for. she gets sent to her room to calm down, which inevitably leads to notes written to us either expressing sorrow, or defending her position.
her daddy's girl title is still in full force and lately she's taken to even not allowing grant and i to kiss around her. i had a big talk with her about that and how lucky she is to have parents that love each other and that she needs to let us show our love without interfering. "but he's my dad" was all she could say over and over again. she's doing better about it, though. (i think she's just weirded out because of life facts she's learned recently, ha).
cakies, i love you so much. will you help me with my homework soon? thanks. and will you let me hug on dad when he gets home from work? double thanks.
Cakies. I really love that nickname. :)
Posted by: shannon m | April 04, 2012 at 07:15 PM
GO CATE!
Posted by: heather | April 05, 2012 at 07:54 AM
I think I started reading your blog right around the time Cate started kindergarten. And I have to say that I have loved watching her grow up.
Posted by: amanda | April 05, 2012 at 08:36 AM
This is a great post. I am having my first baby in one and a half months, and I already see him as a toddler, kid, tween, teenager, and man. Especially because I am convinced already that he is the clone of his father. It's cool to hear reflections on children and thier development. What I like about your blog is that you are fresh, and honest.
Posted by: bjahlstrom | April 05, 2012 at 08:51 AM
I started reading when Cate started kindergarten as well. It is crazy how quickly they grow. She seems like such a bright, witty, fun girl.
Posted by: Beth | April 05, 2012 at 02:37 PM
my daughter is about cate's age...turns nine in less than two weeks. she knows nothing of the "life facts" yet...how did you approach it? i'm nervous!
Posted by: meredith | April 05, 2012 at 04:10 PM
She's a gem! I want a Cate.
Posted by: Ellen Patton | April 12, 2012 at 01:29 PM