A kicker, a screamer, a rhinoceros dreamer

I would hazard a guess that every mother would like to describe their darling daughter as sugar and spice and everything nice. I sure would. And some days and in some moments of days, Ryann is so sugary sweet, she'll bring tears to your eyes. For instance, she loves to give hugs and also to give kisses on the end of your nose. Her wonderful daycare provider's birthday was this week and Ryann said to her, as soon as we got in her door, "Happy Birthday, Deanna. My gift to you is a hug!" She then wrapped her little arms around Deanna's knees and gave her a big squeeze. Deanna told me when I picked the kids up that day that later, Ryann had said to her, "Happy Birthday Deanna. You're pretty!"

But a lot of the time, Ryann is just spicy.

She came out kicking and screaming and hasn't changed a heck of a lot since then. She is especially hard on herself but also has high expectations of those around her. She is very imaginative and loves to sing and act silly and screams (when warranted...in her mind) like the very best horror film actress you've ever heard. She may very well grow up to be an actress. Or a playwrite. She has shared with both Deanna and I two very amazing dreams in the past two weeks. Last week, she told Deanna that she had dreamt of a tiny, baby rhinoceros (and showed about a 1/4 inch size between her thumb and forefinger). While trying to tell this story to Deanna, she tried valiantly to pronounce "rhinoceros" and it kept coming out "oceros". She got quite frustrated (spicy side) and grumped to Deanna, "I can't say that word right!! I'm too little!!" Anywho, she said she looked at the baby rhinoceros and it smiled at her and so she smiled back. Two nights ago, Ryann shared with me a dream she'd had the night before. She said I was making dinner and Max was playing. She was blowing bubbles. She blew a REALLY big one and got in it and she, inside the bubble, floated out the front door. Then, dinner was finished so I had to open the front door and call, "Ryann, time for dinner!" I wish I had an imagination like that. I might make more progress on the novel I'd like to write some day in the future...

Maybe some women would be frustrated that their precious daughter wasn't always a sweet, little girl and that sometimes she screamed and kicked like the dickens. Not me. I'm proud of what a little spitfire Ryann is. Sometimes she can drive Stu and I to distraction but the world is getting to be a tougher and tougher place and Ryann seems to have the perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness to bulldoze through it, yet leave some happiness in her wake.