She has a very tender heart; she wants to please and impress, and when she fails to do so, she shows a lot of remorse. She puts her fingers near her mouth, and her eyes begin to well with tears.
I so admire her persistence to be a good friend, even when others aren't good to her. I am quick to admit that Vera isn't always a nice friend, but when others aren't kind to her, she tries, tries and tries again to be a good friend despite the unkindness. Her little face of discouragement and her disappointed voice breaks my heart, but she perseveres, and that makes me so proud! Vera, the world can be a mean place, but it's important to be kind even when the world is unkind.
Vera also accepts others as they are. There are some kindergartners who have disabilities or physical deformations, and she says, "Mom, that's just how they were made. They can't help it." Makes my heart smile. Vera, I hope you can always have this outlook on others.
Vera loves her little sister. She is always trying to get just one more hug or kiss from her. More recently, she's started carrying and lifting her. Sometimes that makes me a little nervous, but Annie doesn't seem to mind a bit.
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| Buddies for life! |
Vera has always had a way of getting kids to do whatever she asks of them. At Karen's bridal shower, she was playing with Scarlett and Nora, and somehow, they followed most all of her ridiculous directions. Sometimes she can also convince Vince to do things that he otherwise wouldn't agree to do. She has figured out how to tell Vince what he wants to hear to get him to cooperate...like the times that you just agree with a two year-old to appease them. Or the times when you simply distract him when he is very headstrong about something. Vera has this figured out.
Kindergarten is coming to an end already. I cannot believe some of the things Vera has learned this year. She did a cool research project on penguins, all herself, and compiled her research in to a poster. I'm impressed with her ability to sound out words. I love looking at her school worksheets she brings home. Her handwriting has improved 10-fold. In math, she recently learned about 3D shapes and the number of faces and vertices they have. (Vertices!? I think I learned that in high school geometry!!) She spent a day at Paula's house and learned to tell time. She has it down, and as far as I know, no one at school has taught her this. She loves all things numbers. Math has proven to be her strongest suit, and I know she didn't get that ability from her mother!
One thing she did get from her mother is her ability to play school. Almost daily, Vera has imaginary students and "teaches" them something. Many times this takes place from her car seat on our way home from school, but there's really no uncharted territory when it comes to Vera's school-play. I'm fairly certain that she's mostly reenacting everything that Mrs. Billenstein did and said that day. Sometimes, she gets pretty loud when she's "scolding" or "teaching" her students. Occasionally, I listen in. One evening, she was giving a "lesson" in the shower about a silent "e" at the end of words. In great length, she explained that anytime we see a silent "e" that tells the earlier vowel in the word to say it's name (make a long vowel sound.) As she explained, she demonstrated with the foam letters we have in the bathtub. She was right on the money with this concept. I'm amazed at how she can explain concepts correctly in a way that is age-appropriate. Elementary teachers have such a gift.
I went on a field trip with her class to the Coldwater Hospital in April. We checked out several areas of the hospital; the hospital staff did such a nice job of explaining the hospital to them. Vera was so excited to have me come along. It was fun for me to see her classmates, her classroom and the routine of her day. I discovered that Vera has a difficult time sitting in a seat. In her classroom, I noticed that she's always standing up as she works. Sometimes she was kneeling, but almost never sitting in the chair. I guess that's a developmental thing. Later that day, I returned to Vera's classroom as the Mystery Reader. Vera was jumping up and down with excitement as I walked in the room. Fun days!
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| Listening to her own heartbeat. |
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| Brooklynne, Isabel and Vera |
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| Learning all about surgery. You can barely see Vera on the left of this photo. She's the girl kneeling with her hands by her face. Instead of sitting down like the rest of the group, I noticed her kneeling at every single station that day. |
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| Trying on the heavy vest. |
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| Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." |
Vera's favorites right now include jumping on the trampoline, watching Netflix, wearing nightgowns, playing school, and writing messages in small notebooks. She enjoys being our helper and we appreciate all of her help she gives with her siblings. Some days, she desperately wants to be a grown-up. Adam and I reassure her that being a kid is a whole lot of fun. I can remember having the same thoughts when I was younger. For memory's sake, a few things that she dislikes are having her hair fixed, waking up in the mornings, and putting away her clean laundry. Her palette is broadening slightly. She still loves mac and cheese, but she's started eating pizza more. Tacos are one of her favorites. A "taco" to Vera is a tortilla filled with cold meat, shredded cheese, pickles and ranch dressing. We tried to convince her to try the smoothies that the school cafeteria serves, and after a few months of encouragement, she finally gave them a try and she likes them a lot.
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