Kate is GREAT!

I sure love my Kate! Isn't she just the happiest girl you've ever seen? Some of the best things about Kate:

• She has a natural ability to understand how people are feeling, and she often interacts with people based on her understanding of their emotions. She has incredible empathy. What a gift!
• She loves to read. She simply devours books.
• She is an artist. I've posted her creations before. She is always drawing something.
• She is very tender. Sometimes she tries to hide her tenderness, but I can always see it in her. I think this is what gives her empathy.
• She makes friends in a moment. She is surrounded by good friends wherever she goes.
• She willingly and happily practices her piano every day. I don't even have to remind her. She finds joy in the music. Once I watched her reflection in a mirror while she was practicing. With every staccato note, she raised her eyebrows high. It was just so cute. The next piece was smooth and graceful, and her hands became very elegant, her body swaying to the music. She is so very expressive.
• She got 100% on her language arts core test last spring. 100%!!! Speaking as a teacher who administers language arts core tests, that's pretty dang rare.
• She loves the mountains purely for the beauty of it all. Her dream is to go to a secluded spot with a notebook and draw the beauty of nature.
• Her teachers love her.
• She has a very sensitive gag reflex. She can't clean out the cat box without gagging. I think this makes her even more endearing.
• She has a joyful smile.
• She has beautiful skin.
• She has a gorgeous singing voice.
• She gets frustrated sometimes. I like that because it shows that she cares deeply about doing things well. I wish she'd be a little more patient with herself, but at the same time I see kids at school every day who don't care about anything. Kids can be so apathetic these days. Kate is not that way at all.
• She asks questions. Lots of questions. She endears herself to people by asking them questions--but it's not in a fake way. She is genuinely interested in the answers.
• She recognizes that the world is not black and white. She sees the shades of gray. She also recognizes the injustices in the world. She has her own opinions about the way things should be. She is an 11-year-old with actual opinions!
• She is not judgemental.
• She is open to trying new things. She wants to learn. She wants to experience life.
• She doesn't like to play competitive games. She does like to participate in cooperative games and activities. She is always looking for win-win situations. I suppose that goes back to the whole empathy thing.
• She loves all five of her sisters. They will be friends for life, I am sure.
• She has a great new haircut. It is even cuter when we flip it out.
• She gets innuendo. (Yikes! We have to be careful!)
• She laughs. A lot. And it's a great laugh.

I sure love you, KATE!!!! I'm so blessed to be your mother.