"CTR" According to Reese and Mommy

Reese had her first day of her CTR 4 Sunday School class a few weeks ago. When I picked her up at the end of church, she very proudly showed me her new ring. When I asked her if she knew what the "CTR" on the ring meant she very excitedly but seriously told me, "Yeah, it means that I won't eat Claire's cookies!" Oh, how I loved that answer! Not exactly the "Choose the Right" answer that I was expecting, but still pretty spot on if you ask me.

I must say that Reese has been pretty darn enjoyable lately. You know how kids go through different phases...some good, some not so good? Well, both Tom and I agree that Reese is in a pretty good one right now.

Some of my favorite Reesey moments lately:

• her cuddling with me on my bed in the mornings and her sweet hugs and kisses at bedtime.
• her prayers. Oh, her prayers! They are so sweet and sincere...and hilarious.
• how she often very willingly "lets" Claire watch Caillou before her own shows (a big sacrifice for us ALL, trust me!)
• when she helps Claire by lifting her up to reach things that are too high (drinking fountains, light switches, toys)
• the horsey rides she gives Claire around the house
• how she always takes her plate to the sink after a meal. I don't think I've ever even told her to do this.

But I must say that my absolute favorite Reesey moments are the ones that have shown me little glimpes of maturity. A week ago or so she was asking me why everybody was mean to The Grinch when he was a little boy (in the classroom in the Jim Carrey version). I explained to her that they were mean to him because he looked and acted different than them. I of course took that opportunity to tell her how we always need to be nice to everybody, and that she always needs to stand up for people and be their friend even if others are being mean. A few days after that discussion we were on our way home from the gym and I asked her if she had fun in Kids' Club. She told me yes and that she had also made a brand new friend. She usually mostly just plays with her boy-friend Allen (a story for another day), but she told me that this day she decided to include this other little girl who had been playing by herself because she wants to be everybody's friend. I was a proud momma.

Of course everything isn't always so perfect around here and Reese definitely still "eats Claire's cookies" from time to time, but overall it has been so fun to watch her learn and grow and really just try to be a good girl. I kind of love her.