The Second Gets Her Own Post

My little Daffodil is always good for a laugh.

  This post is long overdue and far too short to do her justice.

Mira is first and foremost very feminine.  Her favorite color is purple, she loves horses, in all their varieties, and she is a natural little mother.  She is sweet, obedient, bright, and assertive.  Her favorite toys, after her ponies with the nursery she's put together for them, is a kitchen set with food and dishes.  She loves skirts, and it's only recently she's started regularly allowing pants back in her wardrobe (after two years refusing to wear them).  She loves having her hair done and doesn't mind sitting for me (the opposite of Liesl). 

A year ago, I used to swim at the local YMCA.  Rather than go to the nursery, she would prefer to come with me while I swam.  I treasure the memories of her sitting on the bench at the end of my lane, patiently coloring.  Sometimes she had a pony she would play with along the bench, but she was so good to stay put.  Once, she had to potty and went without me.  In the bathroom, as she was sitting on the counter to wash her hands, a staff member yelled at her.  It upset her so much she couldn't swim for her lesson afterward.  I was pretty ticked about that one, but the staff got away.

But that illustrates something else: Mira is really sensitive to anger.  She is very easily upset.  Yes, sometimes I yell, and while Liesl couldn't care less about it, Mira is really affected.  In fact, once I start yelling, I've lost all progress with her.  It's a good lesson for me.  I've learned to treat her a little more cheerily, and that gets pretty good results.  I'm trying to apply that to Liesl, too.


Rhoda is her "little twinner".  Rhoda loves Mira, and Mira always does her best to take care of her.  She is always willing to help, and she'll hold Rhoda as long as her little arms allow.

 Starting on her second birthday, and lasting almost to the age of three, she'd experience a week of high fevers with no symptoms.  One week out of seven she spent in this inexplicable fever (we never figured out what it was despite test after test, although her cousin experienced the same thing).  As a result, she didn't gain much weight at all that year.  At three, the fevers disappeared, thought she was still quite tiny.  However, by the time she turned four, she filled out and grew into an energetic, courageous girl.

She takes care of her stuffed animals and diligently sets up a nursery for them on her bed morning and night.

She watches after others, and she guides her little brother and sister with a gentle hand.  Unless they're doing something she doesn't like, then she gets pretty loud and bossy.
But really, she has the most gentle hands.  I love having her play with my hair because she is so gentle.

Like a little mother, she helps Marshall pose in front of a truck of his favorite color.  She also tucks him into bed.

She is funny, too.  If you're at all familiar with Apple Jack in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series, then you've heard the cute little southern twang Apple Jack has when she speaks.  Mira uses this every day, even though my kids have only seen five episodes and they don't even watch them every week.  She just seems to be good with accents.

She also likes to be funny.  She's our little comedienne, and weirdly, she prefers slapstick.  She frequently hits herself when she tells a joke.  It's odd, but funny.  She also falls down a lot at the end of her silly stories.  She's not out-of-control goofy, just a bit goofy.



Curse the date stamp.  Mira often has a hard time with loud noises, but she did pretty well this night.  I love her olive green eyes.  (I know this post is about Mira, but I love how the ear muffs amplify Rhoda's cheeks.)

Mira is also very bright.  Because Liesl's (albeit minor and temporary) disability (reminder: vision and coordination issues) requires so much of my time, I don't often get time to work one-on-one with Mira.  Despite that, she's still learned to write rather well for a four-year-old, and she's picking up on phonics, reading, and math too.  She can add numbers in her head pretty well!

 

Boy, do I love that girl!



Note:  For those who think I've been comparing Liesl and Mira, I often point out to them, not their differences, but that they are different.  They don't look alike, they react to things differently, and they have different likes and dislikes.  We are always talking about strengths.  I make it a point to never compare and belittle.  I love that my girls are different, and I encourage them to feel likewise.  Let's hope this turns out confident girls who love who they are, rather than competitive sisters.  I hate competition.