The Oldest Child

This is our oldest child. We've had her around for a little over six years, and we're pretty sure we like her:


She is, by turns, serious and silly, but rarely can I predict which one it will be until the mood is upon us.



I was going to chronicle a day in her life through pictures, but that turned out to be impossible. (For a reason, see Child #3. He's so demanding!) I did get a picture of her first thing in the morning, right before family prayer:


She may not be happy that I have that picture--or that I published it publicly!--in a few years. Oh well. She can get her own blog then and complain about it. In the meantime, it reminds me that she doesn't like getting up in the morning, and she has a hard time falling asleep, just like her father. It's worse when she's excited or worried about something. We've gone into her room just before our bedtime and been surprised by a whispered "hi" more than once.



She loves her sister--they are best friends.



They do just about everything together. They tell each other everything. They play together for hours on end.



But The Eldest has her own time too. She gets lost in a book as easily as her mother does.



Picture books, chapter books, cereal boxes, Dum Dum wrappers--she reads them all.

Sometimes, though, she can be convinced to set the book aside to do the humdrum things in life--chores, eating, using the bathroom, playing with her brother.



She doesn't always find life easy, but she does make it sweeter. I love my beautiful girl.