election day baby

this little lady is now officially six years old.  for some reason this is the strangest and most unbelievable birthday yet.  maybe it's because some of her antics are more fitting for a four year old rather than a six year old (like the nice piece of "art work" she scribbled onto the wall the other day.  excuse me!  not okay)     

 

maybe it's that i have the hardest time figuring her out and knowing how to deal with her... intricacies? it's really true, though, that the same things you find irritating and infuriating and difficult about someone are often the same things that draw and endear you to them.  that's how it is with whitney.  she is one. BIG. adventure.  and that's what's so great, and sometimes exhausting,  about her.  but i'll take it.  every single bit of it because whitney is truly an amazing, and exceptional little person. 

she is as take charge and a go-get-what-you-want kind of girl as they come.  that's the nice way of saying that's she's bossy.  but in her defense, it's probably because she gets bossed around by me so much.  

but in my defense...have you met whitney?

she definitely has her element.  can you guess what that is?  she's never happier than when she's outside, in the water, or chasing some poor critter up a tree or down a hole.

without her scrapes and bruises she would almost be unrecognizable.

this morning whitney descended in all her birthday majesty.  nikki made a banner for her room and waited patiently outside her bedroom door until she woke up and then helped her dress in her royal robes.  it was really really sweet.

and by some birthday/election day miracle, i was able to braid whitney's hair this morning.  

i'm bad at hair.

but not this morning.

this morning i ROCKED!

another birthday/election day miracle : whitney was permitted to put sprinkles on her sandwich for lunch.

i love this little girl. a lot.

happy birthday, my little animal.

now go out and vote.