Awesome Isobel

I am really proud of my big three-and-a-half-year-old girl, Isobel. She just finished up her first year of preschool, she's growing up incredibly fast, and she's just really cool. So it's high time I bragged about her a bit.

Firstly: She's got this facility with strangers that just blows my mind. She introduces herself to everyone we see, and she's totally confident that they will love her. When we go to a park or museum, she usually makes a friend right away and spends her time playing with that new friend. I don't know how much of this is childhood innocence, but I can't tell you how much I hope she keeps this outgoing, confident personality through adolescence and into adulthood. What an asset, to be an extrovert!

Secondly:
























The girl is coordinated, athletic, and fearless. She wows (and, occasionally, frightens) other parents at our local park with her junglegym skillz, like hanging upside down, swinging standing up, and sliding down the fireman's pole. She's also REALLY close to being able to do the monkey bars on her own (something I was never capable of).

Thirdly:
She is gentle, patient, and at-ease with animals. She and Stella do annoy each other sometimes, but generally they're good together and Isobel really loves all animals. She's not crazy about bugs, but she's getting more and more comfortable with them as she gets older. I'm always proud of her when we're out and about and she shows good dog-greeting etiquette.

A few other tidbits: her favorite word today is "appetite," she loves to paint and draw with markers, she can count to three in several languages, and she's beautiful, agreeable, and kind. What more could I ask? Isobel is the greatest.

Jude is also the greatest. I wouldn't want you to think I'd forgotten him, so here's some babycuteness for you: