Six Year Old Matisyn

Here are some things about my little 6 year old Matisyn:

March 29, 2012

35.8 lbs  3%

43.5 inches  18 % 

• Kindergarten has been a highlight this year.  She has grown and changed and learned so much in school.  She loves her teacher Mrs. Coles, and according to her teacher, gets along with everyone and loves making new friends, does great work, listens, is always a star student and gets to choose out of the treasure box, and loves recess, centers, reading and art projects best.
• She is learning to read.  I can't believe how far she has come, and how much she can read on her own now.  We're so proud of her.
• If she is in the mood, homework is a breeze.  Most of the work seems to be easy for her, and she is a little sponge of knowledge.  If she isn't in the mood, writing one sentence can take an hour, and usually includes threatening from me and crying from her.  Oh how I love the days she is in the mood!
• She has lots of friends, both boys and girls, and loves to play with all of them.  She doesn't seem particular, and just loves to be social.  I would say her closest little friend right now is Porter, she gets to play with him the most.  The marriage talk between the two of them has slowed down...maybe they decided to wait it out until they are older, like eight or nine!
• She has been in dance all year at Showcase USA and has enjoyed it for the most part, especially this second half of the year.  She has been more confident and attentive since the Christmas recital.  She did request to start gymnastics in January and although I did drag my feet a bit, she is flourishing in her class.  She has improved so much since she started and it seems to lend itself to her personality.  She did a back bend on her own today from a standing position.  I was so proud.  She had worked on it, falling on her head repeatedly until she was able to do it herself.  The whole reason she wanted to go in the first place was to spend more time on the bars, which I guess are her favorite at school too, but has loved all aspects of the class.
• She is still a very picky eater.  Every meal is a battle at our house.  There is lots of pleading and negotiating to get her to eat her food.  We don't give alternatives, we just encourage her to try at least one bite of everything, and remind her she will be hungry if she doesn't eat now.  She always seems surprised at bedtime when she is starving and we say she can eat what is left of her dinner or go hungry.  One of these days she will learn...right?  
• She might not love regular food very much, but she is still a huge treat fan.  We have to lock our pantry at night or she wakes up in the morning before the rest of us and ravages the treats before we get downstairs.  She can be very sneaky, hiding under blankets, escaping to other rooms with handfuls of candy, etc.  We have to watch closely to make sure she is getting actual nutrition occasionally.  She does love most fruits though, and could eat cereal for every meal.  I would say watermelon is her very favorite food, with tacos a close second.
• She is an early riser, even if she goes to bed late.  We cannot get her to sleep in very well.  I think she likes getting to come down by herself and watch a show while sneaking foods of her choice.
• She is sensitive, thoughtful, and caring.  She thinks about others' feelings and doesn't like anyone to be sad.  She is very affectionate and loving.
• Her favorite toys are Barbies and any collections of things like Zoobles, princess polly pockets, etc.  She loves the doll houses we have added this year, and is great at pretend play and using her imagination.
• She loves being outside, playing in the sand and making dirt stew, jumping on the trampoline, playing at the park, riding her bike (happily without training wheels), and just making up games and story lines.  She can't, however, handle heat or cold, and likes temperatures to be moderate and perfect for her liking!  She is very dramatic if she is too cold or hot.  
• She is still stubborn and set in her ways.  She has left the tantrums of her toddler years behind and replaced them with sulking, pouting, and dirty looks.  It feels like we're living with a teenager already.
• She isn't doing it anymore, but has cut her hair so many times, 5 or 6, I believe, that it is hard to get it to lay down and look normal without lots of effort.  It has so many lengths in different places.  Luckily she is adorable anyway!  She really wants to have it long like a princess now though, so we are hopeful that she will continue to let it grow without any interference.
• She has a love/hate relationship with Emilyn.  She protects her and sticks up for her, sometimes even wakes her up from a nap so she can play with her, and loves her so much.  Then in the next minute she is hitting, refusing to share, and making "No babies allowed" signs for her bedroom door.  She has informed me that sharing a room with Emilyn sometime in the near future frightens her, and she doesn't think that it is a good idea at all.  To her credit, we do call Emilyn Godzilla because she stomps on everything and kind of destroys things in her path.  I don't blame Matisyn for not wanting to open her room and special things to the Emi monster!
• She likes to be a helper for Mommy and will often be willing to help with big chores or things that I need her to do.  She loves to help Daddy outside and with his tools too.  But if I ask her to put her shoes away, hang up her backpack or clean her room it becomes a drawn out battle.  "Can't I just have a break from those things Mommy?"
• She loves playing and watching shows on the ipad, and still loves shows of all kinds.  Some of her favorites right now are some of the good old shows from when Matt and I were younger, Inspector Gadget, He-Man and She-Ra, Smurfs, and some others like My Little Pony, Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears.  Scooby Doo is at the top of the list.
• She is a performer, through and through.  She loves to be in the spotlight and lights up when she has an audience.  She makes up songs, skits, and plays for us all the time. 
• She makes life more exciting, and experiences it in huge highs and lows.  She is the most grateful and elated with getting a present or visiting a new place, it makes buying her things and doing things for her easy.  Then the other side pops out, with the drama and uncontrollable moods and we worry we are spoiling her.  We are working on finding a balance.  Everything she does is BIG, and we are never bored with her.  She is beautiful!