All About Carlie

There have been quite a few posts about Kendyll this fall, because there is more going on in her busy life! So, it's time to catch my small blog-world up on Miss Car Car (who does NOT like that nickname...even though she thought of it herself. :)

She has had a great semester at Providence and has met some sweet new friends. Our Carlie is what you call a "slow to warm" personality...it takes her a little longer to get to know new people (and even longer to like them!)...so we have been very proud of how much she loves her little preschool friends now. Her teacher is the most gentle and sweet-spirited teacher and is absolutely the perfect fit for our little Carlie. Carlie tells us all the time that "Mrs. H loves me and especially my hugs". Mrs. H. has sent countless encouraging notes to Carlie, and it is so obvious from conversations I have had with her that she understands Carlie completely and loves her little personality...which Mark and I very much appreciate. It is a good reminder to me that a teacher--at any age---can have an amazingly profound influence on how a little girl sees herself. :)

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One of the only outside activities that Carlie is involved in is ballet. She takes from a Christian program called "Dancing Angels", and it is just a sweet beginning to dance class. Every week, she goes in, the door closes, and all I hear is little feet tapping the beats. We have never actually seen her dance, so I've always wondered if she was doing well.

So, their last week of the semester was a Parents' Day and small program. It was our first peek at our little ballerina. And, my oh my. It was funny. Any class of four year old ballerinas is funny. But, miss Carlie made us smile the whole time.

Carlie did NOT want to have parents' day, and she did NOT want us to come watch. She is not a performer and does not want the attention. So, this made her very nervous. Of course, poor Carlie was born into a family that is quite the spectacle at events like this. Kendyll got out of school early for it, and was THE proudest big sister around. We had the video camera out, the digital camera, along with a loud baby sister who kept saying "Hiiiiii!" and waving at Carlie. For the first 10 minutes, we would catch her eye and wink or smile at her. And, she would just nervously bite her lip and roll her eyes. It was hilarious.

Eventually, she did get a little more "into" the performance, but what we found is that it takes intense concentration for Carlie to do ballet. And, any time that Carlie concentrates, the tongue is out. So, it took all we had in us not to laugh, as she did the entire 45 minute program with her tongue hanging out. We have 40 pictures of her and they all look like this one:

But, don't you worry. She didn't miss a beat! And, we made sure she felt like the best ballerina in the room. :) And, in our book, she was!

A few days later, she had her Christmas party at school. And, the tongue was used again, as she concentrated on her craft...So, now I've decided that it's not only a concentrating tool, but also a little bit of nervous energy too.

She, along with her class, recited "All Things Bright and Beautiful", and although she refused to do the hand-motions that everyone else did, she at least said the whole thing...while looking at the back wall. :) That girl may not be destined for the stage. But, boy, is she an amazing little girl, full of life and energy, smiles and hugs. Just don't make her share them with a room full of people she doesn't know. We love you, Carlie, and just stand in awe at the way God knit your personlaity together. You were made for a specific purpose, and I can't WAIT to watch God work His magic in you. We love you so much, and are SOOO proud of you!! (even if you'd rather us not show it.)