A Little About Lainey

Lainey is one of the sweetest girls that you could ever meet. So sweet that it sometimes (okay often) results in super-heightened emotional sensitivity.

Lately she has had some real concerns about people crying at church. She can't fathom why there are so many sad people at church. Of course we have tried the explain the whole, "they are just so happy" phenomenon. She has now accepted this explanation and often exclaims, "I just can't stop crying today!" (Although no tears are coming out). "Why?" I ask. "Because I am just so happy!"

Lainey has many-a-quality that she's inherited from her mom (like playing the awesome game of "school" . . . I can feel "office" right behind!). One of her qualities is packing way too much, "just in case." Here she is packing for a recent trip to Wal-Mart.

Lainey adores her cousins. Her happiest times are at Shh-Shh's house playing with M and M. We recently had a movie night at our house. Though she didn't actually watch most of the movie, she was in blissful heaven hanging out with her best friends.

Speaking of Shh-Shh, she had a birthday a while back. Lainey is interested in the "why" of things and she loves to make predictions and conjectures about all kinds of things. As I made one of Shh-Shh's favorite cakes, she wondered why I poked so many holes in it.

She was very proud of herself when she came to the conclusion that I made all the holes to hold all the candles that Shh-Shh would need!

Adria is Lainey's biggest fan.

Anything Lainey does, Adria follows.

Lainey loves to build things!

Here is a picture of a tower she built out of Jenga blocks.

Since January, we have been attending free kids workshops at Home Depot and Lowes.

At Home Depot, not only do you get to build a project, but they also give you an apron (Lainey's is in Spanish . . . they ran out of English) and a pin with a picture of each project you build.
At Lowe's you get a project, an apron, and a patch (that has to be sewn on, but they are so cute).

And at both places its all FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Now that's my kind of project!

Here are the creations that Lainey has built . . .

Jewelry Organizer

Table Basketball

Matchbox Car Shelf

Coin Bank

Butterfly House

Kaleidoscope

Rain Gauge turned Bird Feeder

Calendar

She also built a "LoweBot" (a car that transforms into a robot) and a Tic-Tac-Toe game, but both of those things are currently nowhere to be found!

Lainey loves to sing and she is a great memorizer (just like her mama . . . a blessing and a curse)! Here is a song that she learned in primary. This is just the first verse . . . but by the following week she had the second verse down too.

Lainey is also very interested in the Piano. A couple of weeks ago her cousins treated the family to a little recital where they each played two songs. Lainey was crushed that she couldn't play any songs. So she marched right up to Shandee and asked when she could start learning to play the piano. Shandee, being the good Aunt that she is, began teaching her. Here is her first song.

A few weeks ago Lainey's school was having theme week where the kids got to dress up each day. Lainey LOVED it! (And so did I)

Monday: Crazy Hair and Mismatch Day
(while I helped her pick out her outfit, she was so proud to think of and pick out mismatched socks and shoes)

Tuesday: 50's Day
Thanks to Shandee who made this skirt happen! I have such talented sisters--Alison would have made the most intricate, beautiful (not to mention surged) skirt; but Shandee's talent lies in making this awesome skirt in just 20 minutes. I would not have been able to do either--mine would not have been beautiful and wouldn't have taken 20 minutes!

Thursday: Princess Day
Thanks to Liana and Larry who supply Lainey with virtually all of her clothes!

Friday: Pajama Day

That week we also got to attend Lainey's Open House at School
WE LOVE HER TEACHERS!!! (and so does she!)

At school this year she has learned two very important things . . .
1. How to pump her legs to swing. She was so proud of herself when she finally figured this out!
2. How to read. She can sound out most words, unless they have craziness in them. Just this past Friday she read me, "Run Sid, Run." It was no "Snap, Snap, A Clam, A Clam" but it is something.

She loves to read and write. Recently she wrote the words "TCHR", "CHRMEEN" and "SEEL" on her whiteboard as she was playing school. Phonetically she was right on and it looks like she's just about ready to start texting too!

Lainey is a good helper around the house.


And she loves to prepare Family Home Evening . . . a little too much. She could make FHE last 3 hours if we let her.

Lainey LOVES chocolate (not as much as her sister, but that will come in a later post . . . I promise KJ, it will!) One of her favorites is Krabby Patties. I don't know why she calls them "Krabby Patties" but she has since she was a tiny girl.

(If you couldn't figure it out, a Krabby Patty is a Peppermint Patty)

Lainey has beautiful hair . . . and the Zhu Zhu pets she and Adgie got for Christmas love it too.

We have currently entered the new world of sports--Lainey has joined an indoor soccer team. We hoped that she would just go out there and have a great time . . . the great time part is something we need to work on!

We love our Lainey.
She is a wonderful sister,
daughter,
student,
and friend.