Lorna

Lorna wears her emotions on her sleeve. Full of compassion and talk of angels and fairies, she can also get overwhelmed with her feelings and frustrations. Learning to live with Lucy has had lots of ups and downs for her. In China she was smitten - just couldn't get enough of her, but at some point, Lucy started to put her foot down and assert her own agenda. Lucy and Kai were also forming a close bond. I'm not sure that was in Lorna's vision of having a "baby sister". She had a good month of being annoyed at Lucy's presence and now she has come around to friends. Everyone's fascination with Lucy, arriving gifts and then back to back birthdays were "a learning experience" for Lorna. But the past few days L & L have been playing very well together and laughing, good belly laughs. They are bonding and the ups and downs of sisterhood is great for them both. They are both strong and confident girls.

Lorna had a lot of anxiety about both starting kindergarten and leaving Miss Vicki, her incredible preschool teacher. Lorna was in China on the last day of school so she also missed out on the closure and end of the year rituals to mark her transition. Since we've been home she had one week of horse camp, another four days of dance camp and then I made a spontaneous decision to enroll her at Summer Camp for a week at Shining Mountain, her kindergarten for next year. Luckily for the Paradise household the tears and anxiety about that week were worth it. She had a wonderful time, bonded with her new teacher (shown above) and made some new friends. Whereas before she would sulk and tear up when people asked her about kindergarten, she now beams and tells all about her new school. Phew!!

Kindergarten starts on September 2nd, so between now and then she has 12 half hour swim lessons and then nothing else structured. I can't wait! It's been ...informational... to get three kids up and out the door in the mornings, but now we can find our laid back summer routine and our groove with one another without that added time pressure. She has been practicing some hand sewing / embroidery with some burlap, embroidery ring and a tapestry needle. She's also determined to learn to ride a two-wheeler. Tomorrow I think we'll finally make it to the zoo.

Lorna. She feels life so deeply, loves intensely and has such a strong sense of self - how do I mother her so that she never loses those wonderful traits (that many of us spend our lives trying to develop), while at the same time, get her dressed in the morning, get her grounded enough to glide through life's frustrations? We have so much to learn from one another and although I'm biased, I find Lorna one of the wisest souls I know.