Tansley Kaye

Lest you think I am crazy and have posted the same picture as the one I did of Kathryn, I will assure you that this is indeed my Tansley. They both came home from the hospital in the same outfit, the blanket wasn't planned nor did I notice it until one day when I was looking at pictures. As babies, Tansley was a clone of Kathryn...in looks. They were basically the same size and weight. If the pictures weren't labeled I don't believe I'd be able to tell them apart. As a baby I called her "baby girl". She was content to just be. She preferred to just be wrapped up and left alone when she was tired. And would rather you just sit her on the floor to play than carry her around.

Where Kathryn was a rule keeper, Tansley tends to be immune to such things. One time when we were in a busy parking lot, I was busy getting the baby out of the van and she started out away from me(does this story sound familiar...well this is where the similarity ends). A car was coming and I called out with a bit of panic in my voice for her to stop. It was like I wasn't even there. She did not stop, she did not turn to see why I was calling her. She just kept on going.. I literally had to put the baby down so that I could run after her. From then on, every time we were in a parking lot or near a street I had to hold on tightly to her hand, because if I didn't she'd just keep on going.

Tansley is a artistic child...sometimes this gets out of hand. She had...and at times still has, an irresistible urge to draw, on something, ANYTHING when ever she gets a writing implement in her hand. Writing utensils of any kind needed to be kept under lock and key. Magic eraser was made for her. One time at my mom's house I walked in to the living room to find her tracing the pattern of light on the wall that was shining in from the etched window. Thankfully it was just with a pencil that she had found. But seriously, she is very artistic. She loves to paint. She has always been very good at colouring and concerned about staying with in the lines. She draws pictures that are far more descriptive than most of her kindergarten classmates. I love to see what art work she brings home from school.

Tansley is my girly girl. She loves dresses. At one point in time it was the only thing she would wear all summer long. I thought for sure when winter came she would agree to wear pants. This was not so. I would have to say to her when we were leaving the house "Tansley, please at least put some pants on under your dress to keep your legs warm".  As soon as we would get to our destination the pants would come off. However, her girly girl-ness stops there. Just because she is wearing a dress doesn't mean that she is afraid to play in the dirt. Nor does it mean that she was capable of sitting like a lady in that dress. She wore/wears her dresses every where. She has how ever taken to wearing pants, preferably skinny jeans, to school on occasion.

This is proper camping attire...isn't it?

Tansley has always been very motherly. She loves to play with dolls. She also loves to help take care of younger children. She is in her element with babies, especially because babies usually love to be mothered...where as her 3 year old sister HATES to be mothered by anyone except her mother. She has loved having James to mother. However I have to often remind her that he is not a doll but is indeed a really human being and that she must be more gentle with him.

Tansley is a girl after my own heart, she LOVES chocolate. From the very first time she tasted chocolate the girl has been in love. She is fairly particular about the sweets that she likes, but when it comes to chocolate, she will eat it in what ever form it might come in. This all started the day before her first birthday. One day she was playing awfully quietly in the living room. I went in to check on her and there she was sitting with a bucket of  chocolate Easter eggs, the ones wrapped in tinfoil. She was covered in chocolate and there were little tinfoil wrappers all over the floor. She had simply sucked the chocolate out of them. This was her very first experience with chocolate. For her birthday she had her very own chocolate cake...she new exactly what to do with it.

Tansley is fearless. That is, she is fearless if she feels like she has control of the situation. For example, while I was very pregnant with Kymberly, I decided, for some reason, to take the two girls swimming by myself. It was likely because it was a ridiculously hot summer and I just need to cool down. Anyways, while we were all swimming in the shallow end, Tansley(who was only 2) decided she needed more adventure and she got out of the pool and started running toward the deep end. I got out as quickly as I could, which wasn't all that quick, and went after her, but it was too late, she had already jumped into the deep end. Panic is not the word. Luckily, there was a lady from our ward there who had seen this all happening and had got to Tansley just as she jumped in, and she pulled her from the water. Tansley wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, because she felt like she had everything under control. However, if Daddy ever picks her up and tosses her into the water, she completely freaks out, and has a complete panic attack.  This holds true to everything she does. If it is her idea, and she feels like she has control, she can do anything! But if you force her into something, or if for some reason she feels like that control has been taken from her...you'd think the world was about to end.

high heel boots and a skirt are an obvious choice for climbing trees.

My Tansley is a delight and a keeper. She is strong willed, but I can't blame her for that...she may have got it from her dad...and maybe a little bit form her mom. She has a smile that will light up any room. She's growing up way to fast.