Last week our Rose turned 8!
When Rose was about 4, she was in a drop-off music class. She was 2 at the start of the covid-19 pandemic so this was the first activity that was all hers. Parents were invited to sit in one day and so I sat against one wall and watched pre-schoolers dance and sing. During one song, each child took turns being a bird and dancing around the room while the other children were baby birds in their nests and sang. When it was Rose’s turn to dance about, the teacher called out to the class, “Sing everyone! Rose always sings for you!”
I’ve often thought back to that moment because it’s still such an encapsulation of who Rose is. She loves to celebrate, loves to get involved in whatever’s going on. When she wants to do something, she’s all in and she joins enthusiastically. She loves big and hard and loud. Her emotions are not hidden!
Rose is an animal lover and a Winnie-tolerator. She loves anything cute and cuddly. She’s very kind to younger kids but I think she likes being the baby of the family. She loves to read and loves to tell you about what she’s been reading. She often prefers to re-watch a favourite movie rather than pick something new. She loves spending time with friends and is great at making new friends.
In the past year we’ve seen Rose grow up a lot. She’s grown almost 2 inches in the past 6 months but more than that we’ve seen her grow more independent and capable. Life with Rose is always full of fun and cuddles and we are so thankful that she is a part of our world.
Karissa Reads Books 
Happy birthday to Rose! I hope her celebrations include all her favourite things 🙂
Happy birthday to Rose!
I totally get that vibe of wanting to watch the same movie repeatedly instead of trying something new. When I was five, I watched Cinderella every single day after kindergarten let out at noon. Even as an adult, I’m likely to turn back to a movie I like, and of course this means that when I go to restaurants I always order the same dish.
What do you mean Rose is a “Winnie-tolerator”? Is there something about Winnie she doesn’t like?
When I realized that about Rose, it made a lot of sense! And there is something very comforting about watching a familiar movie.
Winnie can be a lot! She’s much better than she was but she still gets into mischief like grabbing stuffed animals and running off with them. Also, Pearl vocally adores Winnie and so I think not always loving Winnie is a way that Rose can differentiate herself!
OMG, I remember getting so pissed about being the same as my brother. I distinctly remember my anger that his favorite color was red, which meant that I couldn’t like red as my favorite, too, so life was 100% unfair.
Hahaha, yes! That’s a classic sibling dynamic! Usually it’s Pearl not wanting the same thing as Rose because more often Rose will copy her big sister. But sometimes Rose will come out with ways like this to show she’s her own person. And then when Pearl’s not around, I’ll catch her loving on Winnie!