Kinsey

It's 7:15 AM in the morning and I go into the girls room to start their day if they haven't done so on their own. Usually they have not unless its Saturday and we want to sleep in. Go figure.

Waking up Cailey as she lays sprawled and sleeping in the bed by the window is oftentimes rough business. A morning person she isn't. Kinsey on the other hand is an all day person. Kinsey will stir and then hide under the covers or a pillow not because she doesn't want to get up because even at 10 seconds past wake-up Kinsey is already playing around. A poke, a tickle and pulled back comforter reveals a happy girl full of smiles and laughs which probably violates some sort of social convention about being emotional expressions of this nature first thing in the morning.

That is classic Kinsey. A wide smile with her black hair falling all around her face. Bounding down the stairs for breakfast which is usually cereal and sometimes she takes it dry. Back up stairs she is told to get dressed which really becomes a routine of telling her the brightly colored striped sleeveless shirt with zero pink in it is fine but it probably should be worn with bright pink shorts. Odd clothes combination is common in the world of most five year olds and in the case of a Korean born little girl I am convinced it is a reflection of personality which is bright, silly, off the wall goofy and constantly filled with "Kinsey" moments. Sometimes it is a word mispronounced and sometimes it is running around the back yard in winter with a long sleeve Halloween shirt, shorts, socks and sandals on. In other words Kinsey is one of those "never a dull moment" kids which every family should have at least one of just to keep things lively.

Five years ago that little girl came off the plane smiling even though she had been on an airplane for three fourths of a day. Having now done that trip the whole idea that you can land and feel anything other than worn out does not compute with me. Yet there was Kinsey all smiles which I am also convinced violates some social convention about emotional expression following long international flights.

This fifth gotcha day in Kinsey's life finds her reading books, doing math, learning to write and playing t-ball. She tells us she is a big girl now and is fairly adamant that she did "nuffin wrong" in the face of accusations to the contrary. She is also still smiles from dawn to dusk and a million times in between.

Hopefully she never stops. Happy Gotcha Day sweet Happy Kinsey girl!