Special Time

For the last several days I have spent a significant amount of time with Cassie. This has been "forced" on me, as Angie chaperoned Marissa on her school camp trip this week. They come home today, but I'm surprised in that I'm not totally looking forward to their arrival. I mean - I'm not at a point of pulling my hair anxiously awaiting Angie's return because I can't take anymore of Cassie. She's been a real joy and I am finding myself amazed by that.

Cassie isn't your normal five year old - at least I don't think she is. She's funny, she's smart, she can hold a conversation and she is, for the most part, very pleasant - even when she doesn't get her way. I know I am biased, but given the fact that I completely enjoyed the time I spent with her these last couple of days AND the fact that I miss her today (she's with a friend today so I could get some work done).

Some really amazing things over the last couple of days:

1) She told me that when she gets in trouble and sent to her room, she often prays to God to be better (eg., for help in not lying, etc.). I love that. I fear that she may develop a guilt issue, but I love the fact that she is being raised to have a relationship with God.

2) Related to number 1 - As I prayed last night (a special treat for her is to sleep with daddy when mommy is gone - and likewise, to sleep with mom when I'm on the road) she had a HUGE smile. I asked her why she smiled, and she said it made her feel happy that daddy prayed for her. I informed her that I prayed for her more than me.

3) She is quickly learning to read phonetically and it excites her. Besides reading, she is just so smart. We've watched discovery channel and animal planet a lot the last couple of days, and she asks me questions that show a logical progression of thought. Angie commmented recently that not only is she smart, but she has common sense - and we all know that common sense ain't so common.

4) She is really well behaved. She told to get dressed, brush her teeth, pick up some toys, whatever, she really does it. Yeah, she's five and can whine with the best of them, but when it is just us, she really doesn't do it much.

5) She's affectionate. She is always hugging and kissing me - and better yet, asking me to hug and kiss her. Imagine how awesome it is when a child wakes up in the morning and says, "come here and snuggle with me!!!". It melts my heart. I told her that I can understand a little bit how God loves us by how much I love her. She had no clue what I was saying.

Remember, she's only five.

SL