Aftyn is Awesome

I need an update on Aftyn!  Since starting kindergarten a few months ago, she has absolutely flourished!  Because she only has school a few days a week, (every other day) I've been trying to find ways to challenge her here at home. We read books almost daily, and she began taking piano lessons from my sister Laura a little over a month ago. I think she likes the challenge, generally, of piano lessons and wants me to listen every time she is practicing.

         She and Bronwyn have been sharing a room again for about the last 2 weeks and generally it is going as expected. Bronwyn is an early and energetic riser and anyone saddled with her as their roommate will have to expect being woken up early and sometimes going to sleep late too thanks to her talkative ways. Mirren is grateful for the additional sleep she now gets, as we all are for her, and Bronwyn loves the addition of being able to listen to music with Aftyn as she goes to sleep. They've been listening to a kids classic Christmas CD and seem to rather enjoy it.
           Thanks to that cd, Aftyn was introduced to the song "All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth".  Thanks to lots of encouragement and 2 very complying front teeth, 2 days ago she finally lost her 2nd front tooth so she can (and does) sing that song a lot! :) Aftyn is a worrier when it comes to losing teeth and has only managed to pull 1 of her teeth, leaving the pulling of the rest of them up to me.  She hates the sight of her own blood, it seems to make her worry that something bad and scary is happening to her body. Now that she can see the predictability of losing teeth, she frets less.

     Aftyn is becoming a great reader and at grandparents houses is likely to have a stack of books in her lap and sitting on a comfy couch, perusing them all. Not necessarily reading them though. She loves to look at all the pictures too. :)
           She is a huge help around our house, and generally very willing to hop up and help in whatever way I might be in need. She is an awesome example to her sisters in that way and I truly truly appreciate that about her and need to be better about thanking her for that. Bronwyn and Mirren are both great helpers because Aftyn is a great helper and sets a good example of how helping can be fun. And brings its own rewards.
         Most recently, Aftyn is very proud of her basketball skills and dribbling the ball. I think this girl has some basketball potential in her future! Truthfully, whatever sport they are working on in p.e. is the sport she wants to be mastering here at home. She clearly has a desire to play sports and master things that she likes. I love that about her at this time in her life.