Remarkable Elliot Rose

As always, a couple weeks away from our regular schedule makes me so much more aware of the little changes in the girls when we return. Mornings with Elliot this week have been intense. She moves from one fantastic made up game to the next. If I add something new, like when I pushed two chairs together to make a boat, she immediately incorporates it into her story. Suddenly Jack and Annie (of Magic Tree House Fame) are on a mission to save a wolf adrift on an iceberg (I truly don't think she heard anything about that news story!)

She also begs to do crafts every day, surprising me with her kindergarten-level cutting abilities and powers of concentration. The only drawback is that with all this creativity and will to lead, she is easily frustrated into a pseudo tantrum (they pale in comparison to Maya's full-blown ones, so I can't just name them tantrums) if her idea isn't immediately adopted by all around her.

So each morning I give her the reins, and each afternoon I try to help her learn a little patience as she once again must take turns with her sister.

Rowing her boat on a wolf rescue mission.

 Ever galloping.

Cutting out her homemade puzzle all by herself!

Helping us build the first of four iterations of homemade tornadoes.

She calls this the "let's feed the hippos" game. If any hippo finishes without any marbles, she says "aw, poor little guy," and shares her bounty.