My Flower Girl

E. During a Recent Excursion to Legoland

I know next to nothing about raising girls.  And I can't say that E. has made it easy on me.  She is sassy and opinionated.  She is also a total Momma's girl.  She's also not afraid to express her opinions.  I have often wondered whether I'm having any impact on her at all.

But despite my doubts, I know that I have to keep trying.  And hope that eventually I will be able to break through her "tough" outer shell.  It helps that she's adorable.  Or at least that I think that she's the most adorable four year old girl that I've ever met.

E. at R's Piano Recital

I try to consistently let her know that she's cute, that she's smart, that she's special, and that she's loved.  I also try to do stuff like making sure that I give her a kiss and hug every morning before I leave for work and letting her know how excited I am to see her when I get home from work.

I think my efforts are starting to pay off.  E. likes to tease me in the mornings by pretending that she doesn't want a kiss and hug, but then when I head downstairs, she will run after me to chase me down.  She also has started walking me out to the car every morning (which is really cute) and telling me about her big plans for each day.

A White Rose From Our Neighbor's Garden

Today was even better.  As I loaded up the car, she yelled for me to wait for her in the driveway and to not leave.  Then she dashed off down the sidewalk.  I tried to pretend that I didn't see her stop at the neighbor's rose bush.  Then she was back--almost as quickly as she left--with the rose from the picture above in her hand.

"Here Dad, this is for you!"

Even though I'm not normally a big fan of receiving flowers, I was really touched by E.'s sweet gesture.  The fact that she did it all on her own made it even more meaningful.  Sometimes being a dad to a little girl can be a lot of fun...even if I'm still not sure that I know what I'm doing.  =o)

E. Helps Take Care of Her Little Brother--Love That Cute Toothy Smile!