Monkey May at Five and a Half

Molly May's quirks can sometimes feel impossible to describe. She's our little sprite, full of spunk and fun, but also amazingly compliant and obedient. She'll jump up on stage and dance at our town's outdoor concerts in the summer, but sit quietly at storytime in kindergarten with her thumb securely in her mouth, observing and listening quietly. She can hang with the big kids in this house, but also fully embraces her role as baby, needing snuggles and cuddles more than either Joey or Clara.

Her tiny little body houses a huge personality that attracts both kids and adults, but it's her endless questions, her spot-on comments, her amazing memory, and her uncanny knowledge of every little thing that goes on around her that truly defines her right now. Almost every day, she says something or does something that makes my mouth fall open, whether it's suddenly mentioning the name of Joey and Clara's eye doctor, who she hasn't seen in over a year, or being able to remind her dad of the first and last name of any child or adult in this town. She's also my magical grocery store assistant. She often brings a book to the store and reads while I shop, but will get impatient if stand in one spot too long, staring at a shelf in search of an item. She can pinpoint the exact can of tomatoes, bag of lettuce, or bottle of cleaner that I'm looking for within seconds. Once, she overhead me ask a store clerk where a shower caddy was in Target, and she interrupted me, and said, "I saw that in the last aisle. Let me show you." She loves the reaction she gets from me in these moments, and will fall to pieces in giggles.

Since finishing her reading lesson book six months ago, just as she was turning five, her reading skills have exploded, and just last week, she astonished one of Clara's second grade friends when they discovered they were reading the same chapter book series, Princess Posey.  She also loves reading non-fiction and absorbing anything and everything she can about the world around her.

She's a favorite of her kindergarten teacher, and for the first part of the year, she insisted on wearing a bun in her hair every day just like her mentor. She has also maintained for a while that she wants to be a kindergarten teacher when she grows up, and practices almost every day in her bedroom with a classroom of stuffed animals, a box of books, and her "teacher voice."

For the little girl who perplexed us for years by simply drawing blobs and squiggles on paper -- a huge difference from our two other little artists -- it seems like the artistic part of her brain is finally engaged. Along with writing lots of letters, lists and stories, she loves drawing and coloring.

Here's a glimpse into the fun, entertaining personality of our little Monkey May.