"Why?"

The other night as I was telling Amy good night, I told her that I think she's a pretty awesome kid. She said "Why?" I thought she was just being silly, but she honestly wanted to know why I think she's awesome. So I told her. She's awesome because:

• When she loves something, she really loves it. Really. She doesn't just like Harry Potter or the Warriors, or now Star Wars a little bit. She loves them with her whole heart and wants to learn everything there is to know about them. 
• She works so hard at the things she loves doing, like drawing. It's incredible how her drawings have improved over time – she doesn't give herself enough credit for how good they are. She's done a couple of time lapses of her drawings from start to finish, and it's amazing to watch. She's working on her recording techniques to better capture her work. 
• She's a prolific writer (and artist, too) but likes keeping the things she writes to herself. From what I can tell, she writes a lot of her own versions of Warriors stories. Maybe one day she'll work up to sharing them with us.
• She is kind-hearted and sensitive, and knows herself very well. Sometimes she shows such introspection that it's hard to believe she's just 11. Even her asking me this question - why do I think she's awesome – to me shows her maturity and self-awareness. 

Let's hope she truly heard all these reasons. She's definitely a totally terrific kid!