She has a little Elsen in her...

My dear, sweet Sydnie. If you know her at all, you know that a lot of the time the girl is... shy? stubborn? a little difficult at times? She doesn't like: being cold, being hot, loud noises, people-- especially but not limited to large crowds, trying new things, talking to anyone but her Mom or Brother... and, oh man! The list goes on. In fact, the list is SO LONG that we often joke that she is truly a Howell.  And this friendly quip doesn't just refer to her looks, which are very Howell-like.  Let me try to explain this delicately... Um... The Howels, particularly my own sweet Shane and his folks, Joann and Leonard, tend to have a peculiar attitude towards things.  They don't care to: be hot, be cold, drive long distances, drive in traffic, drive at night, stop for any reason while driving somewhere, be around people-- especially crowds, wait in lines, try new things, doing anything spur of the moment, or do anything that will interfere with "the daily grind" such as coming home late on a work night.  Sound familiar? Now, I am sure at this point that you are thinking "WHY DID YOU MARRY A HOWELL?!?"  Well, Joann and Leonard are the nicest, most generous people you will ever meet, and although the list above is ridiculous, they are still good people. And as for Shane... Well, the man would do anything for me. Flat out, he spoils me rotten. And it's not that he is "anti-fun"... he just has a bad habit of letting "the work" (like packing a camper or driving 3 hrs) or the "downside" (like 95* weather or waiting in long lines) get in the way of "the fun"!  SO, when I say that Sydnie is a Howell at heart, that's kinda what I mean.  Now, I myself am usually an Elsen. My Grandma and Grandpa Elsen taught us well about living life to the fullest and to always opt for fun, even though sometimes it's more work than fun! Us Elsen's thrive on camping, boating, trips to Lagoon, experiencing things that are new, exciting, and fun, as well as appreciating the simple joys of life like spending time with family or going out for ice cream.  Now, Cordel? He's about 92.5% Elsen, and the rest Howell. And until recently, we thought Sydnie 100% Howell. ALL. THE. WAY. But something has changed in our sweet Sydnie over the past 6 months or so...Her Elsen genes are becoming stronger. She has been breaking out of her little shell, slowly at times, and then surprisingly fast and fearless at other times. She started preschool last winter and even though she usually cried a little when I dropped her off, she fell in love with it and always had a great time. This summer, we have been doing swim lessons and I was shocked, shocked I tell you! when she actually got into the pool at the very first lesson. She also has been increasing the size of her "circle of friends" occasionally including people like Alan, who I wrote about in this post.  She has played a few times with the neighbor girl, Lexi, which is huge for her! I know!! And most recently, she went to Lagoon with us where she rode more rides that I could have ever imagined she would, including Dinosaur Drop, The Sky Ride (which Cordel still refuses to ride), Jumping Dragon, Tidal Wave, Odysea, and the new roller coaster Bombora.  In fact, when comparing her first trip to Cordel's, she rode more "big kid" rides than he did!

This is her waiting in line to ride Bombora. Just to give you an idea of how extreme this ride is, here is the official description from their website.

BomBora is a dynamic coaster with numerous state-of-the-art high speed thrilling elements including sudden drops, banked turns, compound spirals, and more. An innovative 16-seat train pairs riders side by side accompanied by rocking music and elegantly lighted theming. The amply padded seat and restraint securely holds riders at the waist to provide exhilarating upper body freedom during the ride.

Yup! And she rode it twice!

I love my daughter to the moon and stars including all of her funny little quirks. And even though I poke fun at them,  I am truly proud to be a part of the Howell Clan.  Like the saying says,
"We may not have it all together but together we have it all."

But, God Bless the fact Sydnie
does indeed have a little Elsen in her!