Another Side of Reagan

There are lots of great things about having Lily in our family, but I think one of the best is watching Reagan be a big sister.  She's an amazing one and we never would've seen that side of her if Lily Bird hadn't come along.

This picture is two years old but it's one of my all-time favorites of Reagan and The Bird.

Let me give you an example of just what a great big sister Reagan is.

Last Tuesday night, Ryley had a basketball game.

Reagan sat with a group of friends while Ryan, Lily and myself sat a few rows behind her.

Since Lily is not at all impressed with her sister's mad basketball skills, we always bring the iPad to keep her occupied.  This way, Ryan and I get to actually watch the game.

The only occasional kink in this plan is sometimes it can get a little quiet in the gym during free throws. And we have discovered that it can be distracting to all players on the floor when they can hear the intro song to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing in the stands.

I personally think the girls need to be a little more focused on the game but that's just me.

So anyway, several times during the course of the game, Lily would start singing along with the iPad.  Her singing is more like a continuous humming, kind of like a repetitive "mmmmmmm" sound.  It can get louder or softer, depending on how much she's getting into the music.

Again, this is never a problem unless it happens to get quiet.

While no one on the gym floor heard her singing, the people closest to us did.

Still no big deal.

Most people just look to see who's making the sound, smile and look back at the game.

Sometime, I'll have to tell you about Ryan's remedy for the people who simply keep staring.  It's quite interesting.

I happened to notice that a couple of Reagan's friends looked over their shoulders when Lily first started singing.  No staring, laughing or finger pointing - just a quick glance to identify the sound.

When we got in the car to head home, it was just Reagan and me.

Knowing how kids can be, I asked her if any of her friends ever made fun of Lily's sounds or laughed at her.

Reagan got this look on her face that I can only describe as fierce.

She looked right at me and said, "No. No one has ever teased or made fun of her at all.  At least not in front of me.  And I'll tell you this:  if someone does, I'll give them a bloody nose so fast, they won't do it again.  They can give me detention or suspend me from school.  I don't care."

Wow.

As a responsible adult, here's where I'm supposed to tell her something like, "we never solve problems with our fists."

But I don't always like being a responsible adult.

So I said, "Atta girl!"

It was a proud moment for me.