Give Me Five!

My baby is five today. I would cry about it, but last night she told me, "You don't have to cry about it." Later she asked me why I would cry about it and I told her because she's not a little baby anymore. But, I assured her that I am ok with missing my little baby since I get such a cool big kid now. Then, she made us both feel better when she reasoned that she is still the "littlest" in the house so that makes her still the baby. So, I asked her if that meant she would still be my baby and she agreed. We're good.

Kate, (I won't call you Katelyn, because I know, you're just Kate) today you are five years old. The changes that have happened in the last year have been evident to everyone who knows you. You've gone from a shy, reluctant pre-schooler to a talkative, social kindergartner. You know all of your letters and numbers and how to write your name. The only thing you didn't master in pre-school was learning our address, but you told the lady testing you at school that, "It's ok, my brother is here. He knows it." :) You have now had two nights of homework and gone to dance class without me. You are independent, spunky, silly, sweet and fun. Nothing in the world right now does my heart as good as walking past your bedroom and watching you play with your dolls or catching you dancing on the bed. You love to sing and break out in song wherever you are. My favorite was the first day of school when I caught you in the bedroom singing, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".....

You have become such a big girl. You put your shoes and backpack in the closet everyday, you help me fold towels and you even put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder, something I haven't been able to teach anybody else in this house to do.  :) You like to help me cook and set the table. Sometimes that means plates of spaghetti accidentally end up on the floor, but that's ok. It's still not as messy as a toddler covered in peanut butter.

You adore your brother and sister and they adore you. You show Eli your affection by tackling him, and he shows you his by giving you turns on the computer. You think the sun rises and sets on Sarah, and she thinks you're pretty special, too!

This is your birthday card from them and I hope that one day you will realize how the relationship you have with them is one of the greatest gifts in life!

I love watching you grow and mature, but also watching you carry your pillow pet and bear around with you. This is a precious age of sweet hugs and kisses and learning new things. I would cry thinking about you growing out of this little girl phase, but instead I'll just be excited to watch my little bundle of personality continue to grow and turn into the gift God plans for you to be!