Happy 5th Birthday!

I can't believe my "little" girl is 5 today. Where has the time gone? You will be going to kindergarten in just a few months!

Your daddy and I were so blessed when you made us parents 5 years ago. You were a wonderful baby, a somewhat difficult (strong-willed!) toddler, and you're growing up so quickly before our eyes.

You are my picky eater, my dramatic girl, my energizer bunny. You have endless energy that I wish you could share with me! You love your brother dearly and you are the best big sister he could ever have asked for. You love to help "mother" him and snuggle with him when he needs it (wonder how long that snuggling part will last before you just want to lock him out of your room!)

You love chocolate like me. You share my queasy stomach and have to deal with car sickness. You share my teeth and their attraction to cavities (sorry!). You are told how much you look like (a better looking version of) your daddy. You love soccer, dance, and gymnastics--if I ask you to choose your favorite you can't pick just one--unless daddy is in the room then he convinces you to say soccer!

Alex and her dance teacher Miss Liz

You are full of life and laughter. You love to be tickled. You love to be chased by your daddy (as long as he doesn't hide from you and try to scare you). You continue to have an aversion to most movies--we still haven't figured out the reason behind this but we hope that you will someday grow out of it! You have added Cinderella to the short list of movies you will watch--you still prefer to stick to TV or videos.

You are mommy's girl--you love hanging out with me, helping with gardening, planting flowers, washing dishes (sometimes). You love pink and purple. You love wearing dresses every day.
getting ready for her sleepover at school last week

I love our time we spend together at night before bed. You are looking for reasons to keep me in your room so you're always wanting to talk to me about your day, what we have planned for the weekend, and anything else you can come up with. You often come up with your deeper, more thought provoking questions at night, too. You love reading your storybook Bible and asking questions about Jesus, which I love. Your love for Jesus is growing and it's so wonderful to see. We want you to continue to grow up with a loving heart, a heart that loves God, and be a person who wants to love and care for others.

I hope the day doesn't come where you no longer want me to snuggle with you at night, pick you up and give you big hugs--because I love all of these things so much! It makes all the difficult, frustrating moments with you pale in comparison to the special moments we share.
Your dad, Kellan and I love you very much. Happy 5th birthday big girl!