FIVE!

you wanted to put down your blankie before i took a pic of you ready for gramma school so you didn't look like a baby <3 

we are doing light pre-k homeschool and you are a whiz, but only when you want to be. you don't like practicing your writing or reading, but scissor skills or crafts you could do ALL DAY

you're super interested in science. you always have so many Qs that I can't answer and we go google. I won you this book and you were obsessed til you had it pretty much memorized. 

you and Junie can't bathe together or you just fight, but by yourself, you will sit in the bath for literally hours. especially if we let you listen to music! 

so into your dresses! so into decorating! so into all your tiny little treasures. such a girl <3

your fav fav fav shoes- til they got left outside and the sole wouldn't stay down. they were so worn, but I let you wear them everywhere because you loved them so much! 

you said this was grandma with her braces and I about died laughing. 

any time we watch a new movie as a family, you are SO into it for a few weeks. we watched Wreck It Ralph right before your bday, so tia jess got this on your cake- so sweet! 

you have the biggest ideas! today, you wanted to use food to make a whole pretend village (grapes as trees, cherries as heads connected to cheese sticks with a toothpick for people, etc.). you want to make elaborate crafts. I feel so guilty saying no, but man you would do a huge elaborate craft every single day if I let you. you are going to go far with that imagination girlie

annual beach trip for your and June's bdays and it SNOWED! you actually built that snowman pretty much by yourself! lots of tears when the rocks wouldn't stay put and June knocked it over haha but you worked so hard and it was really precious! 

playing "hair salon"

comforting June after she got a cut on some broken glass

ok you and your sister are little besties, but also fight like nothing I have seen before. I am thankful that you have each other to learn social etiquette with and pray all the time that you will grow up to be the very best of friends <3 

wait...who just came to my front door?!

freeze tag with Elsa

Frozen birthday party for you and June! You really believed that Elsa was real and could not stop talking about how you wanted to visit Anna now. and how much you wanted Elsa to come back next year. hahaha. precious girl! we kept it simple because mama was too pregnant for much, but a lot of your little friends came and it was awesome! 

Fav toy: Lol doll

 Fav fruit: pear 

Fav movie: brave 

Fav outfit: shopkins dress 

Fav game: hot owl hoot 

Fav food: crackers and candy 

Fav animal: warrior cat

 Fav song: let it go

 Fav book: frozen book

 Best friend: allison mikayla and ruby

 Fav cereal: honey bunches of oats

 Fav thing to do outside: ride my bike

 Fav drink: apple juice

 Fav holiday: my birthday 

Fav thing: my blankie 

how did we celebrate your 5th bday day: chocolate chip pancakes, bow tie pasta alfredo with shrimp and mushrooms. Ita got you mcDs and a LOL doll! 

What will you be when you grow up: Elsa...no I will dress up as Venelope and trick kids that I'm real and I'm going to earn $ and when I get enough $ im going to buy my own restaurant (panda express). 

my sweet girl- you are such a light and joy in our lives

my precious girl. you are at such an interesting age. you will be 5 in just 2.5 months and you are FULL of life. you love to make us laugh- always doing silly things and asking us to watch. this morning as we were doing a little preschool homeschooling, we were working on the tail of your lowercase a and daddy explained how the tail of a cat doesn't come out of its neck, but its bottom (he is so patient with teaching you!) and you drew a huge long tail all the way down to the bottom of the page and started cracking up at your own joke.... ;) You are OBSESSED with Elsa and all things Frozen right now. We are planning a Frozen bday party for you and Junie and you love to think about it and look over Pinterest ideas. You have definite friends who you enjoy and some you call your best friends even though you hardly see them- Allison was your best friend for sure, but she moved 5 hours away :( and then you have MiKayla and Ruby and most recently Elliotte that you enjoy the most! but you also enjoy James Lemay, Austin Kukis, and Noelle Byun quite a bit and see them much more often! You and June have really started playing together like crazy and it is SO SO fun! You are starting to create elaborate scenarios and play them out for hours at a time- right now, you are off playing "gym" after I had you do a little home workout video. you are the teacher and June is your student and you are running around outside to Ita's gym and doing exercise and then coming in upstairs, etc. Its been at least 30 mins- its the best! I wanted this for you (and for me!) so badly and I prayed for it so much! I pray you and your sister are the very best of friends for life! of course, there is lots of fighting too...but that is to be expected, right? You love to wear fancy dresses and often are fully dressed before I even wake up in the mornings. You are starting to read simple words and can write most of your letters (not well yet, but its a start!) and your name! You love BSF and talk to me about God all the time- its the best! and you LOVE art! I just don't have the patience to sit around and do arts and crafts and then clean it all up so it is a real effort for me to help you with crafts, but you would do it all day long if you could. especially anything glitter. you are just so so joyful (most of the time- we are certainly working on attitude ;)) and you bring so much fun into our family. I don't know what I would do without you. I am so looking forward to watching you blossom into a 5 year old, starting school, learning to read, riding a bike, etc. etc. and even more so I think with so much joy about our relationship once you are grown up and how much I value our friendship. I hope you always love me as much as you do now! and always want to spend time with me <3 <3 I am the luckiest to be your mama!!! xoxoxoxox

BSF childcare volunteering (w/Elliotte)

for a while you refused to go to Sunday school and sat w/ us in service. you would draw a picture for the offering bucket each week!

farm helper!

always wanting to help! 

you got to ride horses for the first time at my 10 yr high school reunion and you were all about it. afraid for 2 mins and then you did it over and over again and have asked to go back so many times. 

we went on a special mom/Jo date to go swimming, but the pool was closed so we ended up buying ice cream from the ice cream truck and walking to Goodwill to pick out a toy! You loved it, but your ice cream did melt and you only got to eat half of it haha. 

raspberry nice cream!

first real hair cut! mom did your other 2 and it wasn't worth the $ saved.

donuts after farm deliveries!

Jessica and Jailine did trampoline time with you and June every night and you were so happy. you thought about it all day and would ask and ask if it was time yet

we love the Saturday markets! always getting a honey stick

I am obviously a little obsessed with watching you sleep. sorry if its creepy, but you're just so angelic <3 <3 <3

I had to put in some favorites of you and your sister because you two together make my heart light up like crazy. I love your relationship! I always wanted a sister and finally got Alisa, but she is 10 years younger and it isn't the same. you two are always matching and cuddling and helping each other when one is sad and playing together- it is the best thing EVER. 

a little family beach trip! you girls LOVE the beach! can't wait to take you to Mexico next year where the beach is really really warm!

you also have very strong relationships with all your extended family! You know who loves you and you certainly reciprocate! Gramma Sandee does "gramma school" a few times a month and it is the highlight of your week. pretty much you school a little and then play and go to Goodwill and eat out just you and her, no June to share the attention...so I can see why you love it ;) and you are Ita's little helper- you go everywhere with her. I am so thankful that you can do that with baby brother coming- I know all summer long, you're going to be helping her on the farm and you're going to think it is the best thing ever. You have such a generous heart and love to help. and love the responsibility of being in charge of a task. and you LOVE your cousins- you will want to be at the farm just to be near them even if you're "working". 

first time camping! you LOVED it and were all about riding your bike up and down with your friends. you and Allison were inseparable. you were a little torn because Ruby wanted to play too and didn't really want to play with Allison too, but you were so busy and active the whole time. you crashed in my lap at the outdoor church service ;) 

bringing dad dinner for father's day

we are so thankful to have you in our family <3 <3 <3