six

Dear daughter, you are six.  I was actually with you at lunch today right when it happened.  I walked with you to the restroom, and when we were walking back I saw that you had actually turned 6 five minutes earlier.  I mentioned it to you (since you had been asking when exactly your age would change), and you happily skipped back to the table singing about being 6.  That is pretty much you these days.

So yeah, school.  You started kindergarten this year.  It has been quite the adjustment for me.  You and your brother are both so busy, and this is our first year where you two are going to school in different places.  With very different schedules.  My work has been very flexible, and I think I finally have it figured out.  You started off so well with school.  I must admit I was worried a bit.  You had been with your old friends for so long and aren't quite as outgoing as your brother.  Plus, you know, the actual change from daycare to actual school.  You did fine, though.  As the year has worn on, I do get mornings where you tell me you don't want to go to school but I think that has more to do with your brother still getting Grandma/Grandpa days.  Today you told me that y'all don't get to play enough at school.  I feel ya, honey.

I mentioned your schedule.  This year you kept taking swimming lessons.  You can keep yourself alive now so that's good.  We still need to work on strokes.  We're currently taking a break but will start back up again at a different place.  You have kept taking art classes and still enjoy them.  And you joined Girl Scouts. You're a Daisy.  It's been a learning curve for me since I wasn't one.  You sold cookies for the first time ever.  Your goal (driven solely by wanting to earn the stuffed llama) was 200 boxes.  You sold 231.  I'd guess that you yourself sold about half of those by going door-to-door and to your grandparents' Sunday School.  Pretty good for a 5-year-old.

You really enjoy books and hearing stories before bedtime.  You like playing with dolls and ponies and Legos and your brother. Y'all build forts.  You enjoy playdates.  You like watching tv or playing games on the iPad.  You're still interested in drawing and coloring and crafting.  You love your family and Callie.

You're a good kid.  You generally do what I ask (sometimes way more slowly than I'd like).  You can be sensitive (you come by that honestly).  You're kind and mostly happy.  Sometimes dramatic.  You're very smart.  I can hear the wheels turning when we read about history or people or different time periods.  You ask me really thoughtful questions that make me proud of you.  You basically have a really good heart. 

Your birthday party this year was My Little Pony.  You do really love watching that show.  Your grandparents have a friend who made a giant MLP and we borrowed it for the party.  Your friends also got pool noodle ponies and generally just ran around our house being crazy.  I let you invite who you wanted (with limits on numbers) so it was your first "kid" party.  I liked that you invited friends from school, your old daycare, and the neighborhood.  I didn't have friends from different places like that when I was growing up.  You have so much opportunity.  Anyway, it's interesting to watch how these parties evolve with age.  I think we're close to having girls-only parties since the boys sort of segregated themselves. 

You still keep your blonde hair long.  We don't have fancy hairstyles very often because we're just trying to get out the door in the morning.  You wear tennis shoes more now due to PE, but no other real trends on clothes.  You pick out what you like or--if I'm trying to speed y'all along some mornings--I make it a game to have you and your brother pick out each others' clothes.  You lost your first two teeth this year and two more are loose.  So for your first tooth?  The tooth fairy brought you two sparkly dollars.  Shortly thereafter, we were watching something on tv (Amazon Prime) and you and your brother wanted to watch an old Ghostbusters cartoon that was not free.  I told y'all as much and asked if you had $2 (as one episode was $1.99).  You jumped up and said, "Yes!"  You ran upstairs and brought down your money.  After confirming you really meant it, I went ahead and bough the whole season for just a few dollars more just because I was so impressed with you (and thought you were pretty funny). 

And this year's questions:

  • What is your favorite food? Chocolate
  • Favorite movie? Beauty and the Beast 
  • Favorite color? Silver
  • Favorite thing to do? Watch TV
  • Who is your best friend? Mireya
  • Where is your favorite place to go? Home 
  • What do you want to be when you grow up? Artist 

  • Oh, kid.  You're something else.  I'm very proud of you and the person you're becoming.  It's weird to sometimes feel like you're a real person.  Not just my kid.  And at the same time, I see the 5th graders (who look HUGE) and can't believe that will be you before I know it.  Daddy mentioned that you're 1/3 of the way to moving out of the house for college.  Kill joy.  I'm just going to hang onto you as long as you'll let me.  Happy birthday, girl!

    Comments

    crowd favorites

    100 things--thankful

    hey, would you like to see the nursery?