Happy 5th Birthday, Ellie!!

Ellie,

My baby. Where oh, where has the time gone. I am the mother of all big kids now. No one here is even toddling anymore. You are your own little person. A sweet, happy and lovable little kid.

February 2013

I often am asked, "Is she always this happy?" And thankfully, I am able to reply with a yes, she is. Ellie Loo, you almost always have a smile on your face. Even when you do cry I can make you stop almost instantly by asking you to smile for me. You're not a big crier though - really only about clothes (I'll explain that in a second) and when you get your feelings hurt. You truly are just a happy person.

 March 2013

But oh, the clothes crying. You have become quite opinionated in the clothing department. You DO NOT like dresses that require a shirt to be worn underneath them. You DO NOT like jeans. You DO NOT like sweaters that go over your head (rather than zip up). You DO NOT like turtlenecks. Ellie, you have some seriously cute clothes in your closet that prompt the biggest fits. It drives me crazy. And you never actually win these little fights. I make you wear what I pull out everyday with the promise that if you simply put it on, with no protesting, I will let you change when you get home. You still protest half the time. I'm ready for you to realize that you are going to wear what I pick out so just go with it and change when you get home. I have to admit though that I have to be in a really patient mood to pick out some outfits that I know you hate, but I feel you should wear at least once. I definitely have our standbys that we wear over and over again.

 April 2013

You do have a thing for shoes though. You love shoes and will change shoes 5 times a day. You also love to dress up. You come home from school every day, shed the offensive outfit I made you wear, and put on a princess dress with (dress up) high heel shoes. And then promptly find me to show your outfit off.  The boys still like to dress up too so the 3 of you have hours of fun doing this together and building crazy scenarios with your imaginations. I never know who I am going to run into in this house in the late afternoons...

 May 2013

Your favorite activity is to play baby dolls. You spend hours upon hours playing with your babies. They all have names and very elaborate stories about what they are doing, where they are going, who's related to whom, what trouble they are in, and what clothes they should wear. It is hysterical to listen to. Absolutely hysterical. You have a lot of good sports who play babies with you often, including your brothers, but I think CiCi takes the prize here. She will play with you for an entire afternoon. This is one of your most favorite things in the world. You beg me to take you to her house to play babies with her. I'm so glad you have that bond with her. As exhausting as it is, we both know that soon enough you won't want to play babies with us one day.

 June 2013

You also like adventures, being outside and getting dirty. You are most certainly the younger sister of two boys and the daughter of two active, outdoorsy parents. I love that you keep up with us and want to know all about our next adventure. I also love that you don't mind getting dirty and can dig up worms with the best of them. You will follow "your boys" all around the country, engaging in whatever war they have concocted.

 July 2013

You are excelling in school, right on the cusp of being able to read some basic words. Actually, you can "read" about 15 words which is awesome. You know all the letter sounds and can spell words like pop, mom, dad, dog just because you know the sounds. It's so much fun to watch you and to hear you "reading" to yourself. I am thrilled that you seem so taken with learning and want to succeed. I think Kindergarten is going to be a huge year for you and I am so excited to watch it.

 August 2013

You are a huge help with Birdie. You want to help me train her and you love to snuggle with her. Right now Birdie thinks you are her biggest playmate which unfortunately means she play bites you constantly. You tolerate this because you are dying to play with her, but it's very annoying to you. We are working on stopping it, and Birdie has come a long way. I know you two will be the best of friends as you grow up together. I love how you light up when you see her after school, asking, "How was your day, Bird's the Word?"

 September 2013

Some of my most favorite qualities of your sweet 5 year old self are your laugh, your smile, your hugs. You bargain with me in hugs and kisses - Mama, I'll give you a thousand hugs if I can have a cookie. You'll tell me at the end of the day that you haven't had enough hugs and need a few more before bedtime. You hug your friends when you get to school and when you leave. You smile and wave at strangers who speak to you. You rarely have to be reminded to use your please and thank you manners. And if someone speaks to you, you speak back.

 October 2013

You are remarkably selfless at this age too. You often give up your turn to someone waiting, will share the last cookie, share your toys. You like to make others happy. You get upset for them when they are sad. You have a huge heart, and I pray you always will. You also know how to stand up for yourself when needed which I suppose comes from being the baby in a family of 5. You can tell those brothers what's what if needed and often get your way without resorting to a fit. Don't get me wrong, you have your share of fits. Thankfully, they aren't often and don't last long. You just can't help but smile.

 November 2013

Another little thing that you do that warms my heart is that you whisper things to yourself before you say them out loud. It's almost like you're making sure that's what you want to say before you say it. Or you're testing the word. You do it in almost every converstation we have. I adore this. Here's a short clip of an example that I made just to document this:

You're ridiculously cute.

 December 2013

I'm so blessed to have you for a daughter, Ellie. I pray we always have a close relationship and that you always know that you've brought so much sunshine and happiness to our family. I'm thankful for your big heart, your smiles, your precious hugs. I love your sweet voice, your devotion to your baby dolls, your patience with Birdie, the look in your eyes when you look up at "your boys."

January 2013

You've brought a huge amount of joy and love to our family in your 5 short years, Chicken. We are all in love with your spunk and your infectious happiness. Thank you for being such a precious treasure, and we pray for many (many) more fabulous years to come.

You are loved beyond measure.

Mama