You had the flu twice this
Winter (both strands A and B). You were such a trooper and we made it as
fun as possible. To try to keep the rest of us healthy (we were
successful) we quarantined you to your bedroom. We had fun playing hotel
room service and pretending your room was your own private pirate ship.
You got a bit stir crazy as the days went on, but it really wasn't too
bad. Both cases were mild, thank goodness, and you were up and at 'em in
just a few short days.
You continued to be an excellent
big sister this Winter and were the so excited about your brother's
Bap-I-tism (how you pronounced it). It has been so fun watching you two
grow together and how much you love him. Your favorite things to do
right now are: make him laugh with funny noises, help bathe him, hold
him facing you like "grown ups do," and helping to feed him solid foods.
You also had your first Daddy/Daughter dance in February.
Daddy gave you a corsage and took you to the special occasion. You
danced and danced and loved every minute of it. What special memories!!
Family Reunion:
For
some reason, you have family reunions and funerals mixed up in your
head. This is a video you insisted on making after we discussed the
passing of Billy Graham. I pray your sweet heart stays focused on God's
love and helping others for your entire lifetime. You have a true
servant's heart!
As you can see in all the pictures, we had a fabulous Christmas this year. My favorite part that I just had to document was the new tradition that you came up with. In the car on the way home from church, you said that you wanted to start a new tradition of everyone standing around the christmas tree, holding hands and saying a prayer. Before bed time, you had us all gather around and you said the prayer. Man, do I wish I had recorded it as your sweet and sensitive heart came through big time! You said thank you for giving us all that we need and to help us give others what they need. You said thank you for the best gifts at Christmas time that is family. Be. Still. My. Heart! Love you so much!
While I'm out on maternity leave with your brother, the best ten minutes of my day have become when I get to pick you up from school and hear about your day on the ride home. You are so enthusiastic in everything you say and truly love the little things about life. It's so refreshing, especially on days when I'm exhausted! You have the best attitude about school and learning and I am so proud to be your mom. Your voice is so precious to me and I love to hear what's important to you on a daily basis. Here is a sample of what makes me happy every single day:
Well baby girl, you've had an exciting few weeks! You had your first day of Kindergarten and your baby brother arrived! You have been such a trooper with all of these changes. Since your brother is in the NICU, you've only been able to see him once, but have been super patient and have enjoyed Facetiming him. You've gotten up with your alarm clock each day, dressed yourself, brushed your hair and teeth, and gone downstairs to eat breakfast. We are so proud of how "go with the flow" you've been! Grandmommy and Grandaddy have been helping out as mommy and daddy have to spend a lot of time in the hospital, and we are so proud of how good you've been for them.
You love school! The only complaint was since you started school on a Thursday after the weekend, Monday was hard. You were tired and upon waking up said, "It's not fair! I only get one weekend and then I have to go back to school?" It was absolutely precious! You have received all positive notes from school so far and are really enjoying it. You were even excited to do your first homework assignment(hope that lasts through high school and beyond!) You continue to amaze us with your kind heart, positive attitude, and creative spirit. We can't wait to see where you go with your schooling and learning!
Your daddy is the best! He took you to your first day of school and loved it!
Mommy just had a c-section, so was sad to not take you to your first day of school.
Our future "famous singer!"
Excited to complete your first homework assignment at your desk!
It's May, you've turned five and summer is only two weeks away. I can't wait to spend my days with you soaking up sun, getting ready for baby Andrew, and playing fun things with you! Here's what you've been up to lately that Dad and I don't want to forget:
1. Saying "at" when you mean "that." It's precious and makes us so happy. You are very detailed in your storied and explanations, so end up using "at" quite a bit.
2. Learning to read. While you've been sounding out words well for quite some time, you read your first book from cover to cover without assistance the other night. At Kindergarten orientation, you got to pick a book to take home and practice with over the summer. You read it all by yourself on the first try as soon as we got home that night. We are so proud of how much you love reading and doing math and other school work. We pray your love of learning sticks around forever! I didn't get the first reading on film, but you read it again for me the next morning in the day care parking lot. I only got a part before my phone ran out of memory, but it still give the idea of how great you're doing with reading!
3. Graduating from preschool/daycare! On May 25, you graduated from day care. Here you are at your precious ceremony. You have been given a great start by the teachers are your schools (Kids R Kids in Georgia and Creative Beginnings in Irmo). We are especially thankful for the Biblical foundations you have been given at Creative Beginnings from Ms. Virginia! While part of us is sad to see you moving on, we are also proud and excited and can't wait to see all of the great things you accomplish! We love you!
We can't believe that you are already five years old! It seems like just yesterday you were learning to walk. We are so proud of the sweet, polite, strong-willed young lady you are becoming. You are smart and a rule follower and love Jesus and people. We celebrated at our house with church friends and family this year and an "under the sea" party theme. It was a blast!
You on your fourth birthday, just to see how much you've grown in a year!!
