Dear Gracie,
My goodness...it's already March, and I'm just getting to a post about you! Times have been busy, my dear, and there never are enough hours in the day. You, of course, are one of the reasons we stay so busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
You had a fantastic birthday and birthday party. As you're dad said the other night...you love yourself quite a bit (seriously, you like to look at yourself in the mirror A LOT), so having a few days focused on you was right up your alley! You felt pretty special being recognized at school and sharing your birthday bag...not so much shyness in you these days! You liked getting to bring cupcakes to school as well. Grandma and Grandpa Huinker came over in the evening for spaghetti, and you were absolutely thrilled to open presents. You had lots of fun blowing out your trick candles numerous times, too. Grady loved this as well and was a giggling machine watching you - it was pretty cute. Here are a few pictures of your birthday...the last one shoes how much Grady liked those candles!
Your birthday party the next weekend was very fun for both adults and
kids alike...we did a joint celebration for you and your best buddy Maggie who turns 5 just two weeks after you (she was actually born on your due date). We headed, per tradition, to Cresco for swimming and a poolside lunch. You especially enjoyed hanging in the hot tub and playing
with your best bud Maggie.
Back to some basics about you... At your 5-year well-child check, you weighed in at 37 pounds (30%) and were 3 feet 5 3/4 inches tall (34%). You are a bit of a peanut - skin and bones but crazily strong, too! You were a little stink at your appointment; you acted like the nurse was going to hurt when she wanted to take your blood pressure, refused to answer any of the doctor's questions seriously, and screamed when it was time for your shots. Whew - I was glad it was just the two of us because I don't think I could have handled another kid at that point!
Sometimes I think you have multiple personalities...and these personalities can change by the second! You can be giggling like mad and cranky as can be two seconds later. You can be loving and...not so loving. You can be such a big girl and then act like you don't know how to put your clothes on. You can be so kind to your brother and sister and then mad at them for something small. You get the idea. But, as much as I admit I find you exasperating, I sure to love your spunk. You are probably one of the most persistent people I know. This stubbornness can get you in trouble (although you're getting the hang of consequences), but I know it has the potential to take you great places one day. You have so much energy, are so silly and entertaining, and have the best smile and laugh in the world.
I'm pretty sure you are more excited than anyone else about kindergarten next year. You actually thought that you got to start kindergarten when you turned five. Needless to say, you were a bit disappointed when they didn't turn out to be the case. You also thought kindergarten started right after the "Come and See Day" at St. Ben's. Once again, it was tough on you to learn you had to wait until next August! But, I sure am glad you are excited about school and loving preschool. You've really started to do a lot of writing lately and talk a lot about learning to read next year. I'm anxious to hear what your teachers have to say about you at conferences!
You have lots of favorite activities right now. You are pretty obsessed with the iPad - both games and watching shows. However, you're also really pretty decent about stopping that when I tell you. I'm very ready for some nice weather so that we can get outside. You've been practicing on the sun porch with your roller blades, so I know you'll be anxious to get out on the street with those and your bike. Otherwise, you really like coloring and writing, reading books, playing in your doll house and with your stuffed animals, dancing, jumping on the trampoline, playing kitchen, and generally being silly. I anticipate many trips to the park this spring too so you can renew your obsession with the monkey bars.
You are really into doing whatever Olivia is doing lately. This has been challenging because that means you're bummed when you can't do jazz, piano (first grade rule at our house), and Soda Club (music and dancing) and get sad because you can't ride the bus. However, you are very excited about doing some of these things next year and more after that. You are also very obsessed with sleeping with Olivia, and this has been going on for the last couple of months. You two go back and forth between her room and your room. I don't mind...it's pretty sweet actually. You're pretty sweet with Grady too and do a good job of playing with him for the most part. Sometimes you get mad because you just can't understand why he's so up in your business!
Overall, you're a pretty sweet girl! I love your random acts of love and kindness, your obsession with being tickled, your preference to walk around in your panties, and your imaginative nature. I tease you about still sucking your fingers, but I remind myself that those days won't be much longer, so it's okay to still be "little" too.
Gracie-girl, monkey, toot-machine, we love you sooooo much!
Mommy
