Dear Addie (At 5 Years Old)

Dear Addie,

You are FIVE! My favorite things about you right now are the random, "I love you's," I get at all different times. Just the other day, while in the car at a stop sign, I looked back at you and you said, "I love you mom!" You recently have added, "You are the best mom I've ever had!" and we laugh when I remind you I am the ONLY mom you have ever had! At bed time, when you are more sentimental, you've added, "Mom, I hope you live forever."

You continue to be the perfect mix of a girly girl and tough tomboy and for several months now you have been able to cross the monkey bars all by yourself. I am jealous of your upper body strength. For your 5th birthday you just got to start real gymnastics classes and I am so impressed with how you have dived right in along side the much older group of girls and I really feel like it's challenging you in a very good way. 

 Addie, you are so beautiful both inside and out. You love all animals and bugs and Smokey's recent passing was sad for you. You keep telling us that you want a white dog that you want to name Snowflake. You are so polite and thougtful, the other evening I was nursing Delaney in my room and the microwave was beeping with some tea I had made. Without being asked, you got the hot tea out of the microwave and carfully carried it into me. You want to be with Delaney a lot now, wanting to change her diaper and you want to sit next to her in the car always working hard to make her smile.

 

Your have turned into quite the flirt at five years old. We laugh when we watch you around older boys like Mason and your camp couselors... it kind of worries us when we think about what is in our future with you as a teenager.

 Your facial features have suddenly stood out to me, your face looks so much like an older child's and I find myself just staring at you in awe of how beautiful you are. We recently cut six inches of your curls off for the summer and it has made it so much easier to take care of it, with you swimming every day and sometimes twice a day.

 Speaking of swimming, you are a FISH. Several parents have stopped me at camp in the last couple of weeks, commenting on your swimming. Your friend Maddie came home telling her mom that you are the only one that gets to swim in the really deep end! Swiming is the ultimate thing you ALWAYS want to be doing.

You love to be with your brother, playing "dogs," more than anything. I keep saying how amazing your bond is with your brother and how you both have this gift of compromise when you are together. Carter lets go of the sports and superheros and you give up the stickers and dress up to find this perfect balance of playing pretend games with one another. We give thanks everyday that you two were born so close to one another.

As another year passes and you get ready to start Kindergarten, new adventures are around the corner. Your first horse back riding lesson, loose tooth and sleep over will occur. Although I can't wait for the years of the Taylor Swift concerts, mother/daughter pedicures and science fair projects, right now I would love to hit "pause" on you at five. I can't imagine how you are going to get any better than the amazing little girl you are right now in this moment in life.

I love you so very much!

Mommy