FIVE.

Dear Maizey,

I love that you are five years old. You have been anxiously awaiting this big year for months and I am so excited for you to get to say that you are five now.
I also can't believe that you are five years old.
I also want to freeze time and make you stay this age forever.



You start kindergarten next week (maybe. as long as the teachers aren't on strike anymore) and that blows my mind. What will my day be like with you gone six hours of it? And five days a week? I can't even guess how much I will miss you, but I know it will be a lot. You are soooo excited to start school - particularly to pack a lunch and get to be in the same classroom as Peyton was in last year. I know you are ready for this huge milestone, to step out of the comfort zone of the friends that you have and the people you know and meet new ones, the ones that you decide you want in your life, rather than the ones that we have placed in your life for you. You have been doing so much practicing to get ready for this, practice writing all the words you know, sitting at "desks", reading, packing lunches. I am promising you right now that I will be a weepy mess on that first day, but it's just because I will miss you and I am thinking about how it will affect ME. I KNOW it's going to be fantastic for you and I just can't wait to watch you thrive once you get there.

You cannot wait to be a big sister again. We talk about it all the time, all the things you are going to help with (getting diapers and snuggling the baby are at the top of your list) and how great of a big sister you are going to be to this baby. When we discuss possible names, you are definitely part of the discussion and while we don't always agree with the names you come up with, we give you the most points for creativity. Snow and Princess Magical Sparkle are two of your favorites to mention. We are going to pass on them, but thanks for your help! You remember what it was like when Buddy was born and Nannie brought you to the hospital and we talk about what that was like, all the time. You are curious as to whether it will be like that again, who will bring you, what will Jace be like, what will the baby look like, will you get to hold him/her? You are really hoping for a girl and I know that is just because you want to dress her up in pretty clothes, because that is your favorite thing to do. I am so excited to get to watch you do this all over again, you were wonderful to Buddy and I know you will be just as wonderful to the new little one.

You still LOVE dresses and dressing up. We cannot keep up with how many dresses you need... there is no reason (in your mind) to ever wear anything but. Today, you changed out of four different dresses throughout the day. Also, you would really rather if I wore dresses every day as well. Ahem. We could not be more different when it comes to this.



A few of your current favorite things - riding your bike, chewing gum, playing office, drawing pictures of our family, making check lists, picking the neighbors berries and having tea parties. Also, planning fake parties....you are always asking me to help you make decorations and send out invites and it always take a looooot of convincing that the party is fake and that we aren't actually inviting anyone. It's not always easy for you to get that part. If this keeps up, one day you are going to be such a good host.

There are very few words that you mess up anymore and to me, that is one of the saddest parts of you growing up. I miss the days of efelant (elephant) and too-traws (chopsticks). You are very communicative and most of the time use nice words and polite phrasing to tell us (and your friends) what you want and how you are feeling. Even to Jace and he is sometimes the furthest thing from nice to you, yet you still talk so nicely to him. I hope this is something you will hold on to forever, but I am not naive enough to think that when you develop a bad attitude, that the politeness will stick around, but still... I can hope!

We asked you today if you wanted to go pick out a flower all for yourself at the flower shop and you were super excited to go. On the way there we were discussing what kind to get and you could not settle on just one. So you chose a daisy, a sunflower and a dandelion. I explained that dandelions are weeds and don't come from the flower store so you changed your mind to a red rose because "I just can't believe I have never seen a real red rose in real life before". The girls at the flower shop made you up the sweetest little vase with a light pink daisy, a small sunflower (your choice) and a real red rose, which sat on the coffee table while we ate our sushi for dinner and watched Hercules - your choice for dinner and your choice for the movie. You were feeling pretty grown up I think, and I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling the same. *sniff sniff*

Um, today - we went to the park and you did the monkey bars. The whole thing. You were on them by yourself and when we noticed you were doing it, Dad ran over to try and get it on video, so we caught part of your first time across. We are so proud of you. They aren't easy and way to go on being brave enough to take that big step and trust your strength to take one hand off and get started.



Four years old has been a great age for you. You have been incredibly helpful, you rarely get in trouble, you do everything by yourself and with very little direction. You are a great eater and you go to bed super easy. You have really thrived as a four year old. You are still one of the sweetest, kindest and most honest little girls that I know. I love your easy going attitude and your adventurous heart. I am looking forward to the great things you are going to do and the even more amazing little person you are going to become this coming year.

Some days I wish I could just follow you around videoing everything you do. These moments and days are so fleeting and you are changing to much, I don't want to forget any of this, yet it is impossible to keep up. Your mannerisms, the hilarious things you say, your crazy bed head and your smile with the now crooked little bottom teeth. I want to remember all of it. I don't know how we got so lucky to be your parents, but we are thankful every day that we get to be.

I am so looking forward to the amazing year we have ahead of us.
We love you, baby girl, Missy, Meem. SO much.

xo,
Mom and Dad