Six!

My darling Beanie,

Today you turned six years old!

SIX!!

How times flies.

When I look at you, I see a strong, smart, independent, sweet girl who has a brilliant smile and a kind heart. I am filled with pride and joy watching you blossom into your own unique personality.

This year has been one filled with highs and lows, but throughout the year you have maintained your positive energy and filled those around you with love and joy.

The milestones of this year have been:

1. Starting kindergarten!
Despite a not-fun start to the school year due to sickness, you stepped right into school with confidence and self-assurance. I love seeing you talk about the bus-loop, and recess, and "specials" and media center - suddenly you morphed into a "big" kid. I love hearing about your day and what you do in school. Sometimes I stop by and have lunch with you which is so much fun.

Your teachers love you, and you are doing great in school. In fact per your latest report card you have exceeded the standards for math and reading, which brings me to the next milestone...

2. Reading!
Yes, you are now an emergent reader. You have been working on your sight words and now are doing phrases and paragraphs. You read Level 1 and 2 books without assistance. We love going to the library, and while you do sometimes fuss about reading we try and do 10 -15 min every day which is really helping.

3. Tying shoelaces
You learned that several months ago, in one evening!  Mommy was impressed! You are one of the few in class who can wear shoes with laces. Which is great since you are now wearing size 13 which does not come with velcro in most brands.

4. Hoola-hooping
You have had a hoola hoop since you were 4 and loved doing it on and off, but the past month you have mastered it. This past weekend you did about 60+ without it dropping! Again I was impressed!

5. Teeth
You finally are losing your teeth -yay!!. I now you have been waiting for it since you were four (lol), but it finally happened. You have lost one, and another has been hanging by a thread for weeks. Will it ever fall out?  The tooth behind it is almost full grown! Your jaw has also grown so now the gap between your teeth is more. The top tooth is pretty loose too!

I am so proud of your achievements. But I am most proud of the human being you are.

You are the kindest person I know. You level of empathy is astonishing for someone so young. You are drawn to those who are weaker or may have some challenges. You told me about an incident in school library where the boys in your class were laughing a girl, who was in a higher grade, but really small in size for her age. You stood up and told the boys to stop laughing and not be mean. That made me so proud of you!

You also have a girl in your class who is on the autism spectrum. You told me she is very sweet and is your friend and invited her to your birthday party since she told you she does not go to many parties.  I hope you always have this kindness in your heart.

You also have a quiet self-confidence. You are not pushy or bossy and like to follow others lead, but you know when to be assertive and stand up for yourself.

I love your sense of style and how you put outfits together. You love dresses and puffy skirts and anything with sequins and unicorns (of course!).

You are doing great in school and your teachers compliment how well-behaved you are in class and how respectful and kind you are to your teachers and peers. You like following rules and get annoyed when others break them!

You bring so much joy to me and our entire family,

The last year was hard for us since grandpa (Dada) got sick and then we lost him. I know you adored him and you miss him very much. But he loved you more than anything in the world and he would be so proud of you turning six.  This weekend was difficult for you since you missed him at your birthday party. Last year, he was at your party and we had such a good time. But its okay to miss him and feel sad, just like its okay to be happy and laugh and tell him jokes. I love how you have his picture on your table and say good night to him, just like you did on the phone every single night. I know he is watching over you and us. Mommy tries to not cry in front of you when she misses Dada, but sometimes if you see me get sad you give me a hug and tell me "its okay Mama, Dada is not in pain anymore". You are my angel.

On Sat we had a Unicorn themed party. This year you chose to do it at home, so we limited the kids to 5 + you , so total of six. It was a great party. You simply wanted a big group play date which made it easy for Mommy. We did some art/craft, but basically you all had a blast playing in your room and outside with bubbles, balls, flying discs chalk, etc. It was a beautiful day!

I wish you a wonderful year ahead, my love. May all your dreams come true and may you always be happy and smiling.

Love,
Mommy