gone

My tiny infant is gone. I don't know when it happened but slowly over the last couple of months my infant grew up. Even her infant cry is gone. My little baby is now a 6 month old little girl!

I have been able to watch so much personality come out of her in the last month. She is playing with toys, looks for her daddy when he comes home from work and absolutely loves playing with her brothers and sister. She wants to put everything in her mouth and I think that she is starting to teeth. One of her favorite things is taking a bath, she gets giddy when she hears the water start.

I don't think that we are going to be able to keep Mayla from moving much longer. She is getting up on her hands and knees and lunging across the floor to get to her toys.

She is in her 6-9 month clothes now, weighs 17 pounds 8 ounces and is 25 inches tall. Thankfully she is still in her size 3 diapers (I hope she stays in them for a long time to come!).

basketball

Basketball became one of Austin's favorite spots this year in PE at school. So when we were told about the Upwards program at a local church we were thrilled to sign him up. He started practice a few weeks ago and now he is also having weekly games.

He loves playing the game and loves that his best friend James is on his team. One of the funnest things is when they need to pass the ball and are looking for someone to pass it to. They can hear each other over everyone else and can pick each other out of the crowd. They play together really well.

I am NOT too big!

Daddy's turn

5 years...Finally!

Wow Emma! You sure have grown up...but then again, you have always been grown up to me. I can remember back when you were 2 years old and acting like you were 4.

I am so excited that you are a big 5 year old now. I have really enjoyed this year with you. So much has happened in one short year.

Just a few highlights:

You had your first dance recital; You and Juliana practiced hard and did a great job performing in front of an audience of hundreds of people.

You learned how to snorkel and swim; I never imagined that a 4 year old would grow so quickly in the water. But you wouldn't be left behind so as soon as you saw Austin going for it you quickly decided to join in the fun. I shouldn't have been surprised though since you started riding your bike without training wheels when you were 3!

You started school; You started asking me to go to school when you were 2 years old. My answer was always you get to start school when you are 4. Well I should have known that would be a mistake. On your 4th birthday you insisted that it was time. I had to explain that you needed to wait until September to go. You were NOT happy but did wait the 8 month necessary (all the while asking me daily if today was the day). So you can imagine how excited you were to finally start preschool.

You were an extra in The Nutcracker with the Ensemble Ballet Theatre; It was a small part but you loved it!

You were able to join in the Faith Christmas program; I have been able to pick up on a pattern of performing this year...

School has been so fun for you. You have 2 teachers, Ms Sheri and Ms Merilou. They tell me how much you help then every day. Your favorite subject is craft time but you also like singing, counting and can't wait to learn to read.

You are a HUGE help around the house. You like to clean your room, empty the dishwasher, clean the family room, help with laundry...just about anything, anytime. Not only do you help with the cleaning but you are great with your little brother and sister. You play with them all the time and they just love playing with you.

Your best friends are Abby Finnestad, Julianna Earnhardt and Allie Plett from church as well as Abby, Louise, and Analese from school. But you have friends where ever you go! You have been able to find best friends at the park, the store, and just about everywhere you go.

Your greatest desire is a dog. You have been asking for years and I hope that someday we will be able to get you one, but until then you have about 20 well loved puppies that you play with every day. A couple of them even take a bottle and go potty on a newspaper!

You are filled with sugar and spice. I love when you give me your sweet smile and that we can't leave each other with out a kiss and hug...ever. If you ever forget as you are running into class you stop and run back as fast as you can just for our kiss and hug. You treasure everything and everyone. You have a kind heart and a wonderful personality.

You are MY daughter. I remember as a child my parents would say that I could argue when talking about the color of the sky. And guess what. You. Are. Just. Like. Me. I love that you know what you want and go for it. I love that I don't ever have to wonder how you feel. I love that you are filled with spice. One of my biggest prayers for you is that you never loose that wonderful spirit that God gave you.

First Foods

I have been trying to keep Mayla a little baby as long as possible. But she made it clear this week that she is ready for food. She has been watching me intently every time I eat. She would stare at the bite as it entered my mouth and then try to grab it and put it into her mouth. So I finally gave in.

She loves food...just like her mommy!