six!

Brace yourself.  K needs two hands to show how old she is now.  How can she be six already?!! When I look at baby pictures of her, she hardly looks like the same person sometimes. Gone are the chubby cheeks, and in it's place is a beautiful face with grown up teeth.  Gone is her fine mess of baby hair, and golden lovely locks have grown in.  Gone is her toddler vocabulary, and a person who can tell stories in great detail with big words is chatting me up every day. As in years' past, K has been counting down to turning a year old from the moment T turned her age.  If anyone asked her how old she is for the past few weeks, she says, "I'm almost 6" instead of 5.  :)

K continues to be such a positive force in our family.  She is smart, nurturing, kind, & full of life.  She bounces in place while she's talking, she remembers everything, she is incredibly creative and loves, loves, loves art.  She draws every.single.day, and is quite content to color for lots of minutes in a row.  The art center is her favorite place to be in Kindergarten, and she is looking forward to first grade next year so she can go to art class.   She is talented in oh so many ways, I am in awe of her!

This year she started kindergarten, and loves it.  She sometimes wishes that it wasn't every day so she could play on days when T doesn't have school, but that's very understandable.  She can count to 100, write to 100, has a bank of sight words, and is getting closer to being a reader every day.  She scored well on her MAP tests at school, and had a glowing parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago.  K has learned to tie her shoes recently, something that she worked all summer at.  She can even do a double knot!  K makes a friend wherever she goes, and swinging on swings is still a favorite thing to do.  From my classroom window, I can see her class when they go out for afternoon recess, and she runs for the swings with her pals every day.  It's cool to be able to see her so very happy during the day, it's a blessing to me.

K still loves accessories, a great headband, or a cute necklace, or a fun bracelet can be found on her every day.  She has started to want to have a say in what she wears, and likes brushing her own hair. She started growing her hair out last year so that she can donate 8-10 inches of it, when she found out that kids can do such a thing, and she is determined to do it.

K continues to be the perfect sister for T.  She fiercely loves him, and is easily annoyed by him in the very same breath.  They just get each other, and then use those powers to bug each other to pieces! But I wouldn't have it any other way.  We don't know a lot about K & T's birthmother, but one thing is for sure, she wanted these two to grow up together.  She was right about that.  They need one another, they are each other's best friend, and they play well together so much of the day.  They truly are two peas in a pod.  K is a terrific role model for T.  She is very obedient, she's a rule follower, she tries hard in everything she does, and she always up for an adventure.

One of our favorite things about K is that she will try almost any food in the world.  She has such funny taste buds for a kid.  She likes barbecue, sriracha, brats, sauerkraut, pickles, Gorgonzola cheese, chips & salsa, spicy chicken, and soups of all kinds.  We have found a couple of things she doesn't like, pudding, marshmallows, and frosting.  Must be a texture thing with her.

Happy Birthday Miss K!  You are my favorite little girl in the whole world.  You are beautiful, you are smart, you are generous, you are kind, and you are mine.  You are my daughter, and I am so very proud of you!

I took these photos of her in our front yard a couple of days ago.

I asked her to show me six!

In our birthday tradition, I interviewed K using the most of the same questions I asked T last month. From the mouth of our beloved little girl, here's K's sixth birthday interview.

How old are you? 6!!!! (jumping up & down with arms spread wide)
Are you excited about your birthday?  I am excited about our friends and our cousins coming over. 

What is your favorite color?  pink purple. I just love them.  You know that. 

What is your favorite animal?  Probably a zebra (same answer as last two years)

What is your favorite book? Probably my Mermaid book (same answer as last year)

What is your favorite TV show?  (with big eyes) Sofia (Sofia the First on Disney Jr.  Same answer as last year). 

What is your favorite movie? Rapunzel (same answer as last year, except she called it Tangled). 

What is your favorite song? I Love It.  (by icona pop)

What is your favorite food? Strawberries. They are really juicy. (same answer as last year)

What is your favorite breakfast? Cereal.  I eat it every day with Nana. (Frosted mini wheats)

What is your favorite drink? orange juice

What is your favorite snack? I'm trying to think. Raisins. But I don't eat them a lot. But I do like them.

What is your favorite outfit? Probably my Ariel shirt and gray pants.
What is your favorite toy to play with at home? Baby. 

What is your favorite game? Go Fish (we have a version with letters and animals on it)

Who is your best friend? I have a few, Lilly, Layla (from preschool), McKenzie.
What is your favorite thing to do at school? Probably playdough. 

What is your favorite thing to do at home? Puzzles with Mom.
What is your favorite thing to do with T? Probably play outside I guess. 

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing! (same answer as last year).  I do it mostly everyday at home and at school. 

Where do you want to go on vacation? Utah. Because Emma went there and I want to see her. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher like my Mommy.  (hugs me)

Happy Birthday K, you are going to love being 6!