5 years old

I can't believe our sweet Aimee girl is 5. When Kaitlyn turned 5 she had seemed that way to me for a long time already, but I am having a real hard time thinking of my baby as 5 years old. She had a great day complete with donuts for breakfast, a fun trip to the zoo with friends, great presents, and a fun dinner with Gran and Pappy and Bethany and Stephen and the little girls...everything she wanted. She's been asking for the American Girl doll Kit for a while now and we decided it was time...I love that Aimee choose her, a girl from the great depression era who had to think creatively and positively to help keep her family together...she also looks just like Aimee with that cute short blond hair and blue eyes. I love that Aimee knows what she wants. She knows what she likes and most of the time has very specific requests for gifts, celebrations, or dates. She can be so quiet and shy around new people or adults, but once she feels comfortable quickly becomes the life of the party. Kids flock to her because of her fun-loving and compassionate personality. She never has to be the loudest or the best, she doesn't care if she loses, she just likes to play the game. She's getting braver by the minute. We had a super fun camping trip last week and she rode her bike all over the camp ground with her friends and even when she fell, she'd jump right back up and keep going. She stuck her whole head in the pool for the first time today, she's not running away from bugs while screaming anymore, and she jumped right up and played her violin song first at our little recital.  She's learned to write all her letters in cursive this year, can read simple stories, is gearing up to pass her twinkles, and is no longer afraid to go to new places without her sister.  She just completed 3 days of a CC play camp and loved it.  In light of how that would have gone over last summer, I am amazed.  She is still my snuggle bug and loves to be held and rocked. she's always the one who would sleep best on my chest and she still would. We're so proud of how much she's learned and grown in character over this past year and we are so thankful that we get to have her as ours. Overwhelmed actually that this blessing was bestowed on us. Aimee we love you more than words can say!