Sweet Emma Rose is 5

My sweet Emma Rose is 5 years old.  When did that happen???

I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have this bursting bundle of joy for a daughter.  She is so easily pleased by the world around her.  

In the wee hours of the morning of April 13, 2016, Emma Rose awoke to a frightening figure that made noise on the roof of her bedroom.  Terrified, she turned on the lights to find this magnificent unicorn balloon welcoming her into her 5th year of life:

After minimal hours of sleep, Emma Rose chose to spend her 5th birthday going to "Arts on Fire" to paint a beautiful horse:

She chose Parry's Pizza for her dinner of choice:

And much to her surprise, she got her first American Girl Doll, Lea from Costa Rica, for her big birthday gift:

Grandma came a few days later to celebrate her birthday at Build-a-Bear, where she adopted a new roller-skating dog in a tutu that she named "Courtney."

She requested a mermaid-themed party for her "special friend" celebration:

Porter, Ellie, Reese, Anna, Ethan, Emma Rose, Ansley

Lazy River

Avery, Porter, Emma Rose

Caroline

Haley & Lily

Porter & Avery

Following her birthday bash, she chose to put on a dance recital for her grandparents...whether or not they were truly paying attention: 

Emma Rose had a wonderful birthday.  She is truly a joy and does not need to be coached in gratitude.  From the arts and crafts to the Barbie dolls to dress-up clothes to the new outfits, she has tried on everything and played with every last present with a face not unlike Taylor Swift bewildered and thanking her fans.  She is so grateful and happy to have so many people celebrating her.

As always, I wrote her a birthday letter.  Here is part of it:

To my delightful Emma Rose,

I can’t believe you are already 5 years old! You are such a joy.  Singing, smiling, skipping, and dancing seem to be your constant companions.  It is hard for me to find a day without a reason to smile with you in my life.  I feel so lucky that God chose me to be your mommy.  This past year you have grown to be so tall, athletic, graceful, creative, and beautiful.  More so, your little spirit has become so loving and kind.  You are always concerned about how your big brother is feeling, making sure that if you EVER get a lollipop that Porter gets one too, wanting to know how Nana’s hip is feeling, thanking God for the world, the animals, the sky, and all of your family members, and friends, and never forgetting to hug on your kitties.

The other day, you asked about getting an American Girl doll for your birthday.  I told you that I didn’t have enough money for that and you shrugged and said, “maybe next year.  You can just get me a coloring book.”  You weren’t sad – so telling of your content, little spirit. (You did, by the way, get an American Girl doll, Lea.  And you were thrilled!)

As a four-year-old, you had many adventures.  We took you to Legoland in June to celebrate your brother’s 6^th birthday, and you were so excited you got to tell everyone (per our instruction), confidently, that you were 5, just so that you could ride on all the rides.  You also went to Kauai with the Sowa family this summer.  We stayed in a big house in Princeville for the first week with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jarrod, Aunt Lori, Morgan and Dylan.  The second week, your daddy, Porter, you, and I stayed in a little condo overlooking the cliffs.  You had so much fun boogie-boarding, collecting seashells, tubing, kayaking, riding bikes along the ocean, and watching dolphins jump out of the sea.  In the fall we went up to Breckenridge for a few days where you and Porter spent hours feeding the giant trout fish. In December, your Alaska cousins came down for Christmas, and we got to spend a cold week skiing at Keystone with them.  In February, you got to go on a special adventure with mommy and you stayed at the Broadmoor with me.  When we walked in, you twirled and said, “This place is magical! It’s better than Disneyland!”  I love how greatly you appreciate life.  We also drove to Park City, Utah over spring break for another week of skiing.  You are getting so good going down those slopes.  As long as you’re singing, you’ll ski down anything…

You started 4-year-old preschool in the fall and have two really good friends there, Ellie and Reese (but you still claim that your very best friend is your cousin, Caroline.)   You also continued to take tap and ballet lessons this year.  Your first recital was last summer.  You were so cute, sticking your tongue out in concentration the entire time.  You practice around the house all day long! You just recently started playing soccer, too.  That might be the cutest mess I’ve ever seen!  You smile the entire time, and dance in between kicking the ball.

You love music, dance and art.  While you spend hours around the house singing in your microphone, you also spend hours coloring and drawing pictures.  I am impressed by your artistic ability at your age.  My favorite past-time this summer was laying on the back patio while you colored, on your belly, under the shade of the tree in the back yard.  You want to become an artist when you grow up, and I’ll do all I can to ensure that you can pursue that dream and any others that tug at your heart.

Your favorite food is still yogurt.  Greek honey yogurt.  And you love still love strawberries.  Cheese pizza, Chic-fil-A, and chocolate ice cream are right up there too.  Gigi is your most favorite of all stuffed animals.  You LOVE card games – UNO, “Gold Fish,” as you call it, War, and Old Maid are among your favorites. Your favorite TV show is Odd Squad, and your favorite past-time, after arts and crafts, is dressing up and accessorizing.

Emma Rose, you are sweet.  You share with others, and you genuinely care about others.  You are content in almost all situations.  You’re so easy because so much makes you smile.  I am so lucky to be your mommy.  I love how easily you find gratitude for life.  I love how easily you laugh.  I love how you say “some-ping” instead of “something” and “fing” instead of “thing.”  I love that you still love to crawl in bed with me in the middle of the night.  I love that you say thank you and please, and I love that you never let me walk out the door without a giant hug and kiss.  Thank you for effortlessly giving me so many reasons to be genuinely happy.  You are so special. I love you so much that my heart could explode sometimes just thinking about it.  You know who Jesus is.  I pray that you realize that all good things in this life come from Him.  He loves you even more than I do, and that is pretty big.

Happy Birthday, sweet sweet girl.

Love always,

Mommy