Sidney Morgan 5.6

Five (and one-half!) years old! I honestly can't believe it. We've been talking about birthdays a lot lately -Justin will have his at the end of the month- and she knows precisely how old everyone is going to be this year.

How old will Daddy be? 26.

How old will Mommy be? 25.

How old will you be? 6.

How old will Rhealen be? 2. 

How old will Jaxon be? 1, but not 'til next year. 

She's so smart, so incredibly smart it boggles my mind sometimes. She's ranked #2 in the Accelerated Reader program out of the entire kindergarten class. My kid?! Totally my kid (of course my kid, look who we're talking about here, I was always the kindergartner on the beanbag reading instead of going outside to play!) She's such a lover of learning and of school; even on the days she whines about getting up in the mornings, I know once she's at school, she's home. This is a girl who enjoys rules and rewards, and seeing as how she's been in a school-building pretty much from day one, I don't think I'll ever have a problem getting her excited about learning. 

She still has a mess of hair, thick as molasses and untameable as the sea. I do my best to keep a comb running through it and to keep it out of her eyes. Other than that, I'm lost. She insists on keeping it long (and growing it even longer) even though she hates having it brushed and will still act as if you're pulling her bald with every brushstroke. 

She's lost both of her bottom front teeth since my last update (back in November, funny enough she's wearing the same shirt!) and is so glad that one of her big-girl teeth is starting to grow back in - she says it's hard to bite an apple with her teeth missing! She has big plans for summer: swimming at the lake and the pool, going to the beach, driving the boat, having sleepovers, and staying up as late as she wants to just because she can! 

There are a million and one funny, little moments with her - like the way she calls the movie "Once Upon a Forest"/"Way Back in the Club"! Who knows where she gets these things?! As tiring as she can be, as whiny as she can be, as stubborn as she can be -she's also so much more. More thoughtful, more fun, more loving.

She has been, and will always be, my first baby. The first great love of my life, who opened my heart and taught me what it really means to love unconditionally. There was a time when it was just me and her, and I had hours upon hours to soak up each moment and reflect on every aspect of every feeling I had for her. Now, with three kids demanding my time, my emotions can get a little lost on the way to the surface. But they're always there, and I do my damnedest to let her know I love her so much. I am so grateful for her, and so lucky that she came into my life nearly six years ago. She made me a mother and continues to make me a better mother every day. Sure, I stumble and fall, but she picks me up. She reminds me of just how far I've come already...and helps me see there are still great distances we can go together.

Photos by: Pam Burke Photography