My sweet Hazel Grace,
You are five years old and your zest for life continues to shine. You are obsessed with animals—dogs, cats, goats, horses, stuffed animals—you're here for all of them. You've set your career aspirations on becoming a veterinarian so that you can hug doggies all day, obviously. Pre-kindergarten highlighted your charming nature that draws people to you. You made friends and had the whole class wrapped around your finger, particularly Oliver and Cooper. Learning the academic basics came easily, and you're absolutely ready for kindergarten, both socially and emotionally.
Spending time with your carefully curated list of friends is very important to you. You have a distinct style and dress in layers. Each outfit consists of pants, a skirt (often a tutu) or dress, and a cardigan or jean jacket. Leopard print is your jam and luckily always in style. There is no convincing you to wear things that don't meet your criteria. You still sleep in a pull-up and are often so busy playing that by the time you drag yourself to the bathroom, it's a near emergency. On road trips when you have to go, there isn't time to find a pit stop, so you pee in your pull-up or have no problem hanging out the side of the car. You love books, music, and dancing. You are a very clear communicator.
As of this week, you can safely jump into the deep end of the pool, doggie paddle across, and float on your back if you need a break. You played a season of soccer in the fall and did dance all year. The recital was even better than the last, and you came alive up on that stage. You rode a horse for the first time this week and are starting gymnastics shortly. Your superhuman toddler strength remains, so I'm excited to finally have you in a gym. You learned to ride a bike on my watch in about fifteen minutes. When Daddy mentioned that Mom taught you to ride, your immediate, emphatic reply was, "Mom didn't teach me, I taught myself!" Not untrue. You jumped on that thing and took off. I jogged next to you for a few feet while you rode off into the sunset. You've always been a water baby and are often first to jump into the freezing cold salt water on boat days. I've trained you to love having your picture taken, and you strike all the poses without prompting.
You're a pretty adventurous eater and will almost always try new things. You use the calming corner for time-ins when you feel overwhelmed. You are a pretty intense mama's girl. You're full of funny expressions: "That was so stinkin' cute!" "It's right up my alley!" "Boooorrrrrinnnnnggggg." Some of your favorite expressions are "I'm okay!" with two thumbs up and "Best day ever!" You recently told me every day is the best day ever.
Your bedtime has gotten later and matches the boys'. Pre-summer we'd read around seven-thirty and try to have lights out by eight. The summer schedule is a free-for-all with bedtimes between eight and eleven. This is the first summer we've had that kind of flexibility, and it's been amazing to spend the evenings outdoors. The first week hit you hard and a few major meltdowns ensued; since then you've rolled with the chaos and inconsistent sleep schedule like a champ.
You enthusiastically lean into everything you do and radiate joy. Your energy brings life to our days and balance to our family. I love watching you grow and seeing your personality continue to develop. I can't imagine life without you and am grateful for you every day. Being your mama is everything. You are so, so loved.
