five years.

i have now been a mother for five whole years, thanks to the most amazing little girl i know. emme's birthday was in a cluster of alllll the activity this year, but we managed to have fun and celebrate in spite of the busy-ness. because this is a child that deserves to be celebrated.

my parents came in for halloween weekend and we had a little birthday brunch for her that morning. she requested rainbow cake, and jb found the most amazing rainbow cake mix, so we made that and egg casserole, fruit, corn grits, and biscuits. three families came over, plus kk & jj, and it was the perfect little gathering for this year.

the next day, we met up with several other families at stanley's farmhouse pizza for some playtime and cupcakes to celebrate emme and her fellow scorpio willa. the weather was perfection - i love it out there, and the kids did too.

on friday, the day before her real birthday, jb and i brought her lunch at school and got to read books to her class. it was so much fun - i want to read to preK kids every single day. they are so delighted by everything. i also made m&m cookies for her class and she got to pick out a "special rest time show" to watch during rest time - wildkratts, of course.

we left friday night for louisiana, so saturday morning we celebrated again for her real birthday. my brother and grandmother came over and my mom made an awesome red velvet cake for her. she also got to open presents - always a highlight. the adults had a wedding to attend that night, so my mom had arranged for three babysitting shifts to hang with the kids, which they obviously loved. lolo and g-dad got the first shift and the kids adored them, of course. then margaret arrived with chick fil-a and a doll. then joe joe brought in the late shift for bath and bed time. she had a great day.

i am so thankful every day that i get to watch this child grow into the person she is becoming. she is smart and funny, silly and kind. she loves to laugh and to make other people laugh. she wants to know and understand everything - her curiosity is one of my favorite things. she has a ridiculous memory, which is a blessing and a curse. she loves to play dress up and to pretend to be a kitty. she plays mommy and baby with any toy she can find. she loves her brother so fiercely and is really amazing with him 99% of the time. she's bossy and she can be a really bad sport, but she's working on sportsmanship. she is cautious but willing to try new things. she hates shots and being told no. she adores her family.

weight: 38 pounds
height: 42 inches

i love this kid with every fiber of my being and i cannot believe she is five.