She's FIVE, y'all. When I look at pictures of her tiny baby self, I can hardly believe it's the same girl. It really does go by in the blink of an eye. I am so proud of my big girl. She is funny, kind, compassionate, silly, smart and hard working.
Addie's birthday party was amazing! We had Extreme Animals come visit, and they brought a giant python, chinchilla, baby kangaroo, lemur, baby pig and baby crocodile, among others. My two were fearless in petting everything. She loved her leopard and zebra theme and had a great time with all her friends. (It's possible her father and I planned this party because WE wanted to meet all of these animals.)
Addie played basketball for the first time this summer. She always struggles in a new situation where she doesn't know exactly how to do something (hello, perfectionist). But she worked really hard, despite not knowing her coach or anyone else on her team, and typically being the only girl on the court. She borrowed her awesome defense skills from soccer and totally got into that part of the game. Shooting and scoring are still troublesome to her and she was often frustrated she didn't "make any points." She's used to scoring all the goals at soccer :) She's insistent on playing again this winter, and I'm excited to see how she does!
Also after much pleading, Addie started dance classes. She LOVED a princess-themed dance camp she attended this summer, so now is taking a combo ballet/tap class once a week. This girl in her leotard, tutu, tights and bun is seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen. Again, she is working SO hard to learn the skills. I can feel her determined concentration during every class, but she loves it. We do lots of practicing leaps, shuffle steps and shuffle hop steps at home (yes, me, too. and Hutch)
Addie was a total fish this summer, swimming without her life jacket and diving down to the bottom of the pool for dive rings and sticks. My dear friend did swim lessons with her (and her brother), and she excelled. She's learning to dive, too.
We've been cooking (in mom's kitchen and her new Easy Bake Oven!!) this summer, crafting and doing some experiments. Addie's been practicing sight words and reading her Bob books in preparation for starting transitional kindergarten in just about a week. She's a superstar. I'm sad for our summer to be over, but I know she's ready to get back to school. I'm also feeling really emotional about my girl being in school every day ... but she only stays all day twice a week. Next year ... look out for this hot mess emotional mama.
She loves to perform, and her current obsession of playing "Prince" with Hutch requires her to run all over the house in search of her prince, singing a made-up-song narration of her life. It's awesome. She's confident she'll one day be on either the Voice or Chopped.
Weight: 41 pounds
Length: 42 inches
New things:
- Still doing great at reading. I'm constantly impressed when she recognizes words when we are out and about, or can figure them out from sounding them out.
- Recognizing more sight words.
- Being the best little basketball defender you ever did see
- Dance class, ballet and tap. And subsequently teaching Hutch and me all the moves.
- Getting ready to start transitional kindergarten, or Kites, at Warm World. We're so excited about it! Several kids from her class last year will be in the program with her. My mama heart is glad she's not yet going every day, all day, and that she's not going to the "big" school just next. All in good time.
- Swimming like a fish. Diving for things on the bottom. No flotation devices for this girl.
- Second-ever trip to the ER after an "incident" at school. Laceration above her eye had to be glued shut. Her ER entourage included her mom, her Pawpaw, her dad and her baby brother. We were SO thankful for no stitches.
- Learning to ride her new bike
Likes:
- Going to see Disney Magic for the third time, this time with her cousins Julia and Lila. She dressed up as Rapunzel.
- Playing babies with Hutch. Or playing tornado shelter (I don't even know).
- Playing peek-a-boo with Weston. She is his favorite.
- Experiments and activities with our Kiwi Crate that comes in the mail once a month.
- Going out to eat, especially at Hideaway.
- Going to the zoo.
- Being in the water. Whether the ocean, the pool or the spray park, this girl is a fearless fish.
- Learning new things, even if they're frustrating at first. Proud of my hard working, brave girl.
- Her friends. She's missing her BFF Stella who is not going to WW this year. Thankfully they still see each other at soccer every week.
- Playing outside.
- Screen time, any way she can get it.
- Going to the library. Being read to. Reading to us. Reading to her brothers.
- Cooking and baking.
- Bossing her brothers.
- Ice cream
- Not getting her way.
- Not being the best at something, aka new sports or activities
- Either of her brothers being sad
- When mommy takes brother on a mommy-brother-only date
