Daisy is SIX!!

Our little girl is six!

How is it that when our kids are just one day older than they were the day before it feels like so much more time has passed??  

Daisy woke up on her birthday extra early and walked out to see all the decorations I had put up the night before in the dining room and in her bedroom.  She was beaming.  She kept putting her hands on top of her head and standing up really straight and saying, "Mom, I am totally taller now that I am six, than I was when I was five."  I can barely handle that much cuteness!!! She was so excited to go to school and be taller...I did try to gently explain to her that while she does grow a bit taller every day, that she might not have grown that much taller since yesterday.  She seemed to accept that explanation and we moved on to presents and her special birthday breakfast of chocolate chip waffles with strawberries and whip cream.  I don't think she liked it very much because she hardly touched it.  This girl cracks me up.  

It is often said that our kids shouldn't be our friends because we are supposed to be their parent first.  Well, while I agree with that to an extent and I do want my daughter to respect my authority, I also believe that we are laying the foundation for our friendship each and every day.  I want to be friends with my daughter when she is an adult and the only way I see that happening is if she knows that I see her as a friend now as well.  I'm not sure if I am making any sense but, that is the best way I can explain it.   I love planting seeds in our friendship garden by going on dates with my daughter and chatting with her at night about all the odd and random things that float through her brain.  I love taking her with me and involving her in the things that are important to me so that she will learn that she is also important to me.  

Anyways, I'm very grateful that God gave us Daisy.  She is not a perfect kiddo by any means but, she is an awesome kiddo.  She has a beautiful, kind and big, heart.  She is an amazing big sister to Bruin and she has been a joy to parent.  Exhausting (wink)...but, an absolute joy.

And by the way, I adore this picture of my big girl. 

Daisy has grown up so much over the past year.  It's probably a mixture of a lot of things but, definitely the big contributors were her promotion to big sister and her first year in public school.

Right before my eyes Daisy has transformed from the princess and tea party obsessed little girl to the older but, still very little girl who wants to be a teacher, an artist or a decorator and she is obsessed with Transformers right now...WHAaaaa? lol  Works for me.  I love them too.  

 She spends much of her time collecting office supplies and stapling pieces of paper together so that she can create books.  She is a girl after her Momma's own heart for sure.  

She often tells me where decorations or furniture should be moved or what colors I should paint the walls in the different rooms in our house.  She definitely has an eye for design! 

She recently started an art wall gallery in her room.  It was all her idea.  She just taped one of her drawings to her wall one day and now she has probably over 15 drawings taped to the wall and they are really impressive drawings!  I love that she is creating her own space in her room and that she is enjoying her room so much.  She also has a CD player in her room and I passed on a bunch of my Christian music CD's.  I actually have most the CD's from my teen years still to this day so it is a treat to share them with Daisy.  She loves listening to Mandisa's Overcomer album and Brit Nicole's Gold album.  She also got a Veggie Tales sound track recently from Lulu and she listened to it over and over again for days.  It blesses my heart so much to hear my daughter belting out worship songs while she hangs in her room.   

She loves playing games on our tablet.  At this present moment her favorite games are Shopkins and Pet Buddies.  I would say that Pet Buddies is her favorite game of all time and it is a game that I would have loved as a little girl.  You get to buy clothes and furniture and decorate rooms and dress your pets.  It's basically like a really souped up version of the paper dolls that I played with as a little girl.  This kid is so lucky! lol

Her favorite shows are the Rescue Bots, Transformers cartoon, Miles (on Disney),  Inspector Gadget the cartoon,  Wiggles with Bruin...(I think she has a kindergarten crush on Anthony and Sam because she told me that she wants to have two boys so that she can name them by the same names!  I think it's adorable:).  She also watches plenty of all of the Disney cartoons like Sophia, Doc etc. because we have the ap. on the tablet.

Joey and I enjoy watching Fixer Upper together and Daisy has taken notice of this.   We only watch it after she goes to bed but, we talk about it a lot.  A few days ago she asked if she could watch Fixer Upper on the Tablet.  I think she was curious about all the fuss we make over it.  She sat through 20 minutes of it and I could tell that she was a bit bored but, she was so determined to watch something that her Mom and Dad watch because she wanted to be able to talk about the show with us.  Isn't it amazing how much kids want to be so much like their mom and dad...for a brief while.  I am glad that Fixer Upper is a fun and harmless show and I thought it was the cutest thing that she wanted to watch it.  She hasn't asked to watch it again since though...hahaha. 

I am thinking about starting a series like Little House on the Praire with Daisy sometime soon.  She has never watched much of anything other than cartoons up to this point in her life and while she doesn't seem to mind just watching Disney cartoons, I think something like LHOTP could be something that might intrigue her and teach her about what life used to be like.  Plus, I love that the family has strong faith.   Those types of shows are practically non-existent now days.  I also watched Little House on the Prairie as a kiddo.  I've been waiting for the day that I could watch it with one of my own kiddos...how am I this old?? oye.  

Daisy's favorite colors are pink, purple, aqua, gold and red.   She said she likes red because it is a Christmas color and that makes it pretty....she has never liked red until this year.  But, I would definitely say that she is still very much a pink girl overall.  Having a girly girl like Daisy has been so much fun.  I have gotten such a wonderful dose of dress up, sparkles, dolls, princesses and sweetness.  I wouldn't want it any other way.

We signed her up for tennis lessons a little over a month ago and she is loving it so far.  It seems like a perfect sport for her personality so I hope we can keep up with it.  I told her that I would sign up for a class as well so that I can learn the basics and then we can practice together!   She asked if she could go to my practices and cheer for me.  I was tempted to say no because I wasn't sure if she was supposed to go with me but, then I realized what do I care.  My kid wants to cheer for me, heck yes she can join.  So, if tennis eventually becomes a family activity that would be so fun!  Even Bruin has taken an early interest in the rackets and balls.  Who knows...maybe he will want to take lessons and then he and his sister can play together in a few more years.  We have been trying to go to the tennis courts as a family once a week in the evening.  It's been so fun to get some energy out together and Daisy has already improved dramatically since she started two months ago.  It's amazing how quickly kids pick up on something!  

Sidenote: Bruin was in between tears at this moment.  He was mad that we tied his balloon to his hand and he was just plain fussy...definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  This was a picture session fail in every way.  Daisy's balloon slipped 30 feet up into a tree shortly after this sweet picture was taken and she was completely heart broken.  She couldn't stop crying and then it started to rain....what the heck.  Still I am always so grateful if we are able to catch even a couple of decent pics and we did.  At least this picture looks like they are both happy to be there...Daisy of course always glows on camera:). hehe.  Love our babies!

Daisy will wrap up kindergarten in about 2 months and will start first grade immediately after since she is in year round school.  And if you are wondering...yes, I LOVE year round school.  I grew up in traditional school with the 3 month Summer and more often than not, while I enjoyed being out of school...I was SO bored.  3 months is too long of a break but, that is totally my opinion.  Plus, I love having several shorter breaks throughout the year.  This allows us to plan seasonal activities or vacations that we can do together as a family.  

It blows me away that she will be in first grade already.  Why oh why does time move so fast???  She learned SO SO much this past year in Kinder.  She started the year not knowing how to read and not really having much interest in letters or spelling.  Now she can read most level one, easy reader books and she has drastically improved her spelling.  She is also doing addition and subtraction math problems!  I am in awe of how quickly she picks up on things and how excited she is about learning.  It's so fun to see all the papers that she brings home from school because each week I can see her progression and improvement.  I'm proud of this girl.  I will say that I think the length of a school day for a five year old is ridiculous.  Just being honest.  When I was a wee one we only had a half day for Kindergarten.  Daisy is so fried by the time she gets home from school.  Hyper but, fried.  She gets more hyper as she gets more tired.  Does anyone else have a kiddo like that?  I also must complain about the fact that kids get so much less recess time now than they used to.  Oy.  That being said, I really try hard to not put as much emphasis on homework or studying when Daisy is home because I see how badly she needs to decompress from all of the learning.  Of course I care very much about turning in assignments and encouraging Daisy to learn but, I strive to give Daisy some relief when she is home.  Balance....so hard to figure out. 

She is very much a night owl and has literally been that way since she was born.  She would be happy to stay up until midnight every night if I let her...but, I never do. Poor girl.  Life is rough.  ;) I try to get Daisy to bed at night by 8 and now that she is a little older I got her a reading light and I let her read books (which she is really beginning to enjoy!) or chat with her dolls for another 30-60 minutes.  She does not wind down easily and never has but, once she is out, she is out and she sleeps like a rock.  She never remembers getting up to go to the bathroom nor does she remember the times she has fallen out of bed in the middle of the night and hit her head on her step stool.....  Very solid sleeper.  Lucky girl.  

She generally wakes up around 7 these days.  Sigh.  Before Bruin was born, Daisy would sleep in until 9.  I miss those days SO SO SO much.  I've come to realize that Daisy doesn't like to miss out on anything and I think that she hears Bruin get up at 6:30 and her little mind just kicks in to high gear.  "Brother's up, so I'm getting up!" lol

Daisy is a fairly picky eater but, she has become a bit better about at least trying things.  She hates most all vegetables but, I can get her to eat steamed and seasoned broccoli and cut and peeled cucumbers with Italian dressing on them once in a blue moon.  She doesn't like anything spicy.  Her favorite dinner, hands down, is sushi.  So, I can't really complain.  As long as she likes sushi...we'll be aok. LOL.   She also likes sandwiches without crust but, I have been working very hard to help her kick this bad habit.   She loves tacos and rice.  Tonight we ate a taco salad casserole and she kept saying, "yum, yum, yum, this is so delicious Mom!"  I was grinning ear to ear.  Most rewarding meal I've ever prepared:).  She also enjoys small variety of fruit such as strawberries, watermelon, canned mandarin oranges and sometimes sliced apples and applesauce.  She loves to make fruit smoothies with me.  She also loves crackers, chips and carbs.  She is a carb kid.  She also loves candy.  I would say that she likes candy more than baked treats.  More often than not she will eat the frosting off a donut and leave the rest.  Or eat the frosting off of the cake but, leave the rest.  She loves chocolate and has recently started enjoying minty things like York Peppermint patties and mint chocolate chip ice cream.  She is also a big, BIG fan of popcorn.  We had root beer floats to celebrate her birthday.  She seems to like things like that.

She doesn't care a whole lot about what she wears each day.  She would rather I pick it out for her most of the time.  I would like her to take more of an interest in what she wears but, on the other hand it has been fun to be able to pick out outfits for a little girl for so long.  She does somewhat, prefer skirts and dresses these days.  Evidently, one of her friends at school wears a lot of dresses and Daisy definitely takes note of what her friends wear.  It's almost like she goes through little phases of caring for a few days and then not caring for a month. lol.  The other night she put on a dress, her white heals, a necklace and sweater and she walked out of her room to show it off for me and Daddy.  I adore those moments.  The moments when I get to see my little girl enjoying being a little girl.

Daisy is quite petite and lean.  She is only wearing a size 10.5 shoe and has been for over a year! I think we are finally almost an 11...almost.  She still fits in most 5/6 tops and bottoms.  Most size 6 pants are still way too long for her.  But, she is definitely a six in leggings and pajamas.  She isn't very tall at this point which surprises me only because Joey and I aren't short.  I'm wondering if she might be like her Dad and have a growth spurt much later on.  Who knows.  We don't talk about her height but, she must notice that other kids seem a bit taller because she has commented on it from time to time.  She has no idea how lucky she is.  I would have loved to be a good 2-4 inches shorter!  lol.  

Daisy's favorite toy is shopkins.  She loves collecting the little pieces and we also have two shopkins games.  She loves playing the "go shopping", Shopkins game which is basically go fish.

She asked me to decorate the house with shopkins party supplies for her sixth birthday.   I got a few things online and I decorated the dining room while she was at school on her birthday.  She was completely elated when she walked in the door after school with her friend and saw all of the decorations.  It was priceless.  Daisy is so fun to spoil because she is so thankful for every little thing.  Makes it such a treat to love on her.  HAHA.

 We decided not to have a party this year which felt SO SO SO wonderful.  Instead, we had two of her friend's that all know each other, over for a simple play date and pizza.  I can't tell you how thrilled I was to nix a party this year.  I have officially burned myself out on parties and I would be happy to never have another one!! hahaha.  I feel bad saying that but, whew.  They are a lot of work.  Anyways, I will try and do whatever my kids want but, nonetheless it is a treat to do something so simple this year.  Daisy also mentioned that she would love to go to the great wolf lodge next year for her birthday and you know what...I would do that over a party any day so yeah!

Daisy is So great with Bruin.  She is truly the most patient and gentle sister I have ever seen.  She just wants to play with him all the time and she is literally counting down the days until he is old enough to engage her a little bit more, throw the ball back to her etc.  She doesn't like when Bruin cries and she does everything she can to calm him down and cheer him up.  He is so stinking lucky to have a big sis like her.  She gives him loads of hugs and kisses and though he probably doesn't want that I know deep down he knows that she adores him.  I love that Daisy seems so much more complete with a sibling.  She is never lonely when he is around.  It really is the sweetest thing.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Bruin screams bloody murder a lot every day and it is usually because he wants everything that Daisy has.  His fussiness has always driven me crazy but, that is life with more than one kiddo.  lol.

Can you just take a moment to be as annoyed as I was that the ONLY direction this balloon wanted to go was.....arg....the wrong way.  I am not exaggerating..95% of the pictures are like this.  Thankfully, I got like 2 good ones with the stupid balloon behaving...before it ran away into the tree.  Good riddance.  ;)

Daisy has taken an interest in art lately.  She loves to go in her room and doodle in her notebooks with markers and crayons.  She is quite creative!  A few nights ago she drew a really detailed giraffe and she also created several bubble letters for the first time.  I was really impressed that she taught herself how to draw bubble letters.  She looked at a three dimensional letter D book that she had sitting on her desk and she drew it how she felt she saw it.  I love that! She also loves to write notes and messages.  It's so fun to watch her discover new passions.  She is a very creative kiddo.

We got her a desk for her birthday per her request.  Daddy set it up while she was at school (thank you hubby because I would never be able to pull something like that off!) and she came home to it.  I also got her a bunch of pens, highlighters and notepads.  She was THRILLED.  Like she squealed SO loud with delight and ran around hugging us and saying :thank you, thank you over and over." Totally warmed our Mom and Dad hearts.  She has been hanging out in there a little bit every night since her birthday.
  

I love going on Mommy-daughter dates with Daisy.  We get out about once a month now on average.  I wish it was more often but, that is the best we can do at this point.  We usually do something simple like get a shake at Sonic, go roller skating, or we go window shopping together.  It really doesn't matter what we do.  I love hanging out with Daisy.  She is so fun to be around and we have such great conversations and laughs when the two of us get a little quality time in.  Quality time is definitely Daisy's love language.  I can tell when she is needing it and that is usually when I make the date happen.  This past weekend we walked around in Michaels for an hour together.  I let her lead the way and look at whatever she wanted.  I also let her pick out a journal book cut into the shape of a D.  It was so fun to see what caught her eye and to listen to her explain how she would decorate with the different things she liked.   I'm very grateful for the daughter and friend that God has given me in Daisy.  She is such a gift.

Daisy and Daddy have been having a lot of fun playing Wii sports together lately.  For a while they played Zelda until they beat it and then I suggested that they play something that allowed Daisy to be a bit more active and that led to Wii sports.  It seems that video games will be one of there things and I am glad that they have something special that they like to do together.  They also love to be wild together, wrestle and goof off.   More often than not Daddy brings the crazy out of Daisy.  LOL.  I'm also glad that she has a fun and wild Daddy because that is so not me and I'm glad someone else can give her that energy!  Tonight they worked on a Palace Pets lego set that Daisy got for her birthday from a friend and now as I am typing Daisy is reading a book to Daddy in bed.  I'm thankful that Joey makes an effort to engage our kids when he has the time.  I know he is also planting priceless seeds in his daughter's heart.  Her first boyfriend/love...is her Daddy.  

Her First Week Of Kindergarten - Recap

Daisy was in preschool for two years so we were familiar with a school routine but, there is just something so much larger about the kindergarten transition...at least for me there is.  (sidenote: Daisy picked out her outfit for the first day of school.  I had new outfits she could have chosen from but, instead she chose a consignment dress we had gotten that had Daisies on it.  She said, "Mom, if I wear this dress then everyone will know that my name is Daisy!"  I melted.  I just adore the things that kids say and think.  So, she picked her dress and her hair bow.  It actually goes against my nature to let my kiddo pick everything out on her first day of school...usually, I like to have some say at least but, it felt good to let my little girl who was venturing out into a big world, make some bigger decisions for herself.  I was SO proud of her and thought she looked darling.  I don't know how long my kiddo will tolerate dresses on school days so I am eating this up!)

Daisy wasn't excited about starting Kindergarten but, she wasn't scared of it either.  She told me that she missed her preschool buddies and the familiarity of her past school routine.  She also told me quite a often told me she wanted to go back to her old school.  Completely understandable. She isn't the type of kiddo that charges into new things, rather, she quietly takes things in, observes, processes and slowly warms up...usually warms up.  She is also an introvert in the sense that she recharges with quiet time so I knew that long school day from 8:30-4:15 was going to be a big transition for her.  

She is a lot like her momma what can I say.  

She actually did get pretty excited on the first day of school which was a pleasant surprise.  I created a little checklist for her on a small white board that she got to carry around with her all morning.  It gave her a list of tasks that she had to complete before she could watch TV or play video games.  On day four of school she never picked the white board up once.  The novelty had already worn off.  She knew the routine already so she didn't want to use it anymore...that was fast!) lol.

And yes, my daughter LOVES playing video games!  I can barely keep her away from them.  When we originally got her Super Mario Cart she was barely interested but, when Daddy got Super Mario world her interest grew and she has gotten SO good...way better than me.  It's a trip. lol  It's also a really special thing that she and Daddy do together and that motivates her to get better.

 But, back to the checklist...that first morning Daisy proudly checked off each thing on her checklist after she finished the task.  She had a smile on her face all morning.  She really was quite giddy! I never had to battle with her once that entire morning which was a rare treat.  The second day of school was a different story...lol.   

Then as we drove to school she got quiet which is what she does when she is feeling anxious.  I tried to chat with her a little bit, but mostly she wanted to look out the window and think.  She stayed quiet for the remainder of the morning and through drop off as well.  

In the hall as we walked to her classroom I felt the strongest nudge from the holy spirit (if you are not familiar with the holy spirit...shoot me an e-mail and we can talk:) to pray with my daughter...right there in the middle of that super busy hallway.  Daisy was so nervous, I was feeling nervous for her and we both needed some strength from Jesus that morning.  I'm not wildly extroverted or terribly bold so kneeling publicly to pray like that doesn't exactly come easily to me but, it really did that morning and that was another confirmation that God was all over it.  She held my hand so tight and bowed her sweet head with me and I prayed for bravery and courage for her.  I know Jesus was close to her and that lots of prayers were covering her that first day.  That gave me so much strength and peace. 

I can't tell you how thankful I am that I can kneel and pray in my daughter's public school!  I do not take that freedom for granted.  I love that no one gave me an evil eye or told me to go pray in private etc.  I don't have to be afraid of going to jail for the rest of my life or being shot for my faith.  Guys, we are SO SO blessed in this country to have that kind of religious freedom when so many around the world do not.  I pray that we get to have that kind of freedom for a long, long time in Jesus name.

By praying with my daughter, I got to invite Jesus into my daughter's school.  I got to encourage my daughter through faith and I got to teach her to seek Jesus publicly when she needs his help.  I was able to show her that no matter where we go, Jesus wants to be there with us and we don't have to hide our faith!  What an awesome thing this was.  I didn't know that my hubby snapped this picture and when he texted it to me after we got home, I finally started crying.  It kind of opened the flood gates that I had been trying so hard to hold back. 

Back to our first day of school recap...

We were the second family to walk her to the classroom door.  Only 6 kids were attending class the first day which was so nice.  In my opinion, her school day is far, far too long and I am at least thankful that they give the kids one less crowded and crazy day to transition a little at least.  

Daisy sat next to a cute little boy who was also quite nervous.  They both began coloring the activity page in front of them silently.  I asked them a few questions and tried to get a little conversation started between the two of them to break a little ice but, of course the jitters were too strong.

Honestly, I remember feeling the same way on my first day of school in every grade I attended...all the way through college!  First day jitters...excited and nervous all at once. 

Then another little gal walked in with her parents.  A lively, bold, carefree, extremely extroverted child who clearly had no jitters whatsoever.  (Can someone please tell me what that is like?) "Hi Ms. S!!" She yelled into the room.  She threw her backpack by the wall and then yelled, "bye mom, bye dad." Everyone was laughing because her ease on the first day was surprising and so cute.  Then she came up to Daisy and said with a burst of energy, "Do you want to be my bestest friend today?"  

I mean how adorable is that.  

She put Daisy at ease a bit and that helped my aching heart so much.  Daisy told me after school that they hung out a little bit at recess also so that made me feel better too.  I don't think they have hung out since but, I am thankful for the friends that God places in our lives to help us along each and every day.  God is good. 

It was hard to leave her that morning.  If I didn't have a baby who was squirming in his carrier, I probably would have dragged my departure out a bit more.  I wanted to sit in a corner and observe and be there for moral support.  I wished I had an invisibility cloak so I could linger without judgement. lol

Yup, I'm that Momma...the one who longs to help my kiddo every step of the way but, who recognizes that I can't and that it isn't always best.  But, dang it sucks sometimes to have to let them face those big mountains all alone.  Thankfully, I know she isn't alone...she has Jesus with her always and that gives me so much comfort. 

Her teacher is a really sweet lady and I know with a little more time that Daisy will grow to really like her.  Daisy did get scolded for the first time yesterday which was day 3 (I was like, wow that didn't take long) and boy did it ruin her entire day.  She said she was coloring a picture and she didn't hear the teacher say that they were only supposed to color the tree.  She said she was trying so hard to make the teacher proud by staying in the lines as best she could and she thought she had to color the entire picture.  The teacher sternly and loudly reprimanded Daisy for disobeying and she was absolutely crushed and embarrassed which is typical of her personality.

She was crying pretty hard last night when she finally opened up and shared the story with me.  I'm not sure if she was worried that I would be mad at her and that is why she waited all day to tell me or if she actually forgot about the whole thing for a little while. lol.  Either way, she was very upset when it finally came out.  She said her teacher doesn't like her and that she didn't want to go back to school.

I tried my best to use the opportunity to teach her that mommy and daddy have to discipline her but, we still love her like crazy and it is no different with her teacher. I told her that even Jesus disciplines me and it isn't fun but, it is to teach me something good and He loves me more than anyone in the whole.  Love and discipline can work together, I explained to the best of my ability...She's five....she didn't really get it but, she was listening so that's a plus.  The lovely learning train has really started taking off for my kiddo:). lol   

I picked Daisy up in carpool that first day because she asked me to and because I wanted to make her first day a little easier for both of us.  I had a good 30 cars in front of me or so.  Daisy isn't used to a carpool that long so by the time I got to her I could tell that she was crumbling.  She was clearly tired, emotional and worn out.  She pretty much looked exactly how I felt and how I used to feel after putting in an 8 hour day of work...it never really gets easier even for grown ups does it? lol  

She got in the car and had the blankest expression on her face.  I asked her how her day was...really not expecting much chatter but, I got complete silence.  I asked her a couple more light questions and she just stared off.  Poor worn out thing.  I know my kiddo needs to decompress from overwhelming things so I pulled down the DVD screen and put on her cartoon...and let her watch her books on tape for about 20 minutes.  When we got to Target and I could tell that she was not in good shape at all.  I opened her door and asked if she needed a hug.  She did.  I picked her up and she burst into tears and just kept sobbing and sobbing.  A good cry always feels good and sometimes it's just the release a little person needs after such a huge first day away from the safety of home and Mom and little bro.  

It broke my heart but, I held it together as we Moms always try to do.  

When she was done crying I asked if she felt better and she said that she did and she genuinely perked up a bit after that.  I told her she could pick out our ice cream flavor for that night's dessert in the store and she was happy about that.  She also got a palace pet to add to her collection.  I don't always spoil my daughter but, on a hard day I sometimes can't help it...:). 

As the evening went on I gleaned a little more about her day here and there.  She liked reading books in her center.  She played with her extroverted pal and was thankful that she had a friend.  She loved the house keeping center.  She had a hearing test and that was interesting.  The cafeteria was neat but, she didn't know anyone that she was sitting with so it wasn't as much fun as she was hoping.  She never mentioned the play ground which I thought for sure I would hear about.  She also mentioned the bathroom and that the seats are her size. lol.  

That night in bed after her first day of school she asked if she had to go to school the next day.  I said nope, not for another week kiddo.  She was thrilled and never asked about school after that.  Oye.

At this point in her life, she LOVES being home with us.  She loves being with her brother and doing whatever we do.  She has a vivid imagination and she could tell stories and come up with creative things to do all day long at home.  She loves relaxing in her chair.  She likes space.  She likes quiet sometimes.  She loves cuddling and hugs and kisses.  She is so helpful at home and almost always has such a great attitude at home.  She is a home body...again like her Momma...and her Momma's momma....and her Momma's, Momma's Momma. lol....Perhaps learned...perhaps genetics or perhaps a bit of both.  Regardless, it's just who she is.  And I love who she is.

A few days ago was her first day riding the bus and her second day of school.  Technically, it was her first day of official class as all of the kids attended together for the first time.  I was far more anxious about my kiddo taking the bus than I was about walking her to her classroom door the previous week. 

I think a big reason for my nervousness is that I never rode a bus as a kid, nor did any of my friends growing up.  Most of us walked as school was super close and that's just how we did it in California.  Because I am not familiar with the bus experience it is hard for me to be comfortable with it.  I'm sure you can understand that.  Also, my kid is five.  Dang, it blows me away how young our babies are when we send them out.  Growing up, my kindergarten days were either 9-12 or 12-3.  We never, ever had a full day at that age.  It is CRAY CRAY to me that a baby-five-year-old has to be in class that long. Lame.  Most grown ups are wiped out after an 8 hour work day so why would we expect any different from our kids?  Sorry, rant over. 

Anyways, Daisy was nervous and a bit quiet again this morning but, she was also more chipper today than she was last week.  On her first bus day she had a good friend that will not only ride the bus with her but, also be in her class.  I am so thankful that she has a friend to make this adjustment with.  I know how much braver I feel when I have a friend with me in new places.  

The two girls faces lit up when they saw each other this morning and then they held hands all the way to the bus stop.  I gave Daisy a few hugs and kisses and told her that I couldn't wait to see her after school and hear about her day.  Her little hands were shaking...it made my strong heart crumble and I felt my tear ducts giving out on me...but, I stuffed it down again.  

She marched on the bus so bravely with her pals.  I held my phone up in the air to snap a picture but, it refused to unlock and thus not a picture to show for it...first time ever that my iphone has ticked me off. lol  

I guess it wasn't a moment meant to be captured.  I did snap a picture of her getting off the bus in the afternoon:). 

Once she boarded the bus, I saw her squeezed on the front bench with two of her pals and she had a big smile on her face.  I waved over and over and blew her kisses and she did the same.  Then I saw her looking for Daddy and she couldn't find him in the crowd.  I hollered for him (he was in the back with Bruin in his stroller.  I was so thankful that he was taking care of the baby so I could focus more on Daisy..that was a big blessing) and they saw each other and her smile got even bigger. 

Boy, my kiddo has become a major Daddy's girl since the birth of our son.  It is pretty sweet if I do say so and I know a certain Daddy who is just fine with this little change.  He eats it up.  

Then as the bus drove away and my heart dropped...really, boom, crash.

I almost never cry in front of people and I seldom cry at all so I stuffed the emotions down and walked home with a friend and chatted a little bit.

Then I came inside, put some worship music on and began looking through the pictures that I had snapped at the bus stop before the bus came.  Looking at the pictures of my baby girl walking away from us with her friend and being so brave as she walked towards that bus when I knew how scared she really was got the water works going.  Ugggg....It was a rough few hours I'm not gonna lie.  I worried about her. I wondered how she was doing.  I wondered why on Earth the clock hadn't moved in three hours...I swear it said 9 AM an hour ago??  The day dragged on and on but, I got through it and I tried to keep myself busy.

I Couldn't wait to pick her up.  The bus rolled up and I saw her cute face in the dark tinted windows up front.  She was grinning wide.  She marched off the bus and came straight into my arms and gave me the longest hug that my sweet friend captured that moment for me.  I'm so thankful for all my awesome friends and hubby who capture these special moments for me unprompted.  I'm a blessed gal. 

I could tell that she was tired but, she was in a totally different mood than her first day of school.  She was chipper, silly and quite hyper.  She wanted to walk home with her friends and she was chatting with a Mom on our way down the street.  It felt great to see her in a better mood.  I was so encouraged.  

When we got home we had planned to take Daisy out to her favorite ice cream place for "first day of riding the bus," treat day.  She seemed excited.  Then she got very into washing Daddy's truck with him.  She got in her bathing suit and sprayed water everywhere.  She had a blast hosing her hair and all the plants.  When I asked if she wanted to go get ice cream she said, "I just want to eat ice cream at home and keep washing Daddy's truck."  

Yup, that's my home body girl.  

Love you to bits Daisy. 

So, we stayed home and had ice cream from our freezer instead.  She also ate a ton of dinner so I think her big day worked up an appetite.  

I heard a little more about her day at bedtime.  That is often when she is the most talkative and as exhausted as I am at bedtime, I try really hard to be available for chatter at this time of day.  It seems to be when kids are more relaxed and able to process their thoughts.  It seems to be when they feel safe to share things.  Is it that way for any of you with your kiddos?

  She liked riding the bus a lot.  She liked the play ground and the cafeteria but, everything else was SO BORING MOM.  She did however mention that they were told a story about letter land where the magic letters live and she loved that.  Then she said, "but mom, I already know all the letters.  This is going to be so boring."  She knows the letters but, not how to write them all so she actually has a lot to learn...tough life kiddo.  Let the many years of boring, learning begin.  lol.

She also forgot where her snack was in her back pack so she didn't have one when she needed it and that made me feel bad.  I suppose that might have been why she was so hungry after school today.  hehe

Overall, I would say that her very first bus day to school was a decent one! Yay! And I am so, so thankful for all the prayers, encouragement and loving support for me (my hubby too) and our sweet girl as she begins this new chapter in her life.

Day 3 was a bit harder for a few reasons, one: she was scolded by the teacher as I mentioned above, two: she once again forgot about her snack so she was quite hungry and three: she experienced a tiny bit of friend rejection when she asked a girl if she could play with her at recess and the girl said no because she already had friends.  So, Daisy was playing alone for a while and she doesn't like that. Later however; that same girl came up to Daisy and asked to play because her friends left and Daisy was happy to play with her.  I hope that she continues to make regular buddies as the school year goes on.  She also lost her art project that she was so excited to show me, somewhere on the bus.  She was really sad about that and I think that was the icing on the cake of her rough day.  Our sweet neighbor photo copied the piece (her youngest is in Daisy's class) and had her older daughter walk it up to our house.  Thanks so much Lori!

Today is day 4.  I'm just as eager to get her from the bus today as I was on day 1 and and can't wait to hear about her day today.  I'm thankful that Daisy is such a chatter box because it really pays off in times like these. lol.  That kid loves to tell me every little detail of her life.  Again, much like her Momma as you can tell by the length of this blog post:). 

  It's hard letting go.  I had no idea just how hard!  I also know that the letting go is a gradual process and I will have so many more moments of feeling this same bittersweet tug as I watch my daughter's wings unfurl more and more with each passing year.  Sixth grade graduation, middle school graduation, high school graduation, college graduation (if that is her thing:), a wedding someday perhaps....sigh.  

"Little by little one travels far." 

Love that quote.  Thankfully, we don't have to take huge steps all in one day (because that would kill this Momma's heart!) but, with God's help, little by little we let our kids go and grow.  

And lastly here are a few pics of Daisy that I took around Valentine's Day but, never got around to sharing.  Love them all!

The truth is this probably isn't even half of the facial expressions that this kid has in her data base.  Daisy has made so many faces since she was a baby.  All I did was set her in front of the camera and asked her to smile.  This is what I usually get instead of a traditional "smile." The top smile picture was the very last expression she gave me, right before I snapped my camera off:). 

  Thanks for being such a ham, you sweet and silly daughter of mine.  Love you so much.

My Little Girl is Five!

My little girl is five!  And I am proud to say that I am getting this posted before she turns six.  Big accomplishment over here these days...however; this did take me three months to complete. Sigh.

  I really do love this age.  I love the conversations, the imagination, the silliness, the jokes, the fact that we can do so much more together now like play games, go on dates, go on bike rides, go to the movies, get our nails done, sing songs together etc.  Daisy is such a spunky, hyper, silly, loving, thoughtful, sensitive little girl.  She does still desire a ton of attention (er quality time...only child for nearly five years) and that can be a bit exhausting BUT, it's safe to say that I am never lonely when she is around.  hehe.  

Daisy was so excited to turn five.  She thinks that she gets to drive a car when she turns ten and move out soon after into her pink house so I think she is counting down the years? lol.  I use to do the same thing as a little girl.  I loved the idea of growing up when I was little.  It seemed fun and exciting.  I think it's great that Daisy is looking forward to the life ahead of her.  We had a little party this year for Daisy at a park on the weekend and then on her actual birthday we ordered take out sushi.  She seemed to really enjoy her festivities.  Since having another kiddo, life has gotten exponentially busier for me and it has been much trickier to be as present as I used to be but, I am trying my best to soak up every innocent moment I have left with my little girl.  I love her sparkly brown eyes, the dimply cheeks, the crinkle in her nose when she smiles really big, the way she often toots when she laughs too hard (she is going to hate me for this in 10 years:), how she just can't seem to figure out how to put her shoes on the right feet though she tries so hard every time.  I love the way she loves on her baby brother.  It literally melts me.  I love her resilient spirit and her passion for the things she loves.  Not a day goes by that this little girl doesn't give me a nice big belly laugh.  She is the best! God has used her to open my eyes to so many things and I am better because of her.  

Thank you Jesus for my sweet little girl! 

Now on to the long winded Five year old Stat report...

At five years old Daisy is still just as in to princesses as she was at 2, 3 and 4 years old.  Princesses, princess pets, baby dolls, cooking and imaginary play are a few of Daisy's favorite things at the moment.  She is incredibly creative and will often come up with very elaborate ideas for an activity.  Her ideas and activities are usually very messy now days (and I thought babies were messy!) but, I try to let her roll with whatever she comes up with as it seems to be her gift.  For example: she likes to get our cups, pots and dishes out when she cooks with her pretend food. She will literally cover the entire floor in dishes and play for 20 or 30 minutes and then I have to wash everything.  She will get pads of paper and a pen and ask me and Joey what we would like to order and she asks us to write our information down.  Then she delivers food to us...over and over again.  It's really cute though.  I hope she grows up to LOVE cooking.  I will happily surrender that task to her! haha Other times she will throw every pillow in the house on the living room floor and find every blanket that she can in order to build herself a fort.  Lately she has taken a liking to typing on Joey's Ipad keyboard.  She writes stories by keying furiously on the keyboard.  When her note page is full of letters she feels very satisfied that she has written a great story and then she asks us to mail it to our family or to post it on facebook...which we usually don't.  These things are priceless to us but, I am not sure that everyone on Facebook would agree:).  Regardless, I really love her creativity and I look forward to when Bruin is old enough that he can play with Daisy a bit more in some of her many imaginary activities.

Isn't she just the cutest little princess you ever did see?

Below this picture: she is having a birthday party for one of her baby dolls.  A hot dog bun was our "cake." lol

SHOWS

She watches a fair amount of TV and Netflixs.  I have a PBS kids and Disney ap on my phone and these days she prefers my phone over the TV because she likes to have control over what she watches.  She is really into a show called ODD squad right now.  It's so cute to see how fascinated she is with this show.  She also loves the Disney show Octonauts.  Some of the other shows in her rotation: all the older Mickey Mouse Disney movies from my childhood, Peep and the Big wide World, The Little Princess, Oscar the Lizard, Wild Kratts, Bernard and Curious George.  I'm surprised that she still enjoys Curious George as much as she does.  I love it:).  Daisy gets to watch a couple of short shows in the morning while she eats breakfast and gets ready for school.  We have had this routine since she was two years old, so it will be hard to change it someday if we ever need to.  She sits in her own recliner sipping juice out of her cup and snacking on breakfast while watching whatever happens to be on.  It's been a nice and relaxing routine and she enjoys the consistency so it's all good.  The only reason she isn't watching different shows is because I am still trying to keep a tight lid on what she gets to see.  She has such a wild imagination the less she is exposed to the better...for now.  :)  

SIZE

Daisy wears size 5/6 in the older girl section (not 5T) and in some things she is wearing a 6.  She is usually 5/6 in shirts and dresses but a 5 in pants and shorts. She wears size 10 or 10.5 shoe. Just tonight as she walked out of her bedroom for the third time after being put to bed, I cuddled her and held her foot in my hand.  Her feet seemed so small until Bruin was born and now of course her feet seem so big.  She has the cutest little feetsies though.   I love shopping for Daisy and I am lucky that she doesn't really care at all what she wears because I get to have fun picking out her outfits most days.  I don't have a big budget to shop for her or get fancy things which would be SO MUCH FUN...but, it is a good thing I suppose, because if I could I would probably go a little overboard.  Instead we generally shop at our local consignment shops and enjoy the clothes we are gifted from friends and family.  My favorite places to shop on special occasions are Baby Gap, Old Navy, Target, Children's Place and Gymboree.  I enjoy shopping and dressing my kids so much more than shopping and dressing myself.  I know a lot of you Moms out there can relate:)

COLORS

Pink is still her favorite color but, she also LOVES purple, aqua and gold.  She is in this phase where she very strongly dislikes red, blue, green, black and white...yellow isn't a favorite either but, she will sometimes call it gold if she feels like it.  She doesn't like playing with toys in the house that are these colors and she is not a fan of wearing these colors.  I can still convince her to ignore those colors in her clothes most of the time but, for example she refused to wear green on St. Patrick's day and she almost refused to go to school if I was going to make her wear green.  I decided she won and we wore something with aqua and hoped it was a compromise:). haha  This chapter of super strong opinions about things is a rather new territory for me with Daisy.  She has never been one to care much at all about what she is wearing or what she is given etc.  I enjoyed the less opinionated season while it lasted.  

FOOD

Daisy has become super duper picky about what she eats over the past 6 months or so.  She used to be willing to eat and try so much more.  That all changed and I have no idea why accept that she is five and I suppose that is pretty typical for this age.  She pretty much refuses to eat all vegetables except steamed broccoli and even that I have to really encourage her to eat now.  It was her favorite for years.  I'm sad that she won't eat veggies but, I hope I can get her to again in the future.  She eats, mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets, burritos, nachos, tachos, sushi (but, now picky about that too!), corn dogs, chili, turkey and cheese sandwiches but, with no crust and pb and honey sandwiches.  The only fruit she likes is strawberries and watermelon.  She will sometimes eat cantelope and pears but, that is about all.  She loves chips and crackers and eating cereal dry.  She loves apple juice but, does not care for milk.  She likes pancakes, cheese, applesauce squeezers, and plain rice.  That is about it. It's exhausting trying to feed her to be honest.  I want her to eat so I try to serve her what she wants but, I also don't like serving different things for every meal.  She has also started chewing food for a really long time and she struggles with swallowing if the texture bothers her.  We have definitely found a few bites of food spit out in the toilet later in the evening. Sigh. Typical kid issues. 

MUSIC

She loves music and she has quite a few worship songs memorized from all of her car drives with Daddy and on her radio in her room.  I love that she enjoys worship music as much as we do.  She has a tendency to get the words wrong but, she presses right along and inserts her own words when needed.  That is EXACTLY what I did as a kid!  She loves the song God's Not Dead by Newsboys, anything by Phillip Philips, Mandisa, Mercy Me Shake and a song on the show ODD Squad. It's so cute to watch her sing along with all her might.

I leave my acoustic guitar out in the living room so that Daisy can pick it up if she ever wants to play.  She was also spoiled with a pink guitar of her own for her birthday this year (thank you Lulu and Papa!) and now it too sits by the fireplace so she can pick it up and play it whenever she has an urge.  That's what started me on my musical journey as a teenager.  My mom had a classical guitar and I would pick it up and strum it here and there and I taught myself a few chords.  We also had a piano growing up.  Though I wouldn't consider myself a very musically gifted person (AT ALL), I really do enjoy playing instruments (poorly) and writing simple songs when I am alone.  I would love if I could pass that joy on to Daisy. 

DANCE

She loves to dance...on her own terms.  She doesn't really want anyone telling her how to dance which is why I am not sure if she would really even enjoy a dance class at this point.  She isn't the most coordinated when it comes to following an instructor (also like her mommy) but, she loves to boogie to her own beat.  We have a lot of family dance parties around our house.  Fun times!

SCHOOL

She currently goes to preschool five days a week from 9-1.  Overall she really enjoys it and she has learned so much from preschool over the past two years.  Like most kids, I would say that her favorite thing about school is playing on the playground with her friends at break time. lol.  She also loves the special event days and party days.  They had a beach day recently and she was SO excited about it.  So cute to see her excited about school as a lot of the time she does want to stay home with me instead of going in the morning.  I think she enjoys it once she is there though and I think it has also really helped her socially.  She is still learning how to play with other kids and not just direct them but, she has come a long way.  She has made some really special friends and we will be sad not to see them more often once Kindergarten starts up in July.  We only have another two months left of preschool.  I seriously cannot believe that my little girl is old enough to start elementary school.  I'm in denial over here.

PERSONALITY

Daisy is a home body and she LOVES being home with me and Bruin.  I think if she had a choice she would stay home with me every day and skip school, church, even play dates or whatever.  She just likes hanging out with her Mom, Dad and bro.  Home is her happy place and as much as I want my daughter to be more extroverted than I am, I think it is pretty sweet that she enjoys being home with her family as much as she does.  Now, I realize this will soon pass...or most likely will.  Perhaps that is why I do not rue snow days or vacation days quite as much as some...because as exhausting as those days can be, I love having my little girl around.  She is my little buddy.  Daisy likes to be the one in charge.  Typical of the eldest child I would say.  She likes to tell other people how to play the game or activity and she finds other people's ideas rather boring most of the time. lol  She doesn't like to lose when we play a game.  This is somewhat our fault as we often let her win as a little kid and now she thinks it should always be this way.  We have some training to do over here but, she will get there in time.  Daisy is very sensitive to praise or lack there of.  I definitely think that words of affirmation is one of her love languages.  

The other day after an adult friend/family member left our house Daisy asked me why they don't like her.  I asked her why she thought that and she said because they didn't talk to her but, they smiled at and talked to Bruin.  I of course told her that they do like her but, that not all grown ups remember to talk to little kids when they visit.  I am beginning to realize how much she values adult conversation and participation.  She tends to feel left out and even unloved if she is not included.  Tis  the way of life when you are the only kid in all of the families for nearly 5 years.  Adults become your friends!  

Daisy is extremely observant even when she seems to be distracted..she is always taking things in around her. She comments on hairstyles, eye colors, outfits, shoes, the way people talk, the cars that people drive etc.  She is a stubborn kiddo when she doesn't want to do something.  I've been trying to teach her the basics of reading and site words for two years..we have gotten no where but, I know that all of sudden when her desire really kicks in, she will learn it overnight.  That is just how she is.

She is very nurturing to her baby dolls, her cousin and her brother.  She is gentle, thoughtful and very helpful.  A little mommy in the making for sure.  She kisses boo boos and says the sweetest things when people are sad, mad or hurt.  She really does have an incredibly loving heart.  I thank Jesus for that!  

She is super silly/goofy too.  She would rather make goofy faces than pose pretty for a picture 99% of the time.  She loves making people laugh and will do the silliest things to try and draw laughing attention to herself sometimes.  She is a ham:).  She is also so so so girly.  She loves everything a girly girl would love. Gliter, sparkles, princesses, pink, purple, dolls, frills, dress up etc. And on the other hand the kid can kick and hit a ball like no ones business.  She can run fast, climb high and she has a very adventurous streak in her...as proven by the roller coaster at Disney land that she rode and loved.  So, I would say very girly with a nice dose of athleticism.  

Daisy has a lot of friends and I  would say the ones that she is the closest to are the ones that we play date with the most usually after school.  She does still struggle with the concept of letting other kids call the shots or playing what other kids want to play.  She likes to direct the activities and otherwise she is quite content to play by herself or wander around alone at a park.  She is social for sure but, she also values personal space.  She hasn't yet made a friend on her own that has really stuck other than the friends that I regularly expose her to at church, school and our outside play dates.  

Today in between household chores and tending to Bruin, Daisy and I played a few games of Frozen- Chutes and Ladders, we colored a picture or four, ate pretend food over and over again, played guitars, watched a show and like always and she talked my ear off.  It's absolutely exhausting and absolutely wonderful all at once.  Things have changed a bit around here since little brother came along.  I just don't have as much time or energy to give to Daisy as I once did.  It's been a challenge transitioning for both of us I would say but, when I do have time and energy, I absolutely love spending it with my girl.

She loves hanging out with her Dad and he often spoils her.  He recently bought a little toy helicopter and Daisy asks him to fly it almost every day.  Then she yells out, "pretend that it is chasing me Daddy, pretend that it is chasing me," and she runs around squealing with the brightest smile as he "chases" her with the helicopter.  Daddy is the one who wrestles, plays video games, tickles, is technically more fun than I will ever be (I can be rather boring when compared to Daddy).  Daddy takes Daisy on jeep rides at night when I have to tend to Bruin.  He plays hide and seek and reads her bedtime stories.  Daisy loves her Daddy to pieces and I think one of her favorite things to do is visit him at his office on her way home from school.  She loves to draw pictures at his desk and tape them to the wall and she loves to make pretend calls and act like she is working.  She asks to go to his work ALL time.  Pretty stinking cute if I do say so.  She is much more rough with him too.  She spanks him just for the heck of it.  Tickles him whenever she gets the chance and tries to tackle him at random.  They just have that kind of bond.  Father/daughter silliness.  

Daisy has had an imaginary sister named Kezia, for at least a year now.  She talks about her from time to time and all the things she is doing or how old she is but, she never talks to her or seems to engage the idea when she is alone.  It seems to be more of a thing for her to talk about with me and Joey than anything else.  Perhaps she really hopes for a sister someday or perhaps it's just a little phase.  I humor her and play along.  I think it's sweet and harmless.

NURTURER

Daisy is an amazing big sister and cousin.  I'm not just saying that because I am her mom:).  She is endlessly giving Bruin his pacifier when he cries, giving him a toy, covering him with a blanket if she is worried that he might be cold, turning on the fan to give him something to look at, asking if he can come and lay on her bed so she can cook him pretend food.  She helps me with almost every diaper change.  She gets so excited to see him every day when I pick her up from school.  She kisses him constantly and holds him as often as I will allow.  She is an awesome big sister and Bruin ADORES Daisy.  He is always cramming his neck and arching his back to get a look at her wherever she might be.  It's so cute.  I really pray that I can help foster this love as much as possible as they grow.  Daisy also adores her cousin Avery and has a tremendous attention span for playing with her.  Avery is only one and Daisy is five so I am surprised that she can play with her as long as she does but, she loves when they get to be together.  She is already counting down the days until they can have their first sleep over.  Too cute!  Love that she is so nurturing and gentle with other babies and kids.  This is one of my favorite qualities about Daisy! 

 

GATHERER

 She still loves to gather rocks, leaves, flowers and other random treasures when we are in the yard or at a park.  She hands then all to me and asks me to keep them safe.  She often stores little trinkets in the drawer of her step stool until I find them months later and sneak them into the trash. shhhh.... 

Not a day goes by that my hubby and I don't look at each other and say, "she's so awesome," with a big smile on our faces.  Yes, she's a super high energy kiddo that chats our ears until they are literally raw some days but...she really is so fun and adventurous.  She has added so much joy and amusement to our lives.  

Daisy Love, we adore you and thank God for every day that we get to watch you grow.  May God bless you all the days of your sweet life. xoxo  Happy five baby girl.