A Slice of Smith Life: A 5th Birthday Tribute to our Sweet One

A 5th Birthday Tribute to our Sweet One

Dear Sweet One,

As I spent some time gathering photos for this post, it brought back memories of your eventful, long, and exciting birth 5 years ago and I can't believe another year has gone by!

You have grown and changed so much since your 4th birthday celebration (that happened to also be a unicorn theme) and now we are so joyful and happy to celebrate your 5th birthday!

This past year you continued to LOVE gymnastics and do all sorts of crazy moves, even in trees! You are super flexible and just about everyday you practice hand stands, rolls, back bends, splits and your dance moves! You really have no fear!

You continue to love to read with Daddy and Mommy and your siblings too!

You love the beach and swimming at Nana and Grandpa's pool and you are getting really good at swimming. So much so that you have taken off your floaties to swim! This past year in the pool you are swimming a lot in the shallow end and you like to jump off the side of the pool in the deep end so Mom and Dad can catch you! And you love to spin around and I get so dizzy too easily! :)

You love hanging out with your big brother! He is so good to you and all his sisters!

I love when you wake up in the morning and come and snuggle with me.

And at Halloween in 2015 you thought the yucky pumpkin guts were quite funny and it made you very silly. :)

You still love to wear all types of shoes including my black boots!

I love this photo of you from our trip to Charleston, SC at one of your sibling's soccer tournament in Nov. 2015 because it shows just how your hair gets curlier and curlier!

You loved the new kitchen and accessories you got for Christmas 2015...

You love playing dress-up and with your sisters and being silly with them!

Your big brother loves to snuggle with you, but you don't always want to sit still enough for his hugs. You happened to fall asleep on his shoulder so I quickly took a photo of this rare moment where your brother got some snuggle time with you!

You love to roller skate with and without help!

You love going to the park and swinging, climbing and sliding!

You love to help out in the kitchen and you are always pulling up a bar stool to get close to the counter as you exclaim often, "I wanna see! I wanna do it!" Here you are helping out with our traditional Easter resurrection cookies.

You've been talking up a storm, learning your ABCs, counting and doing school work like the big kids. You love to sing your ABCs and you always ask us to write out the alphabet by saying "Do an A." This past year you do really well writing the letter "n" over and over again. :)

Recently you loved going on kiddie rides for the first time at Knoebels Amusement Park.

And you went down your first water slide!

You are growing so fast and tall that you can already touch the ceiling! Well, you can at least touch this ceiling with help from Daddy.

You have grown so much and have gone through so many changes this past year! You don't take regular naps anymore, but occasionally you'll find Mommy and Daddy's bed to sleep in during the day or you will walk downstairs at night and come and snuggle with us! For a little person you sure do take up a lot of space!

This past year you loved to say the "Hail Mary" and "Our Father" prayers even more and during family prayer time you tell us who is next to recite the prayers. We love that you love Jesus and kneel during Mass and sing the "Alleluia" at just the right time. All of us are also amazed that you walk up to communion at daily Mass with your little praying hands folded and bow before the Eucharist, though it is still some time before you can actually receive our Lord at your First Communion. Here you are kneeling at The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in front of her final resting place.

We pray and hope that you will always love our Lord and grow deeper in love with your faith and look up to Him and our Blessed Mother as your best role models and friends.