A WHOLE HAND!

Today, Allie is 5 years old. I cannot believe it. 5 years old. That’s big. That’s a WHOLE hand…5 fingers. In honor of this day, I want to tell you my 5 favorite things about my daughter (it was difficult to narrow it down, of course!).

1. She’s a lover. If you have been in Allie’s presence, you have probably been hugged or kissed or both. Allie has always been my snuggler, my lovebug. When she was a baby, she would crawl into another mom’s lap at playgroup and snuggle up. She always has a smile or a hug to share, even if she just met you 5 minutes ago!

2. She dances to her own beat. Allie is in constant motion, singing and dancing all day long. Her new favorite pastime is making up new words to songs. I love hearing her describe her breakfast to the tune of Britney Spears or The Jonas Brothers. She enjoys her ballet class and is happy to twirl, run, and jump from dawn to dusk.

3. She knows what she wants. Allie is strong-willed and stubborn. Even though this can be our biggest challenge, it’s one of the things that I admire about her. She didn’t mind screaming through 6 months of swim lessons before one day deciding to get in the pool on her own. She did it when she was ready to do it. No one was going to make her do it before she was ready. She makes her opinion known. I have no idea where she gets this from ;).

4. Her imagination knows no bounds. Allie could sit and color or paint all day. She loves to be creative. She makes up games and stories with Ryan. This morning she was the Princess being protected by Batman Pirate.

5. She is a wonderful big sister. Allie loves Ryan in every way. Ryan hurt his arm a few weeks ago and Allie cried as I was driving him to the doctor’s office. She was so worried about him. Allie and Ryan will put on their costumes and play together for hours. They may fight like cats and dogs on occasion, but deep down, they are the best of friends.

I could go on and on about all the ways that Allie makes me proud. She is pure happiness. I cannot wait to enjoy all that she becomes as she grows up.

Last night, we watched the video that Shira made of Allie’s entire first year. As soon as Allie saw her face on the screen, she said ‘That’s me, Mommy! I was such a cutie!’. I love watching that movie. It starts with a few minutes after Allie was born and ends with her DEVOURING her cake on her first birthday. It seems like forever ago that she was the tiny baby in my arms. She may be a bit bigger (size 13 shoes!!), have more hair (the child was pretty much bald until she was 2), and more teeth (although those are going fast!), but she will always be my baby.

Happy 5th Birthday, Allie!