Avee's Five!

Avee.
In a million years I couldn't have dreamed I'd have a more wonderful daughter. I love you in so many ways for so many reasons. And for no reason at all. Your smile still moves me. I love that no matter what, when I see your smile, the only thing that matters is that you smile like that again.

You have really grown a lot this year. You started preschool and you were still just so little to me. You grew taller and lost some of that sweet little baby face, for a more big-girl, beautiful face. You've really blossomed into this amazing little girl that I am so so proud to call mine.

You are always happy to see me after we've been apart. You loved your preschool teachers so much and it made me happy to let you spend part of your day with them. I watched you give hugs spontaneously when I knew the person you gave it to really needed it. You have that in you, an innate sensitivity, even if you don't understand. I hope you never lose that.

Your best friend is Ella. You two together are hilarious and darling. You are a match for each other too. I love to watch you play together, as you figure out the give and take of relationships and compromise.

For your birthday I got you a doll to play with because you love to nurture and care for and dress up other toys. I thought a doll was the perfect gift. While you liked it, it wasn't the perfect gift. You'd still rather canoodle with a hard plastic mouse and dress up a pink stuffed poodle. You are quirky that way. And you know it's quirky. And you love it. I love that about you.

You are so tender and so amazing with your little brother Daniel. There have been days when I've come into a room and you have your arms wrapped around him as you watch a movie. You've changed his diaper when you felt it needed changing. When he gets in trouble with me, he comes to you for comfort and you never let him down. You've often come after me with the threats if I "don't start being nice to him!" I try to explain to you that I'm not being mean, I just have to teach him things sometimes that he doesn't like. You don't care---if he cries, I'm not doing it right. What a sweet little heart you have.

You learned about teeth at preschool and how to take care of them and why we take care of our teeth and good foods to eat. You are so vigilant about it now. I've actually had to tell you to not brush so long or you don't have to brush that much. What a crazy thing for a mom to have to say! I try not to say stuff like that because I love your dedication to something that matters to you.

Your sense of humor really developed this year. You spent most of your twos and threes thinking that "poop" and "butt" were the funniest things ever uttered. And you uttered them a lot. I think being at preschool helped you figure out some other things that were funny. I'm pretty sure the other two are still front-runners though.

You are an amazing helper. You love to help me cook, and actually, I should clarify, you like ME to help YOU cook. You can do it all and love to. When it's time to clean up, you jump to it and can clean as well as any adult I know. This really impresses me, over and over. You seem to get the idea that getting it done feels good and getting it done faster leaves more time for what you want to do.

You love going to Missouri to visit Grandmas and Grandpas and aunts and uncles. You aren't afraid of Malachi anymore like you were when you were first four. Uncle David is still one of your most favorite people on the planet. I think the only person who even comes close to competing with him is Bubbaface. You adore him. When he gets older, he's going to adore you. It's inevitable.

You're a bit of a couch potato. On one hand, it kind of cracks me up, on the other hand, I want you to be doing more than singing theme songs for every show on television. It's hard not to be like that in the winter in Iowa though. You aren't a big fan of the cold. And I have video footage of you crying and crying because no one would let you throw a snowball at them. You wanted someone to go stand outside and just let you bean them with snowball after snowball. You didn't think it was reasonable that no one was willing. That's pretty much the only memory I have of you wanting to be outside this past winter.

This year you had some issues with swiping stuff. You never had bad intent, you just wanted something and even if you knew you shouldn't, you took it. The funny part of this was how/where you'd hide what you stole. The more serious part was, I didn't want this to be the beginning of a really bad/dangerous habit. It was hard for you to understand why you couldn't just take something if you really wanted it. I am happy to say, that with the help of a wise and kind friend (that you happened to steal from) you really did stop. Whether you like it or not, you seem to understand that it's not okay to take things that aren't yours. Even more recently you've gotten better about telling the truth even when it's something you don't want to admit.

I have a lot of admiration for your desire and effort to do what's right, even when you don't want to.

The first time you took something, you didn't realize you couldn't just have it. It was a huge fake diamond key chain. If ever there was something meant for you, that was it. After you got "busted" with that (we were in St. Louis visiting our friend Sharon), you figured out quickly to hide the loot until you were in the clear.

Avee, I could write about/to you for ages. You are one of my favorite topics in the world. You are beautiful, charming, sassy, sweet, intense, considerate, affectionate, caring, athletic, confident, and mine. Daddy and I love you more than we could ever tell you, more than you will ever understand until you have a beautiful, charming, sassy, sweet, etc----daughter of your own.

I love you bigger than Texas and to the moon and back.