Sunday, November 12, 2017

Happy 5th Birthday Iyla Grace!

Sweet Iyla Grace, today you are FIVE YEARS OLD! This is the first age that feels "old" to me, like  a rite of passage from being my sweet baby/toddler to being an independent BIG girl. It's bittersweet for sure!


At 5 years old, you are full of imagination and LOVE play acting. You are affectionate, silly, charismatic, fiesty, impatient, generous, loving, empathetic, creative, joyful, & a rule follower.


When I asked you what you wanted to do today for your birthday proper, you decided you wanted to go pick out new shoes, go rock climbing, and have dinner at the Launderette. And so it was!


Here are your official 5 YEAR old updates!


How old? 5 years today!


How big? You fit into most 5T clothing and currently wear a size 10 shoe. You are still a tiny little thing- very pixie-like in your petite stature.


At your yearly checkup you weighed in at 36 pounds (25%) and 42 5/8 inches tall (50%). You were SO courageous for your shots- you cried before and after the shots themselves, then we went promptly to the ice cream store, which truly makes everything better!


You had your birthday circle at school last Friday, where you carried an Earth around the sun 5 times to represent each year of your life. This was followed by all of your classmates giving you "wishes" for your next year. Note the outfit you chose to wear for the occasion, complete with a hood! : )


Favorite foods? Right now you love: Cliff Bars (peanut toffee buzz), "mama eggs" (eggs scrambled with spinach, onions, & cheese), pancakes, almost all fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, watermelon), asparagus, carrots, broccoli, green beans (you like to pretend they are caterpillars!), mac n cheese/pasta, chicken, cheese, grilled cheese, apple sauce.....and of course treats like donuts and popsicles!


Favorite clothes? You are a girly-girl through and through and typically choose a dress to wear each day- the more extravagant, the better! You'd wear a formal dress every day if you could.

You also love wearing your pink tennis shoes

Hair? You are VERY particular with your hair and go through what seems like month-long phases. Right now you are in a bun phase, with the oh so occasional set of ponytails thrown in for good measure.


Friends? You have two favorite friends at school- Fiona and Eila. You also love to play with Evie, Nevie, and Avery from your music class, our neighbor Juliette, and your oldest friend Sabine!

Your music class buddies at a gathering celebrating your teacher Mr. Walter (who retired)

Birthday party with school friends

Sleep? You are consistently the first one up in the family every day! We've had to come up with rules about playing quietly in your room until Papa and I wake up. When you first come in, you love to snuggle in our arms, which is the sweetest. Then you'll climb up on the bathtub walls and sink counter tops pretending to be a cheetah or lion and put on shows with your stuffed animals.


At school you still nap each day, and on the weekends we try to enforce "quiet time" in your room, and about half of the time you'll nap then too.

You usually go to bed between 7:30/8 each night, and have been preferring to sleep in your tent for over a year now! You have it completely set up with books, stuffed animals, random toys, your water bottle, a flashlight, & a package of wipes. You snuggle your teddy bear to fall asleep, which is just about the cutest thing in the world.


Last night after your party, on the eve of your 5th birthday, I asked if I could rock my 4 year old one more time. You happily obliged and climbed into my arms, and within seconds were sound asleep. As I kissed your face I could see that sweet baby girl I brought home 5 years ago. My heart was melting.

Weekly routine? You are in so many fun activities right now! Monday-Friday you go to your sweet Montessori school from 8:15-2:30. In addition to that:
Tuesday afternoons: I pick you up and take you to Theater class, then you and I have a date night dinner out while our nanny has dinner with Eloise.
Thursdays you stay later at school to have golf lessons, then Papa and I have a date night and you and Eloise play with your nanny Veronica
Friday: you and Eloise both have swim lessons at 4:30, then we meet Papa out for Mexican food!
Saturday: you have 11am dance/tap that usually Papa takes you to, followed by a trip to the donut store.
Weekend mornings Papa takes you and Eloise out to breakfast and the park while I head to a local coffee shop to work and catch up on any errands that need taking care of.


Favorite things?

*Hands down your very favorite thing in the world is pretending/make believe and dress-up- all day every day! I swear you begin every sentence with "pretend......" and then launch into a script with a magical world you've concocted, telling us what characters we are and what our lines will be. And whoa be it if we get the lines wrong! You live in your imagination, and are constantly in character. You are a bonafide actress, producer, and director!


*Drawing and coloring are also favorite pastimes right now! You love to draw pictures of people and color in your coloring books.

*Play animals! You almost NEVER play with baby dolls, but can almost always be found with a stuffed animal family or with your small plastic animals. You set up zoos and love to collect all the animals of a species or family together. For your birthday this year you were very specific in wanting a stuffed animal lion family (check) as well as a stuffed kangaroo with Joey (check!) You also requested an Elsa doll (which you got but which I suspect she will be forgotten sooner than later). ; )

*Books! You have adored books from the moment you came into this world! You will sit quietly looking through your stash and always have many books strewn about in your tent for night/morning reading. You've recently started loving toy magazines that come in the mail, and will circle the items on your 'wish' list. We also somehow have a subscription to Highlights magazine, and it's a fun day when a new one arrives, as you and I will sit and read it cover to cover, doing the activities together.

*Climbing! You love to climb trees, poles, and visit our local rock climbing gym! There is a little tree in our front yard you love to scale, pretending you are a lion or cheetah.


*Swimming! This is still a HUGE love of yours. In swim lessons you are working on the crawl stroke, back stroke, and treading water. You now wears goggles while in the pool and in the bath, and love pretending to a a mermaid, dolphin, turtle, etc. You love being underwater, and it is truly one of your very favorite happy places.

*Videos! You love watching movies and shows on your iPad.


*Your sister! You truly love Eloise, which melts Papa's and my hearts constantly. You love to snuggle her, read to her, and play with her. You've always been so patient and loving with her, and I truly hope you two continue to be buddies throughout your lives.


You are so smart, and have always had a penchant for picking up vocabulary. In that spirit, here are a few of my favorite recent Iyla-isms:

"That's a re-phew!"- combining "Phew- what a relief!"

"I can dread water now!" - as she shows off her new skill of TREADING water.

"The music is coming out of the rodeo!" -referencing the stereo.

Also? You have THE most amazing eyelashes in the world. Dark, thick, and long:


We had your birthday party yesterday, complete with cupcakes, a petting zoo, & pony rides! You had a Lion Guard theme, and loved every minute of the gathering. Some of your favorite presents this year were a Mermaid tale from Grandma and Grandpa, a kangaroo family from Mimi and Grampy, a lion family from us, and a Hatchimal animal from Aunt Sheri.


Here are a few more pictures of all of your recent adventures:


We love you so much sweet Iyla Grace! Happy 5 years to you.

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