Happy 5th Birthday Izzy!

Isabella (or Izzy as you like to be called),
Wow I can't believe you are already 5. I know it is cliche, but it seems like only yesterday that I held your little tiny body in my arms, and fell in the minute my eyes laid on you. You have had my heart in your hands ever since. Every day you grow and learn, and every day my love for you grows. You have taught me more than you can ever imagine in 5 short years. You are full of so much love and enjoyment about life. Your curly hair and dark brown eyes are amazing. Your smile with two big girl teeth growing in on the bottom is infectious. Your laugh just makes any bad moods melt away. Your bear hugs make my heart melt even more.

You are always there to help, you want to try to learn how to be a big girl, and want to do big girl things. You are 5 going on 16. You love applying makeup, and occassionally you ask me to straighten your hair. You have a sense of humor. You are very concerned about doing the right thing, and are asking for permission often. You are learning your limits, and when it is okay to say no, but occassionally need reminders. You are full of adventure, and love to do things outside. There is nothing better than sitting reading you a book, or listening to you read to me, or cuddling and watching a movie with you and your sister.

What are your likes? You love playing with your little sister. You are the best big sister anybody could ever hope for. You encourage her to try new things, you are willing to share (most of the time), you want to teach her, and you are always there to give her a hug when you see that she is upset or sad. You enjoy dance. You are always dancing around the living room, in the backseat when you hear music, or in dance class. You love your Wiggles and Giggles class, and are learning the skills of ballet and tap. You are very excited for your recital coming up in a month. You love to sing. In fact, you sing any time you hear a song come on. Most of the time, you learn the songs and are able to sing them. You sing about what you are doing. You ask me if you can "sing this song" when one of my songs come on the radio. You love to play with your Barbies, your legos, your baby dolls, and you like to pretend you are a waitress, I am the chef, and your sister is the customer. You have such an enthusiasm for learning. You are always wanting to "do your homework" (which means you either are coloring in a book, practicing writing, practicing reading, or doing a workbook). You stress out when I ask you to get ready for bed if you are not quite done. You have an artistic side to you, and love to draw, and you also love practicing your letters. You love to make new friends. You go any where and you usually walk out with a new friend. You are very personable, and are always wanting to help others.

What are your dislikes? You still do not like things in costume (such as Mickey, Snoopy at WOF, Santa, the Easter Bunny). You pretty much go screaming the other way.


What you Have learned: You are learning to count - and can make it up to 39 without help. After that, you just need assistance with remembering the big number (40, 50, 60, etc), but can count between those numbers). You can write most of the letters, but need a little assistance with the bigger letters. You are able to recognize all your letters, and can write them all out (and you are now working on your lowercase). You are able to start putting words together, and are learning your prereading skills. You are learning what sounds the letters make, and sometimes can figure out how to spell and/or read a word just by sounding out the letters. You can write your name, Brooklynn's name, mommy, daddy, nana, papa, mason, sawyer, mia, sugar, and some other words with assistance. You are learning to use your words when you are upset. You tell me "that makes me very angry", "that hurts my feelings", and occassionally I have heard you use the phrase "that breaks my heart". You are learning how to do a cartwheel, how to stand on your hands, how to hopscotch, and even how to ride a big girl bike (you are able to brake using both the pedals and the handlebar brakes.

You truly are amazing Izzy, and I am very excited to see how much you grow in this next year. This year will be a big one - you will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. You will graduate to a big girl dance class. You will be trying some new and exciting things this year. I am very excited that I get to see all that you are becoming, and that I get to say that I am your mom. I thoroughly enjoy every second I have with you (even those trying times when you ask me the same question 10 times, or don't take no - I have to say you are definitely persistant) :). I never thought it would be possible, but my love for you grows every day. I thank God every day for this journey I get to take with you.

Love you always and forever, love you mostest ostest, from here to the moon and back,
your Mommy