February 26, 2014 - Fabulously Five

Our Super Girl is 5 years old today.  Kristoffer says this does not surprise him: “She’s been with us 5 years! Of course she is 5!”  …while I am more mystified that not only has she been on the planet for 5 years but that WE have been PARENTS for that long.  There is just something BIG about such a solid number…half a decade!  Wow!

So she woke up this morning to our usual birthday party scene: decorations and balloons and presents!

 A very popular gift that she has been wanting for a whole year was a dinosaur watch, courtesy of my parents.  Last night she even came out of bed to ask me, "Are you sure I'm getting a watch...because you promised me when I turned 4 that I could have one on my fifth birthday!"

 Legos were also a big hit...

 And a new-to-her bike...hoping she properly learns to ride soon!

 Early morning builders...

 Breakfast candles :)

At school she got to raise the Danish flag and was sung to her by her friends (many times throughout the day I was told!).  She also chose to wear a new dress AND her dragon cloak.   I noticed how much more easily she could raise the flag this year by herself, while last year she needed a lot of help.

(dare I ask...best picture ever?!)

I came back to school after lunch to bring her chosen treat for her class:  everyone was to have one homemade chocolate chip cookie and one store-bought OREO.  She has had this vision for weeks, and was very pleased that it came true.  She was cute distributing cookies to her class.

At home she got to watch her new Dragon shows on DVD and play with her new Lego boat that Far came home from work early to help her build.  She had her chosen dinner of spaghetti with sauce and cheese and bacon and broccoli, and chocolate cupcakes with lots of frosting.

(Noah was so exhausted from Grace's birthday that he did not even make it to dessert!)

She also had (and also missed a few - sorry!!!) Skype/Facetime calls with family members around the world.  When she went to bed she said she was HAPPY (also it’s her second night sleeping in bunk beds with Noah in their “new” shared bedroom…more on that soon) and she LOVES BEING FIVE!  So all in all, a great day!

Now we are just gearing up for her dragon birthday party on Saturday, and then Mama will be ready to start taking it easy (also more on that soon).

I am impressed with how much she has changed and grown in the last year.  There are so many things about her that we love, it is hard to track them all.  But mostly I love that she is smart and funny, and is uniquely herself – loving dragons and dinosaurs and butterflies and Legos (that Mama wishes weren’t so girly) all at the same time.  I respect that Grace is quite in tune to other people's feelings and sensitivities (especially Noah's, actually), that she is a "welcomer" around new people, and that she is really learning to learn from her mistakes.  She is a really big girl now, and we feel so much joy from her and because of her, everyday.   She is our Amazing Grace – 5 years old!

Happy Birthday, Grace!

Love, Mama