Life on Lofty Lane: Emerson's 5!

I remember when Emerson was just a newborn thinking how big of a deal her 5th birthday would be and that is was just sooooo far away. I don't know that the 5th birthday is a big deal to every parent, but to me it symbolized a sort of right of passage when they change from preschooler to truly being a little kid. I didn't know it then, but there is so much emotional development that happens in that pre kindergarten year. While yes, young kids are always growing, learning and changing so much, it is more than that. There is an independence and confidence that develops during this age/time. Emerson is truly a little girl now. Her 5th birthday was a special milestone and it was every bit as special and meaningful as I hoped and imagined. I am so proud of her and I think she is the most wonderful little girl. She is thoughtful, silly, joyful, smart and sassy! Sometimes she gives us attitude and I worry about the teenage years ahead with such a head strong little girl. I see so much of myself in her... her sensitivity especially. That's where I worry a little for her in the future... thinking that in her good intentions of being sweet to someone, a mean kid will hurt her feelings for no reason other than they aren't a nice person. (Because, let's be real here... there are many kids who sadly are not nice and will probably grow up to be those grumpy adults no one likes to be around) So I wonder how to prepare her for those kids/people as I am 33 years old and still struggle with not being hurt by mean people! (true story) Some parts of her personality definitely don't come from me, like her "girlie" nature. She loves to wear dresses and look pretty. When I was her age I was a tomboy really... I don't think I worried about dresses and being pretty. But sweet Emerson is happiest in a dress or skirt! Preferably and longer dress or skirt, which is interesting. It is also good for the dress to be blue, her favorite color, and/or for it to be a sparkly dress. If it has glitter and jewels you have a winner! Interestingly, she often looks like a gypsy when she dresses herself... that or a hippie. :) It's cute and makes her happy. She likes having her hair down and not in a pony tail usually. She'll wear a headband sometimes or enjoys having an Elsa braid, which is hard for me to achieve! I am not a talented braider, but I think I do ok enough.

Emerson is still a pretty picky eater but I am making some small progress lately with explaining that eating more fruits and vegetables helps her tummy and will help her grow stronger. Still, her absolute favorite thing is macaroni. She MUST have salt and pepper on it (we usually pretend to put the salt on) She still loves pancakes for breakfast as her favorite food. The favorite fruit right now is blueberries.

Emerson is such a big kid, literally! She is as tall as half of all 6 year olds according to her doctor. She is trim and tall. I am finding that many of the clothes that I thought would still work for school are too small that were size 5, not 5T, size 5 and are too short. It varies by brand as well, but many times size 6 is the best size. At her 5 year appointment she weighed 43 pounds (75%) and was 45 inches tall (90%).

Our beautiful little girl!

I love this.

She has grown so much!!

Getting measured at her 5 year well visit!

Emerson thought the house smelled bad so she put a sticker over her nose... so funny.

Emerson's Frozen 5th!

We had a blast celebrating Emerson's birthday with a Frozen themed birthday party! It was called "Emerson's Frozen 5th!". We had wonderful weather for swimming and used our patio space for everything. I purchased a cute little snow cone machine, which has been a fun thing to have! Instead of hassling with cooking anything, we ordered pizza. That is seriously so helpful to do! And who doesn't love pizza?? Emerson's best friend, Ava, came as well as another sweet friend from school named Sarah, along with lots of other friends. It was really a great time and I was so happy to see Emerson so happy! Here are pictures from the party!