Ode to Haley!!

Happy Birthday my little lady! Haley is 5 years old and she will be going to Kindergarten next year. (sniff!) I keep telling her that she needs to stay little and she replies, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll still be cute when I'm older." Good thing! She is one amazing girl and has so many things going for her. She is very social and makes it easy to be her friend. After I pick her up from Pre-K, it seems like everyone has to say good-bye to her and she has to make the rounds of hugs and saying good-bye to her friends.

She loves to learn and can already read and write. Her teacher gave some of her writing samples to a kindergarten teacher and her teacher said the kindergarten teacher was amazed and sad that Haley wouldn't be in her class next year. I love teaching her things because she remembers everything! Which is also something I have to remember when raising her because she DOES remember everything. She remembers her 2 year old birthday, when we had to go back to Michaels because she took a piece of gum, when Grandma Ava died, when our first caterpillar made a cocoon, when my brother's dog knocked her over with his tail and licked her when she was a year and a half, etc. What a memory!

She is naturally graceful. She LOVES going to dance and even practices at home. She is also getting pretty good at catch and will even initiate playing with us. She loves flowers, the outdoors, and has her mom's expensive taste for Steak. She can sing on tune and can belt it out with even a little vibrato. (Remember her memory?) She knows song lyrics sometimes better than I do and likes to make up her own songs.

She is super thoughtful. She likes to do nice things for everyone and is always writing letters or making cards for her friends and family. She's also very perceptive to how others feel and will do anything to make them happy. (moooost of the time. Sister gets left out some times . . . except today when Maleia fell and immediately Haley went to get the Bandaids for her and picked up her bubbles that she spilled.)

Something I wasn't quite ready for is that she is talking about boys. (I know!) She even had her first kiss at a boys house when she was being tended and then again (with the same boy) at church in the hallway in front of Brandon. Needless to say we had to have a little chat. We told her that it's not appropriate to kiss boys and her response was. "It's okay mom. I've done it before." And that is when we found out about her first kiss. She says she has two boyfriends and we keep saying she can't have a boyfriend until she's 16 and NO MORE KISSING! geesh. I thought I'd have this conversation in about 10 years from now.

Haley has found that being 5 is tough, too. We have compromised that 5 year olds don't suck their thumbs, so I have been cuddling with her at night helping her make that transition and I am so proud of her! Two nights in a row without sucking her thumb! Remind me to pay her a few hundred dollars if she finally stops since we hope we won't have to get her braces when she is older. I keep reminding her that she can do anything if she puts her mind to it. Way to go, girl!

Over all she is a great 5 year old who makes us happy. She is my favorite 5 year old and I can't wait to see what this year brings. Hungary doesn't know what is gonna hit 'em...