Elise turns 5!

She's 5! She's kindergarten bound. How. Did. This. Happen?

No matter where we go, people are drawn to this child. Maybe it's her quirk. Maybe it's her curls. But there's no question that the once scornful bald headed munchkin has morphed into a force to be reckoned with. She's as empathetic as she is outspoken. She has no problem letting the big kids know what's on her mind. At one point, my apprehension about kindergarten was her getting picked on by a neighborhood bully. I'm not too worried after the summer we've had. We're as likely to find her playing puppies with her stuffies as we are to find her wrestling her brother. 

Her imagination is vivid and well developed. Not only does she role play games, she also gives her stuffies a voice or likes to try and read by making up her own stories. Her creativity makes her crave watching movies. And most days, her and Ryan are speaking in movie lines (which is a rare Kerry genetic disorder.)

This spring break she officially became a beach bum. While in Florida, she learned to swim unassisted and underwater thanks to an elderly man who was a former PE teacher. From the pool to the beach, this kid was a fish!

Not a day goes by that Elise is not wearing a costume or a superhero shirt. Her 5th birthday party was a Star Wars costume party and she went as Darth Vader. For Halloween she was a storm trooper. Every day in between has been a different adventure as she dresses from her costume closet. Lately her thing is ninjas and she gets "training" from our neighbor, Paige.

The only place this child is introverted and perhaps overly cautious is when it comes to tubing and the boat. It's not her favorite, though she's tried it three times. One time ended in a slight rescue mission. (Thank goodness daddy is a lifeguard with Baywatch skills.)

If you were to ask Elise about her biggest accomplishment this year, she'd probably tell you about her t-ball season. She was a slugger, very focused and truly enjoyed every second wearing her neon orange cleats.

This kid is well-loved by her Milestones classmates. We said goodbye to the center after nearly 6.5 years of attendance which was sad (and financially liberating :) Though many nights she claimed tummy aches to try and stay home and watch movies, the second she hit the front door of the center, she was all in. Ms. Katie's class was a great fit and her best buddies since 6 months old were right there with her until her final day. We ended the week with a great school performance and an unruly walk/crawl to collect her diploma that inspired other kids and quickly got out of hand. I couldn't complain though. She wore a dress....even if it was with her winter Uggs....in June.

She's as creative as she is sporty, just like her big brother. The bottom right picture will always remind me of how she filters her vision with her fingers when there's any tension, scary content or uncertainty in what she's watching.

A collection of studies that I've done of her over the year. She's lost her baby pudge and has grown 6 inches in 6 months. She's wearing  size 6 clothes and 11.5 shoes. She's still not pacing with Ryan but is pretty tall for her class. She will absolutely not wear pigtails or pony tails, though we're hopeful that maybe a headband is in her future.

This year she's grown a lot as we worked through the loss of Cali and her goldfish. Initially, the fish hit her hard, but she got over it fast. Cali didn't seem to bother her right away. But three months later, she can't stop talking about how much she misses her. Now Elise is drawn to all the dogs we see. I'm not sure if she's mimicking Ryan's obsession or if this is a natural extension of her love for animals. Just this week I've heard she wants to be a "Zooer" and a "Palatologist." Let's see if in the end she works with live or dead creatures!

We went to Camp Newaygo Mom and Me camp and we had a great time together. She's all Newaygo and I love to think about her attending camp when she gets older.

Elise, we're so grateful for your spirit and your spunk. We can't wait to experience this next year alongside you as you start big girl school. Watch out Valley View and Ms. Gardner....her she comes!