Six Years Old

We had a birthday around here. Elizabeth is now 6. Crazy. We had a little family celebration on her actual birthday and we're also having extended family over this weekend. I think she had a fun birthday.

First off, she decided that she wanted to decorate her own cake this year. She was nice enough to let us use the leftover cupcakes from the pinewood derby the day before as her cake. We made more cupcakes on Monday to take to her class so we definitely have had our fill of cupcakes around here!

Anyway, here is her masterpiece:
We had her birthday dinner request of "mummy dogs", a couple of "heart dogs" (she saw it in the magazine) and red pepper strips. Now I won't need to eat a hot dog again for another few years. The kids loved it. After that it was present time....

I couldn't resist this one after how much we all loved it when we discovered it recently:

She got the two main things on her list this year---a journal:

...and a CTR (Choose the Right) necklace (from Natalie):

Playing with her gift from Nate:

Joe and I admitted to each other last night that we have both read Elizabeth's journal. She has already written 3 or 4 times. I just have to say it is the cutest thing ever. I know--we are terrible. We promise we'll stop soon. Maybe when her spelling improves. It is just too cute right now.

After that it was cake time...

Intently watching Daddy do his lassoing-the-top-of-the-match trick:

I sure love this girl:

We have our struggles at times. Poor oldest children. Your parents have no idea what they are doing and overreact to everything because it's the first time they've dealt with it. Really, we just need to calm down and remember that she is barely 6. She is little. She is learning.

She is also incredibly kind, loving, helpful and happy. She wants to do what's right (hence the strong desire for a necklace to go along with her CTR ring!). She loves her little sister and brother and is the best big sister either of them could ask for. She genuinely cares about other people and goes out of her way to make friends with kids that might need a friend. She knows the names of every single person in her class and we get to hear about pretty much all of them every day. She is LOVING the social aspect of school. I don't really know much about what she is learning academically because she only tells me bits and pieces about that. Here is a sample conversation:
Mom: What did you do in school today?
Elizabeth: We had a math test today.
M: Really? On what?
E: I don't remember. Guess what? Keylan was chasing Mazzy today, and Mazzy was chasing me! And Jimmy said this funny thing during calendar time. And Jace got in trouble for...
(at this point I usually give the old "if you can't say something nice" spiel)

You get the idea. Don't worry. She is learning, too (at least a little bit).

She is such a blessing to me. I am so thankful for her patience with me.

Dear Elizabeth,

I love...
-the way you use hand-gestures when you talk
-the way you always say that you don't ever want to move out, even when you get married :)
-the way your laughs just burst out of you sometimes
-you--just the way you are!

Love, Mom