At 5&1/2

I just need to pause for a moment and just say how awesome this girl is! I think that being a stay at home mom can be frustrating a lot of the time, and I KNOW I don't take enough opportunities to just stop and admire how amazing the kids are. Aspen and I have that problem where we are so much alike in so many ways that we often times butt heads. (clark can attest). So if either of us are tired or hungry, or tired AND hungry or both of us are either one it's a really bad combination. Well, I was thinking about this little girl tonight and I just need to put down my thoughts. I was thinking what a BIG year she's had. In the past year, she has learned how to: ride a bike, swim, jump rope, hula-hoop, do the splits... both ways, read, and write. And tonight she lost her first tooth. I think that's what got me thinking about how grown up she is. But I do just have to say how great she is! She's had lots of transitions this year between starting Kindergarten, then moving and having to start a new school, make new friends, new teacher... she's done great! She's also such a GREAT big sister. She and Bryson are such good little friends, and even though they fight like most siblings, she is so caring and is always looking out for him making sure he's not running across the street or doing any of the things she knows he's not supposed to. I know she's going to be a good helper with the baby too! And in an actually helpful way. She is SOOO excited about the baby and as much as she really is hoping for a sister, she sometimes includes in her prayers "that she will still love the baby even if it's a boy", and last week she prayed that "mommy's tummy wouldn't blow up and explode". I really appreciated that prayer because it sort of feels like I'm on the verge! A few of the other things I love about Aspen are: I love sitting and helping her with her homework, I love that she's now reading bedtime stories to us at night, I love that she likes to help me cook... just about anything in the kitchen, I love that she can pour herself and her little bro cold cereal in the morning... and she LOVES giving me back massages! There really is so much I admire about Aspen and I LOVE watching her grow up and learn and accomplish new things. I'm so lucky to be her mom!