Dear Charlotte,

Five feels so old to me   You graduated preschool and had a birthday, congrats my love, you are a big kid ready for all sorts of big kid adventures. No, you can’t get your ammo online! But go for everything else.

 Char,  you are fiery, adventurous, brave, confident, kind, challenging, hilarious and basically this person so complex, we have yet to figure you out.  I should have known early on when about a month away from your due date, you did a full on flip inside of me, even the doctors were impressed.  Your entrance into this world resembled a scene from Hollywood.  When you set your mind to something, nothing stops you.   There isn’t a consequence that will deter you which makes parenting you a bit of a roller coaster ride. Just when we think we can predict you,  you throw us for a loop.  Your favorite food is anything unhealthy and full of sugar and once we  figured out you wouldn’t touch vegetables with a pole, you request brussel sprouts for diner.  Brussel sprouts!  I mean… BRUSSEL SPROUTS!  See, I’m still confused.  And these quirks of yours are also so amazingly awesome!  You will physically try anything. Nothing scares you!  You flip off of stairs, you flip over couches, you climb anything and everything.  Just the other week, I caught you bossing around the big kids talking them into climbing a rope up an eight foot wall with concrete under your feet.  And the girls trusted you!  You were so confident that they were willing to do what you asked! I had to remind you ladies that you have awesome heads with amazing brains and unless you had helmets and parental consent, you weren’t scaling any walls taller than you.  Let’s keep our skulls intact for as long as possible okay?

You are incredibly sweet, caring, loving and too smart for your own good!  We ventured into the world of chicken-keeping this year and you lovingly named your two orange chicks Snowball and Felicity.  You made sure they were fed and happy.  You held them every chance you could get.  You loved on them like any sweet mother could.  Last week, Snowball died.  We walked outside to let them out of the run and she was lying dead in the coop.  I brought you inside and explained what happened and that she wasn’t coming back.  You ran outside, curled up into a ball and cried.  I let you have your space.  You were so upset and my heart broke for you.  In that moment, where I’m left wondering what to say or what to do because no one prepares us parents for moments like this, I told you she was in heaven. You asked where that was and what that meant.  I said it was a place she went where she was happy and could go wherever she wanted and eat whatever she wanted.  I figured you would like that explanation considering you would love it if you could eat cake and cookies for every meal of every day.  Fast forward to a few days ago when you ran across the street without looking (Right after I told you to wait for me!) when 30 seconds later, Sawyer stepped off the sidewalk right in front of  car (Seriously, what are you guys doing to me?!?!) , I got upset and said you two could have DIED.  DEAD.  Never to return to your family!  Well… that didn’t go so well because you looked a bit excited  and asked if that meant you could have gone to place where you get whatever you wanted and get to eat whatever you wanted!  See what you did there?  How in the world could I win, I  mean, errrr- PARENT when you are always a few steps ahead of me?   You are too smart girl!

Char, you are cool.  You have this vibe about you that is so fun and laid back and just cool.  I feel like a 90’s teenager describing you as cool but I really don’t know any other way to explain it.  Just about anytime you meet another adult female, you sit next to her and chat it up.  “Hi, I’m Charlotte, LOVE your dress!”  And the women eat it up! All the young moms in the restaurant we were at the other week were raving about how much they loved you and how they would love to hang out with you just for fun.  This is a common occurrence and it’s so funny and it’s so YOU.  You, my dear, light up a room and I’m a proud mommy watching you work your personality magic.

Fun facts this year:

1.  You know all the letter sounds and can officially read three letter words.  You go my little reader!

2.  You are the best big sister a little sis could ask for.  You will give up anything of yours for Vivian and then turn to me saying how adorable she is while she is eating YOUR snack.  Your love and generosity brings tears to my eyes.

3.  You moved up a class in gymnastics this year and won’t stop flipping all over the house.  Next stop, pre-team.

4.  You went out of the country for the first time to Turks and Caicos and won’t stop talking about the beach.  I know, I know, I feel ya.  We need to feel sand under our toes more often!

5.  We also went on our first long road trip to California and though you could have said you loved Disneyland or the hotels, or even the beaches, your most favorite part of the trip was seeing family.  I sure wish we all lived closer to each other!  One of my favorite memories from the ride might have been the red marks under your nostrils from sniffing the cherry-flavored marker that looked much more like blood than fun.  Oops, bad purchase worth the hilarious moment and concerned stares from onlookers.

Charlotte, I love you like crazy,  you drive me crazy, you make me laugh like crazy, you ARE crazy and I wouldn’t want it any other way.   Thanks for teaching me about passion and patience.  Thanks for teaching me to take chances.  Thanks for teaching me not to judge others because parenting doesn’t look like Pinterest.  Thanks for teaching me that beautiful things include deep belly laughs, honesty and adventure.  Thanks for teaching me to live and love like there is no tomorrow. Last but not least, look both ways before crossing the street and wear your helmet before scaling walls.   I want you in my tomorrow and many tomorrows after that, heaven and the food there can wait.  xoxoxo-mom