5 Years With Our Precious Girl

Five.
5.
Five years old.
There is just something about five that sounds so old to me. A four year old is still a bit of an overgrown toddler, but a 5 year old?...That is officially big kid age. And you, Delilah, are the most delightful big kid. Your stats, really quickly: 3' 7" tall. 41.4 pounds. And they now check your blood pressure: 98/55. The doctor thought it was cute that you knew exactly what the blood pressure cuff was--thanks, Doc McStuffins! :)
Okay, back to the good stuff:
Dear Delilah,
  Your daddy and I love love love love love you with all our hearts. You are sensitive and thoughtful and smart and funny. You've fallen in love with jokes recently and make up your own--they are terrible, and that makes us love them even more. You are friends with everyone in your class and they all adore you. We had to hold your birthday party in Central Park b/c you wanted to invite so many friends. You say the wisest things, and seem to have an innate spiritual core. I know I am in seminary and we all go to church regularly, but your connection to God is deeper than this foundation would give--I think it is simply one of your gifts.
   You take such good care of your sister--when she gets hurt, she often runs to you instead of me or Daddy. You nurture her and teach her and love her fiercely. You two can play together for hours and watching your bond develop is one of my biggest joys. Y'all certainly have your share of sister fights, but they are typically over before they begin.
   You still love art and any craft project is a good one in your eyes. You love to read and are currently obsessed with Fancy Nancy and the Berenstain Bears. You dutifully apply every lesson you learn from those bears to real life; I constantly hear you telling Noelle about the dangers of "too much TV", or to "find joy in whatever the day brings", and other such Berenstain maxims. Ariel still gets tucked under your arm every night. One of your favorite things to do is to play school with Noelle. Your interest in ballet is waning and you have declared that you will do a different activity for every season: "I can do soccer and swimming in the summer, Mom, and gymnastics in the fall and winter, and ballet in the spring." You love talking about the seasons and all the things that go with each one.
  You are learning the geography of the United States and are obsessed with Texas. You want to live there--preferably in the same house as your cousins, Lauren and Taylor. You have informed us that if we move back to Texas, you will still need to fly back to New York so that you can go to Coney Island. We have been to Coney Island exactly one time, but it is your favorite place in the entire world and you bring it up at least once a week. I'm actually a little scared to take you back because I'm afraid it won't live up to your memory!
  Your daddy and I are SO LUCKY that we get to be your parents. Happy birthday, sweet girl. The world is a better place because you are in it.
Love,
Mommy

And now for party pics!
The birthday started off with Delilah waking up early and watching a movie with daddy. In the middle of the movie, she asked him to pause it because she wanted to "say thank you to God for birthdays and family and love". We had breakfast pancakes, and then I had to run to work at the church in Brooklyn while they went to our church. Got back around 2pm, Noelle woke up from her nap, and we loaded up to head to Central Park! It's only 6 blocks away, but we had a lot of stuff to get there, with no car.  We decided on a division of labor--Delilah and I would take a lot of the stuff in a cab, while Daddy and Noelle would walk with the stroller. (It seems that Chris did not end up in a single picture. Major oversight on my part. Sorry, sweetie!!!)

Heading to the park!

She was so excited to ride in a taxi with just Mommy. I snapped this pic just after she told me, "Mommy, my eyes are full. I have tears because I'm just so happy."

Our set up. We told the guests to look for the Minnie Mouse balloons.

 

Rolling down the hill--always a favorite!!

Cake! We had to make two because so many people came. Delilah wanted to decorate them, which basically meant that there were two sheet cakes COVERED in sprinkles.

The hit of the party were the giant bubble wands we brought. So fun!!

Noelle chasing after big sister.

Chris and I love this picture. Delilah was jumping on a bubble to pop it.

We also LOVE this picture. So great!!!

Time to go!!

 And we end with a pic that captures the day: blue skies, arms outstretched, giant grassy fields, and buildings in the background. And the looooongest bubble you've ever seen.

Happy 5th, Sugarplum. Thank you for making me a mama.

Park Pics

Chris is now attending grad school. His classes meet every Saturday from 8am-4:30pm. Since I work on Sundays at the church all day, it means we don't get a lot of time together, and we certainly don't get a lot of time together as a family of four. But it's only for a year, and we are determined to make the most of the situation. Short term troubles for long term gain! :)
The first Saturday that Chris had class, I realized that the girls and I had 3 options: sit around the apartment and mope, go do the same things we always do, or do something new! We opted for number 3. I packed up a blanket and picnic lunch, loaded the girls on the cross-town bus and we headed for a part of Central Park that we've never visited and had a great time. It was also the first time I've ventured out with both girls without the stroller. Freedom!!! We miss Saturdays with Daddy, but that doesn't mean we can't have our own adventures! I love the juxtapositon of skyscrapers and expansive green grass!!

Love this photo of Noelle...

And I love this photo of Delilah...wish I could merge the two photos! :)

I think I was privvy to the most heartfelt kiss in Central Park that day!

 And the following week, we got a visit from an old sorority sister, Emily, and her youngest daughter. They live in Connecticut and just felt like taking a trip into the city. Emily and I haven't seen each other since college, but we view life in very similar ways. It was so good to catch up with her and meet her baby girl!!

And here's Noelle conquering a rock wall, just like Daddy:

And, finally, a pic of the girls and I on the way to the neighborhood park one day. We were just having a blast and enjoying our time together, so I thought I would snap a quick photo.

Thank you, NYC for your devotion to public parks!!!!

Franca's Visit

I met Franca when I lived in NYC for the first time, a million years ago. Actually, it was only about 12 years ago, but I was in my early twenties, unmarried, with no children, which feels like a million years ago.
Franca is Italian and Canadian and beautiful and fun and sweet and dozens of other adjectives. But on this visit, she was healing. She came down from Toronto and was the breath of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. Thank you, Franca, for reminding me about the unconditional love of friendship, and for reminding me that I don't have to make apologies for who I am. (That sounds vague...so, to my sweet daughters, if you would like details whenever you read this, just let me know).

I have been slow in uploading my blog posts. Even though this post is accurately dated, I am actually not finishing it until May 11. So it bears mentioning that Noelle has continually asked for Franca since she left. We went to the park one day during Franca's visit and had a blast. Now, every time I say we're going to the park, Noelle gets excited and smiles and says, "Park! Park with Franca?" Thank you again for making the trip down here, Franca. I'm so glad my girls now love you as much as I do.

100 Days of School and School Uniform

Just two quick pics of Delilah after school. The first shows her poster for the "100th Day of School". On the 100th day of school, all the pre-K kids had to turn in 100 of something. Delilah LOVED this project!

100 Cheerios as hair! P.S.-Writing "100 DAYS" with a glitter glue pen is hard for a 4 year old!

 This second picture shows you what Delilah thinks of the gray and white school uniform.

She may be technically in compliance with uniform requirements, but she will not be constrained by them!!! :)