Dearest Clairey,
You are 5 whole years today. I can't quite believe it, but I feel like broken record as that thought crosses my mind every year. These past 5 years have truly been the best of my life. Having you in our life has brought a richness, a fullness, a purpose far beyond that which we could have imagined. You are becoming such a mature little girl. You do your share of tattling and a little less "taking matters into your own hands" (although moreso when it is convenient for you :) Claire you are a wonderful teacher. The other day, we heard you explaining to Mya how to correctly produce the /s/ sound. Daddy commented that you are a future Speech Language Pathologist. ha! I am not sure what HE has in store for you, but I am certain it will be great!. You are loving and endearing. You are kind and helpful. You are the first to offer assistance. You aim to please in all you do. Claire you have grown so much this year. You have broken free of your shell. You used to be shy and hesitant to speak to others. This is no longer the case. You initiate greetings, conversation and interactions with anyone who will bend an ear. Case in point. While standing in line, waiting to exit the plane in Grand Forks last week, you shared our entire vacation including people's names, places, etc. with a kind lady who reached out with a friendly "hello." Your Daddy and I just sat back and smiled. This is such a dramatic shift from a year ago.
You have a hesitation for trying things that may be difficult. You are a perfectionist who expects to master challenges on first attempt. It has been a focus of Daddy and I to encourage and support your attempts, but not to push you beyond which you are ready. The situation that comes to mind is reading. You are well on your way. You have mastered phonics, you can blend, you can read simple words when you want to do so; however, if I challenge you with a word less easy that you may need to study for a moment or two, you want to throw in the towel. While this frustrates us to no end, we know you will get it. In time, you will come around and do what it takes. This is you. This is your character & personality. We are okay with that. You also faced a similar situation riding bike. You were perfectly content riding the bike with training wheels, but curiosity was peaked after watching Ava wheel around on 2 wheels. You tried and tried. Tears were shed. The training wheels were taken off and put back on again. After many attempts, a few falls and moments of pure frustration, you got it. You mastered those 2 wheels and now you are a whiz. Tying your shoes was another big accomplishment this year. You learned this rather quickly. Once you set your mind to it, you practiced an hour or so and viola! You did it. With all these new corners you have turned developmentally, you are still my little girl who likes to be carried, loves hugs and kisses, and on occasion wants to be held like a baby. I love you. Daddy and I love you.
You are still a small child. Petite. You are not the greatest eater, but oddly enough, you LOVE salad! Who would have thought?! I have known no other child to eat salad like you, but you love it. You like to make your own and often request a salad when I am scrambling to figure out what we will eat. Claire you aren't a huge fan of vegetables in general, but will eat fruit well. If you had your choice, you would eat eggs at every meal. They are your favorite thing in the whole wide world. You go in spurts. Most of the time you prefer scrambled eggs with cheese, but you occasionally mix things up with hard boiled, fried and an egg sandwich.
You will soon start kindergarten. We actually drove by your school this week. A smile was plastered on your face. We have talked about this change for months. We bought your school supplies, new shoes and clothes when we were home this summer. You are excited. I am excited too, but this is a big change and I can't help but feel slightly saddened. I think it is the first sign that you are not my little baby girl anymore. That being said, I am so excited to see all that you do and the fun that you will have learning and playing with new friends in a new environment. I know you will shine!
Daddy has significant concerns raising you and Mya in the military lifestyle, which requires moving every 3 to 4 years. I do not. I know that these experiences are once in a lifetime type experiences. I feel our lifestyle shows you and exposes you to the possibilities and opportunities that lie before you. To quote a "Steve's Song" song, "You can do anything that you want to do." Seeing the world heightens your awareness and develops your appreciation for life. I hope it also fosters your focus to be the change that you want to see in this world.
You are an amazing little girl, Claire. You are an incredible big sister, daughter and friend. We love you more than you will ever know and couldn't be more proud of you.
Here's to 5 years and 100 more!
Love you, Clairebear.
Mama and Daddy
You are 5 whole years today. I can't quite believe it, but I feel like broken record as that thought crosses my mind every year. These past 5 years have truly been the best of my life. Having you in our life has brought a richness, a fullness, a purpose far beyond that which we could have imagined. You are becoming such a mature little girl. You do your share of tattling and a little less "taking matters into your own hands" (although moreso when it is convenient for you :) Claire you are a wonderful teacher. The other day, we heard you explaining to Mya how to correctly produce the /s/ sound. Daddy commented that you are a future Speech Language Pathologist. ha! I am not sure what HE has in store for you, but I am certain it will be great!. You are loving and endearing. You are kind and helpful. You are the first to offer assistance. You aim to please in all you do. Claire you have grown so much this year. You have broken free of your shell. You used to be shy and hesitant to speak to others. This is no longer the case. You initiate greetings, conversation and interactions with anyone who will bend an ear. Case in point. While standing in line, waiting to exit the plane in Grand Forks last week, you shared our entire vacation including people's names, places, etc. with a kind lady who reached out with a friendly "hello." Your Daddy and I just sat back and smiled. This is such a dramatic shift from a year ago.
You have a hesitation for trying things that may be difficult. You are a perfectionist who expects to master challenges on first attempt. It has been a focus of Daddy and I to encourage and support your attempts, but not to push you beyond which you are ready. The situation that comes to mind is reading. You are well on your way. You have mastered phonics, you can blend, you can read simple words when you want to do so; however, if I challenge you with a word less easy that you may need to study for a moment or two, you want to throw in the towel. While this frustrates us to no end, we know you will get it. In time, you will come around and do what it takes. This is you. This is your character & personality. We are okay with that. You also faced a similar situation riding bike. You were perfectly content riding the bike with training wheels, but curiosity was peaked after watching Ava wheel around on 2 wheels. You tried and tried. Tears were shed. The training wheels were taken off and put back on again. After many attempts, a few falls and moments of pure frustration, you got it. You mastered those 2 wheels and now you are a whiz. Tying your shoes was another big accomplishment this year. You learned this rather quickly. Once you set your mind to it, you practiced an hour or so and viola! You did it. With all these new corners you have turned developmentally, you are still my little girl who likes to be carried, loves hugs and kisses, and on occasion wants to be held like a baby. I love you. Daddy and I love you.
You are still a small child. Petite. You are not the greatest eater, but oddly enough, you LOVE salad! Who would have thought?! I have known no other child to eat salad like you, but you love it. You like to make your own and often request a salad when I am scrambling to figure out what we will eat. Claire you aren't a huge fan of vegetables in general, but will eat fruit well. If you had your choice, you would eat eggs at every meal. They are your favorite thing in the whole wide world. You go in spurts. Most of the time you prefer scrambled eggs with cheese, but you occasionally mix things up with hard boiled, fried and an egg sandwich.
You will soon start kindergarten. We actually drove by your school this week. A smile was plastered on your face. We have talked about this change for months. We bought your school supplies, new shoes and clothes when we were home this summer. You are excited. I am excited too, but this is a big change and I can't help but feel slightly saddened. I think it is the first sign that you are not my little baby girl anymore. That being said, I am so excited to see all that you do and the fun that you will have learning and playing with new friends in a new environment. I know you will shine!
Daddy has significant concerns raising you and Mya in the military lifestyle, which requires moving every 3 to 4 years. I do not. I know that these experiences are once in a lifetime type experiences. I feel our lifestyle shows you and exposes you to the possibilities and opportunities that lie before you. To quote a "Steve's Song" song, "You can do anything that you want to do." Seeing the world heightens your awareness and develops your appreciation for life. I hope it also fosters your focus to be the change that you want to see in this world.
You are an amazing little girl, Claire. You are an incredible big sister, daughter and friend. We love you more than you will ever know and couldn't be more proud of you.
Here's to 5 years and 100 more!
Love you, Clairebear.
Mama and Daddy
Comments