Dear Kaelyn,

My sweet, sweet girl… I can’t believe you are FIVE!!! Five whole years ago, you, the littlest of all my babies, were laid on my chest for the first time. As soon as they saw you, the nurses said, “What a little peanut!”, which was just perfect, because we had called you “Peanut” the entire time you grew in my belly. You are still so petite (or as I like to say, “fun size”), but every last ounce of you is filled with perfect sweetness.I always have a hard time writing these birthday posts, because sometimes, it feels so difficult capture the essence of who you really are at this age through just words. I’ll try my best, so here’s a little of what our days with you at 5 years old look like:

We still call you Kaecakes. Your old nickname of “Baba Grace” has officially been retired, but you are obsessed with your middle name so much that you have named many of your stuffed animals “Gracie”. Nella calls you “Yay yay” and sometimes I call you “KK“, so you actually have quite a few nicknames right now.

You are smart and silly. You say the funniest things all the time, and they usually seem to come out of nowhere. Your jokes are quiet, but well-thought out, and you always get us laughing. Now you’re starting to write funny things, too.

You have this kind of serenity about you. You are generally calm and gentle, although of course, you know how to be crazy, too. You just seem to have such a gentle spirit.

You are always the first one awake in the morning. You seem to need less sleep (just like your Daddy), although I do feel like you still need a short nap in the afternoons. That doesn’t always happen, though, mostly because you and Kaya love playing together so much that you forget to try to sleep.

You love doing puzzles and building with blocks. I think you could do that all day long and be perfectly happy.

You love all your stuffed animals and “teeny animals” (Hatchimals and Squinkies). You spend most of your time playing with them. Your very favorite stuffed animal this year has been your Dalmatian, but you also really love Penguin and Doggy (who I made you last year).

You have various pairs of shorts and pants, but your favorites are your flower leggings and pink stretchy pants. You’ll ask for them and look through the dryer for them before you’ll willingly wear anything from you dresser. Of course, your favorite pants are best paired with a Paw Patrol or Minnie Mouse shirt. You also really love to play dress-up!

You are turning into such a good artist, and I love seeing what creations you come up with. You love to draw butterflies, flowers, and all different pictures of you and me together on adventures. Those are my favorites.

Minnie Mouse is still your favorite character, and you talk about how you want to go to “Minnie’s Castle!” (Disney World) all the time. You’re also still obsessed with any kind of puppy, especially Dalmatians, and any of the pups from the Paw Patrol.

You are so diligent with your schoolwork. I can’t believe you’re going into Kindergarten! What’s even crazier is that you’re already through about half of your kindergarten curriculum. You love homeschool so much, and I am really enjoying being there to see you understand new concepts. You do math on your own for fun, and you keep going until you get tired. I really wouldn’t be surprised if you have some kind of science/programming/engineering job when you’re grown up.

You are possibly our pickiest eater so far, but you are obsessed with guacamole and pizza. You always ask me about what’s healthy, and you definitely try to eat what’s good for you.

Your favorite hairstyle right now is two braids, which you call “two side braids”. I feel like braids make you look so much older!

Your sisters are your world. Almost all day, every day, is spent playing with them.

You are also so proud of the fact that you have been a big sister twice! You remind me all the time about it. You love playing with and protecting Evie, and I know she loves you just as much.You always ask Daddy to sing you a song called “Goodnight Kaecakes” (a spinoff from the Daniel Tiger book) before you fall asleep each night.

One of the things you like to say (usually in a silly voice) is, “I LOVE MYSELF!” You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you embrace who you are and thrive. I hope that, as you grow, you will always see the good in who you are and recognize your divine potential.

We love you, sweet girl. Keep being yourself.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY KAELYN!

Love, Mommy