5 Years Old!

It is crazy to look back at the past five years and see how Annaliese has changed and grown from this itty bitty little baby into a strong-willed, persistent and passionate little girl! Kyle wrote her a birthday letter that sums up this past year:

As I write this birthday letter, I am reminded of all the ways you have grown this year. You’ve grown taller and stronger. You’ve grown in your vocabulary and your ability to listen. You’ve grown in your care and love for your sisters. You’ve grown in your willingness to learn from your mistakes. And you’ve grown in your understanding of God. I am so proud of all the ways you are growing and I know these are only some of the ways.

So what is Annaliese up to these days:

•  Sleeping: She typically goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and sleeps until 6:30-7:00ish. We do a quiet time every afternoon for about an hour. She usually reads a book or plays a game by herself, but occasionally will fall asleep. She still sleeps with her blankie and every once in awhile I catch her sucking her thumb. We are working on breaking that habit...
• Clothes: Annaliese is in between 4T and 5T clothes; most of her 4T pants have recently become too short and shirts are getting too small as well. However, I just bought some new PJs and the 4T will fit just fine (and the 5T ones will probably not fit until next year!) Shoes are size 11. 
• Favorites:
• Activity- riding her bike
  
• Color- verde
• Food- macaroni and cheese
• Animal- horse
• Other fun facts:
• Annaliese is in a Spanish immersion preschool and when she went to the doctor for her well-check, she answered the majority of the questions in Spanish!
• She loves spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa.
• Her love languages appear to be physical touch (she has no personal bubble at all!) and gifts- she is constantly drawing pictures and making things for other people. 
• She loves making crafts.
• Annaliese loves helping with Lydia and has recently decided that she can stand and walk around carrying Lydia. 
• She now rides a 16" Frozen Themed bicycle, graduating from her 12" Princess bicycle.
• She is learning how to play racquetball with her dad.
• She's better at playing phone games than she should be (she sneaks some game time in when we're not looking).
• She can now buckle and unbuckle her car seat and tries to tighten the seat.
• We are planning her first sleepover soon.
• She loves to write and is always asking how to spell things.
• She loves to sing! She is constantly singing, either making up her own songs or singing parts of songs she actually knows! She sings when she is coloring, when she is getting dressed, when she is going to the bathroom, when I'm doing her hair...you get the picture.