My favorite four-year-old is now five.
Truly, this year with her has been one of my favorites. She has always, always been an accidental comedienne, and as she grows, the punch lines just keep on coming.
There was a time last year when I thought maybe she was going to be more introverted. She was suddenly very fearful of others outside of her immediate circle. She preferred to play more on her own, and when we laughed at her Ellie-isms, she would get upset or cry.
She doesn’t always understand why we are laughing now, but her concern about our response has faded significantly. She loves knock-knock jokes and silly voices and playing pretend.
She asks a lot of big, grown-up questions these days, like “Mom, what’s sacrifice?” and “What’s your soul?” The other day, she wanted an explanation of puberty.
That was fun.
Still, as surprising as it might be, she is a rule-follower. She does not like to disappoint people. I remember this year when she was very sick and missed a week of school. The night before she was going back, she told me that she was worried that her class would be mad at her because she had been absent.
She is so much of John and so much of me that it is impossible to separate what she gets from which parent. She loves limits, but loves to push them. She cares deeply about people and loves to be with others, but needs urging to feel comfortable reaching out to new faces. She seeks the thrill of risks, but waits for a detailed explanation of how it will work and then a guiding hand to make sure that she is OK the first time. She is firmly planted with one foot in the familiar and one foot Beyond at all times.
This year, she will go to Kindergarten and branch out to a whole new set of people and experiences. I’m nostalgic today, but equally excited to watch this little one bloom in a rich learning environment, as she has sought out information and facts and ideas since she was much, much smaller. Every night, my prayer is that she continue to love the way she loves and continue to learn the ways she learns – and then that she use her talents for good.
The sheer terror of letting her loose in a great big world is inexplicable. However, the joy of watching her grow is even greater.
We love you, Ellie Bean!! Happy fifth birthday!!
Yo soy La Lay 
A blink of an eye! Happy Birthday Elizabeth Jane!
I Love you to the Moon and back. Always and forever…
No matter what!
Mimi