My Dearest Alena

My Dearest Alena,

   Today you turn five years old! Happy Birthday! You are so excited to turn five because you are no longer a little girl and this means you can go to kindergarten next school year. Mommy doesn't like it so much because four still seems small but five...? Five just seems so BIG! Plus, you're starting to make mommy feel old. :) You do not like hearing the words Alena, little, and baby in the same sentence. You're taking being five years old so seriously.

We got you a guitar for your birthday after you begged for one when Christian and I got one for our birthdays. Daddy has a few too and you wanted one so we could be a guitar playing family. You love your pink princess guitar and are strumming it gleefully!

You've done and learned so much this past year! You have shown how strong and patient you can be when waiting for daddy to come home from Iraq. You started gymnastics and like it. I can see your athletic ability start to come out and mommy loves it! I think your biggest accomplishment this past year was starting preschool. I can't believe how much you have learned! I love watching you write, spell, and just recently, READ some words!!! I am truly amazed when I see you do these things and can almost not contain my excitement or emotions.

Alena, you have such a wonderful imagination! I love to watch you play because you're so funny. You can always make daddy and I laugh. I hope you never lose your sense of humor. Speaking of humor... you love to make up your own jokes and sometimes, they make sense and are so funny!

You are also just getting into playing with Barbies. You like to dress them into many different outfits. And your mind is so creative! Daddy thinks this is the best thing about you. You can get out all your craft supplies and come up with so many great projects, all on your own. I hope you always use this creativity because it will come in handy when you have kids of your own.

Your vocabulary is rapidly expanding and you are always trying to use bigger and bigger words. Sometimes you use them correctly and sometimes not. But keep practicing!

Alena, you are turning into such a wonderful young lady. You have started to habitually use your manners. Your Sunday school teacher told me this week that you were to only student to thank her for giving you a snack. That made me SO PROUD! And then yesterday in the car, you gave Christian the rest of your snack just to be nice. Another proud mommy moment!

Sometimes however, you can seem like a real Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. You can turn from sweet and caring to mean and spiteful in a split second! Many times it's directed at Christian. We really need to work on that this year. But I know you truly love your brother. Just last night, you guys wanted to sleep in the same room and cried when mommy wouldn't let you.


I know you don't like many of our decisions but when you are grown and have kids of your own, you will greater understand why mommy and daddy made some of the decisions we have. There are so many things you don't understand when you are this young that you will only understand once you have kids of your own. (and I do hope you someday have kids of your own)

Alena, you are such an amazing child. I hope you never lose who you are and always follow your dreams. Mommy and daddy love you soooo much! You will always have us to be there for you and support you.

Our wall of guitars

The happy birthday girl!