This is Five.

My sweet baby girl turned five today.  Five.  Do moms ever stop being nostalgic about their kids' birthdays?  Because five years in, and birthdays continue to make me reminisce and marvel at life.  I also tend to worry about the future and wonder if I'm totally messing up this mom thing completely, or just a little bit.  I ponder the years that have passed and wonder if I've taken enough photos or written enough blogs to fully capture all the memories that I want to remember. 

The day of her birth was THE most physically painful thing I have experienced in my lifetime.  I was convinced that the details would permanently scar me and somehow be etched in my brain forever.  Five years later, I don't recall much other than the good stuff.  I remember my mom and my husband continuing to cheer me on on as I labored and frequently forgot my manners.  I remember grandparents waiting patiently through the evening in the hospital lobby anxious for the first glimpse of their new grandbaby.  I remember daddy driving home from the hospital so slowly and carefully so he wouldn't disturb the baby. 

Here's what I don't want to forget about this princess at age five...

She loves the beach. She loves to dig in the sand, be dirty, run, get wet, sort through pretty rocks, and ride on pretend school buses made of driftwood. 

She loves school.  She loves picking out clothes each morning, carrying her lunch box, showing me her work at the end of the day and being in the "big kid" class across the hall from her little brother.

She plays hard and sleeps hard.  Not many kids are still napping at age five, but when you work and play as hard as this girl, sometimes you need a break.  It doesn't happen every day, but when life gets tiring, she isn't afraid to stop and take a snoozer. 

She's a mini Motor Head.  She loves to help daddy in the garage and sometimes asks me to "Go fast like daddy's car."  Turbo was the first movie she saw in the theater, deepening her love of speed. 

She's got her very own fashion sense.  Dresses are decidedly "in."  Pants and shorts are strictly "out" unless it's soccer class or gymnastics day.  Hair is typically not styled unless she does it herself and there is no such thing as too many accessories.  Unless she decides it's not an accessory day.  In that case, there will be no accessories.  I SAID NONE! 

She is a part of me.  I marvel at her, love her, get infuriated by her, laugh with her and get caught up in her rambunctious energy.  I love seeing parts of me and pieces of her dad in her personality and style.  I love watching her try new things, take on new challenges and be a mentor to her little brother.  She is energetic, curious, brave and loving.  Sometimes I wonder how I got along for 35 years without her in my life. 

Happy birthday, sweet pea.