Oh sweet Hailey Bear – where has the time gone?!

We just celebrated your 5th birthday with a princess themed gymnastics party at our house. A bunch of your friends came to celebrate with you and we all had a blast! You said your favorite part was the decorations…and the cupcakes. HA! 

You still LOVE all things girly! If you could, you’d wear a dress every day of the week. You love to do anything that allows you to exercise your creativity: arts and crafts projects, painting, coloring, Playdoh, cooking, reading, sidewalk chalk, etc. 

You love to be outside – riding your bike/scooter, playing ball, swimming, playgrounds (especially swings), blowing bubbles, digging in the dirt (in a dress of course!), etc. Luli and Papaw came up for Easter weekend – you and Brady both had a BLAST hiding and hunting eggs. 

Hands down, your favorite outdoor activity is swimming! We enrolled you and Brady in 3 weeks of private lessons. Though you were pretty much able to swim on your own by the end of last summer, you are working now to fine-tune your skills.  

You have become much more independent. You’ll even get out of the car and walk with Trevor, the swim instructor, back to the pool all by yourself. It’s so cute to see you so confident, but it’s also a bittersweet sign of the times.  

Speaking of time, you are going to graduate from Pre-K this month! Your teacher made and sent home a T-shirt with “Class of 2026” painted on it. That seems so far away…yet so close! 🙁 

You are strong willed and determined – just like your parents! You have become a bit of a picky eater but will usually “try” pretty much anything…once. You have one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. You are loving, caring, compassionate, kindhearted, sweet, thoughtful, and affectionate and will often surprise us with your level of maturity. You are an amazing big sister and take so much pride in your little brother: helping him, keeping him safe, teaching him things, making him laugh, and even sharing your toys with him (sometimes).

The other morning you wanted your hair braided before school. So I sat you on the edge of the sink and started brushing your hair. I told you that when I was little I used to play with my dolly’s hair and wonder if someday I would have a real little girl whose hair I could braid. You said “Awwww…see mommy, your dream came true!”….it brought tears to my eyes. We really are so very blessed in so many ways.