So I am a little bit late with your birthday letter but at least I am still in the month of July! You have grown so much this year into a fun kid. To change things up, I am going to share my favorite pictures of you over the year and write a little memory I have about each of the pictures.
This picture was taken in late July just after you had turned 5. We went to a fun Portland Pickles baseball game with Uncle Ben and Jaime and Uncle Brendan. It was a hot summer evening and we had just gotten back from Sun River and we had fun sitting out on the lawn watching the baseball game. You later on got a picture with the Portland Pickle mascot and got to eat a sundae out of a baseball hat. You had fun doing cartwheels on the grass.
This picture was taken in early August when we went on a special trip just you and I to see Auntie Tory and Uncle Tom (Outerface) and your cousin Sierra in California. You were so excited to go on a airplane to see your family. We had such a fun trip playing with Yaya, going to the park, and going to Auntie Lael's house and playing in her pool.
This picture was taken in August when we went to the beach with CiCi and Baba and Auntie Rachel's family. You had so much fun playing on the beach. This also shows how much you have grown as gymnast over the summer. You are doing great with your hand stands and cartwheels and the splits!
I love this picture of you with your hair up in your Halloween jammies brushing your teeth in September. You look so old!
I love this picture of you on the first day of school. You were so excited to start kindergarten at Alberta Rider and you chose out your outfit the night before.
We had so much fun going with the Mowerys to Roloff Family farm again on a sunny Friday in mid October when you were off of school. You and Addie ran through the scary haunted maze together and you were nice enough to poise amongst the pumpkins so I got this cute picture of you.
You continued dance this year and got invited to do the accelerated Mini Express class which included tap, jazz, acro, and ballet for 1.5 hours once a week. I took this fun picture of you doing your acro moves during a parent watch day in October.
You dressed up for your dance class as a rainbow fairy unicorn on Halloween and had so much fun!
In November we got some family photos and individual photos of you done by Tiffany (Brandon's old preschool teacher). We had fun playing amongst the leaves at Laurelhurst Park. Here are some of my favorite pictures taken of you.
In early December you got to perform in Westside's production of the Nutcracker. You were a little mouse in the mouse army. It was fun and you liked being on stage. Grammy, Daddy, and I watched you.
n December you decided to re-create Lady and the Tramp's spaghetti feed and share a noodle with your sister Lulu. Unfortunately this led Lulu to develop some bad habits at the table haha.
I love this picture of you seeing Santa Claus at the McMinnamin's Breakfast with Santa. You were so excited to see him.
You had fun making a gingerbread house in December with your kindergarten class. You loved the candy and frosting and made your house very decorative and then you got to eat it later!
In January we went on a fun hike in Sun River. You love moving and going on hikes.
I love this sweet picture of you taken before the Daddy/Daughter dance in February. You had so much fun at the dance and were so excited to go.
I love this sweet picture of you all dressed up for Valentine's Day. You had a fun Valentine's Day party at school.
Eating a snack and wearing Wolf ears in March when we were on our Great Wolf Lodge trip over Spring break. You had a blast going down all the water slides and were fearless. You also loved going on the rope climbing course they had as well even though it was super high up.
Doing acro in the parent watch class in April. You love tumbling and acro!
A fun picture of you at a hike over Spring break in March in the gorge.
No hands at the Aerial Park at Great Wolf Lodge-you were fearless!
You had a lot of fun going on an Easter egg hunt at a park near Grammy and Papa's house in April.
Love this cute silly picture of you on Easter with your bunny ears. We were having fun with bubbles in Grammy and Papa's backyard.
Hugging your Lulu Bear in May. She snuggled with you that night. You and Lulu have a sweet and complicated relationship-just like any sibling! She is very much like your little sister and you and her wrestle and play but then both of you are very sweet and nurturing to each other at times too.
You did soccer in the Spring and played with Addie and had a blast! While no goals were scored (you were close so many times), you played great, hustled hard, and a lot of fun. You played in some really rainy weather and played some times after gymnastics or dance class and were a trooper.
In June you had a lot of fun showing us your gymnastics moves in the Mini Olympics. This was your 4th mini Olympics and it has been so much fun to see you develop in a sport that you love so much. This year you grew the most in your skill it was awesome seeing you up on the bars and the big balance beam and you did great with your floor routine (all that dance you do!).
Working hard on the bars and doing great at the Mini Olympics in June.
You and your sweet kindergarten teacher Mrs. Borrelli in June. Our family is going to miss Mrs. Borrelli so much. Both Brandon and Olivia have learned so much from her. This picture was taken just after you graduated from kindergarten in June. You ended up being in the highest reading group, tested at the end of the 1st grade level in reading on your DIBELs test, can do addition and subtraction, and can write fun little notes to us. You had an awesome kindergarten year!
Eating some ice cream at the ice cream sundae kindergarten end of the year party in June. You earned the sundae by being able to write your full name, know your address, our phone number, your birth date, and tie your shoes!
You were so excited for your last day of kindergarten and to start summer break. CiCi came and picked you up and you got to have a picnic at Cook Park and go out to frozen yogurt to celebrate.
Doing your favorite playground activity-the monkey bars-in June in Corvallis at Walnut Park. This was the first official day of summer break and we were so happy to be out i
You had a lot of fun performing in your dance recital in June. You did a tap performance to Walkin' on Sunshine. You loved being on stage, wearing the make up, and the costume.
In June you had a blast going to a farm for your friend's birthday party and then later in the month you lost your first tooth! Such a big girl and all before you turned 6!
As you can see, you had a pretty awesome year of being 5. You grew so much and I can't wait to see what 6 brings you.
Here are a few of your stats being 5:
Kindergarten teacher: Mrs. Borrelli
Favorite school subject: Activity room and art
Best friends: Addie, Amelia, Claire, Avery
Favorite activities: Gymnastics, dance, and soccer.
Favorite TV shows: You love u-tube kids still, you like Fancy Nancy books and shows, game shows
Favorite books: your American girl doll books, Fancy Nancy, Amelia Bedilia (you are reading both to me), Elephant and Piggie which you read to me
Favorite food: Ice-cream (cotton candy or Target's unicorn ice-cream), candy (anything gummy but you like chocolate now too), noodles (especially buttered noodles from Old Market pub
Clothing size: you are true to your age size although you are tall (I believe taller than average) and now wearing a 5/6 or 6
Greatest accomplishments this year: Learning how to ride a 2 wheel bike in the spring; continuing awesome progress in gymnastics with learning how to hand stands, head stands, back bends; doing 2 dance performances; learning an awful lot in kindergarten including 88 sight words! Making new friends and adapting great to kindergarten.
And a trip down memory lane this time of my favorite pictures of you over the last 6 years in July (most of these pictures except for your newborn picture is in Sun River). So much fun to see how you change each year during our annual trip to Sun River in the summer:
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| Olivia in late July on her blanket at almost a month old |
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| Olivia at 1 in Sun River pool |
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| Holding onto Daddy's leg in the Sun River pool at 1 |
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| Having blast being swung at the Pirate Park at 2 |
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| Walking along the Deschutes River at Pirate park at 2 |
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| Swimming in the pool at Sun River at 2 |
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| Riding your first bike at 3 at Sun River |
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| Looking suddenly quite old at 4 at Pirate Park |
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| Riding a pony at 4 and having fun! |
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| You spent your entire time at the pool when you were 4 jumping in. You loved jumping in the pool! |
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| Being brave and jumping right in! |
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| Having so much at Fort Rock Park at 5 |
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| No water wings in the pool at 5 |
