Happy Sixth Birthday to You, G-Bear!

Dearest G-Bear,

A happy birthday breakfast, complete with sprinkles and candles!

Happy, happy birthday to you, sweet girl.  You are now more than one hand old, as close to college as Daddy!  We are speechless at how quickly these years are going by and by the wonderful young girl you have become.   This morning you awoke with the most joyful smile.  You have been anticipating your birthday for weeks.  We enjoyed a super breakfast with cereal and sprinkles, and then you had a wonderful day of celebration at school, complete with gummy treats, prayers in your honor and several surprises from your teachers.  Your birthday dinner at Red Robin was a real treat--complete with a surprise sundae that left a huge smile on your face.  The past year has been a wonderful whirlwind, one full of joyful G-Bear memories:

April:  You started your year learning to ride a brand new bike, something that you took on with both enthusiasm and great caution.  You hunted Easter Eggs with your cousins in Chapel Hill, cheered on Alabama at the A-Day game, joyfully celebrated Buddy Bear's first birthday (offering to give him your $5 birthday money), and wrote your first sentence.

May:  You loved lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe and dancing with E-Bear on the beach during our impromptu Hilton Head vacation.  We sadly said goodbye to our Bible School, something that you loved and looked forward to each week this year.  We also said goodbye to your teachers and friends at preschool at our final spring picnic.  We celebrated our new found summer freedom by going berry picking, eating countless meals on our "garden porch," swimming at the pool and visiting Mr. Gary at his office in the afternoon.  You are excited everyday for our afternoon learning time, and are often found coloring at the art table or playing dress up.

June:  You loved your first Nascar experience at the car races, complete with your pink noise-protection ear covers.  You tackle the monkey bars at the playground and help me decorate our apartment for Daddy's birthday.  You enjoyed your first weekend with a babysitter while Mom and Dad go to be with your Godmother and Godfather.  You and E-Bear play for hours at the Beach during our Rockport vacation with your cousins, even though it was only 50 degrees.  You and MoMo are again two peas in a pod during our Minneapolis visit, as you are every time you are together.

July:  You love launching rockets in G-Ville with our friends and amaze us by climbing a real climbing wall by yourself during our trip to Baltimore.  You amaze us again when you swim across the pool by yourself after watching the olympic swimmers!  That is our amazing G-Bear!  We push through some hot, restless summer days with lots of trips to the park, bike rides up the street and afternoons on the porch.

August: We enjoyed our last days at our library Music and Movement class, where you danced your sillies out with pure joy.  We began to prepare for our move by cleaning out the pantry (popcorn balls!), using up the last of our paints (painted picture presents for all the staff!) and packing up our rooms.  We put the finishing touches on our Fruit of the Spirit project, which you put so much effort into all summer long.  You were a trooper during the 1,000 miles home to MN, reading and coloring for hours in the "nest" you made for yourself in the backseat.  We loved our Wisconsin Dells waterpark detour and you jumped for joy at the sight of our boxes arriving at our new house.  Ever my helper, you were up bright and early on our first morning to help me water our lawn for the first time :)

September:  We finished our summer watching you whirl on the fastest kiddie rides at the state fair.  Our eyes were filled with proud tears watching you jump for joy on your first day of Kindergarten.  You waved to us from the plaza with pigtails bouncing, so eager to get started with your new class.  You decorated MoMo's birthday cake for her birthday.  You are so good at affirming each of us, whether giving Buddy Bear hugs after his first haircut, or handing me a "special delivery" card that you made for me at school.  You were bursting with excitement on your first day of "soccer school" with the Beetles team, and we were so proud to see you work so hard at something new.

October: We traveled to Disney for the second time in a year, and this time you were so excited to try all the fastest rides.  You even braved the Yeti and rode the Wild Rapids three times!  You continue to be a great helper around the house, whether clearing your dishes after meals or helping us by raking the leaves in the yard.  You are such a hard worker at school, impressing all your teachers.  You were a lovely Rapunzel for Halloween, running with E-Bear from house to house, even helping Buddy Bear gather a few candies.  I thought we would never get through all the candy you brought home!

November: All Saints Day was a true celebration with MoMo and Papa over for dinner.  I had tears in my eyes watching you process proudly into the All Saints Mass with the Kinders, wearing your Saint G-Bear hat.  We had our first Minnesota snow, something you had missed in NC last year.  We spent many learning time afternoons practicing your new sight words, settling into your new school routine.  At Thanksgiving you performed proudly in your Thanksgiving Paraliturgy, and we were so proud of you.  Thanksgiving at the cabin with the whole family was a real treat, eating lots of mashed potatoes, looking for deer and snuggling by the fire.

December: You helped Daddy light the Christmas tree, wore your new snowsuit to school for the snow piles at recess, and helped us shovel the walkways with the new kids shovels.  You loved skating for the first time and bunking with your cousins in Blue Ridge, GA during our holiday reunion.  You enjoyed the snow globe we got on the Feast of St. Nicholas, joyfully celebrating E-Bear's birthday, and carefully decorated Christmas cookies with me in preparation for Christmas.  You were on cloud nine over Christmas, with Nana and cousins here to visit and presents to open on Christmas morning.  You were so thoughtful of the younger kids and loved watching our St. Nicholas movie with E-Bear.

January:  You tore up the snow slopes on the new toboggan from Uncle Charlie. You learned to stand and skate on your own at skating school every week.  There were countless dress up imagination days over break, something that you loved to do with Buddy Bear and E-Bear.  For MLK day you created a wonderful puppet show complete with stuffed animal audience.  You are learning to count to 100, more sight words, excited for the baby in my growing belly, and so proud to show us your school during Open House.  Winter bath time is a highlight in our afternoons, so much so that I can barely get you and E-Bear out of the bath in time for dinner!

February:  Each Thursday when we visit GG you are excited to show her your folder of work and read your first stories to her.  You seem to understand Buddy Bear's words so much better than me, and you are so sweet to him when you wake him up from his naps in the afternoon.  You and E-Bear have so much more energy than I do during these winter afternoons, but the two of you find lots of ways to stay entertained in your room during quiet time.  You worked hard on lovely valentines for your classmates and truly enjoyed the Valentine's Day festivities.  We are well into the 4th book of the Little House series, and you and E-Bear are often playing "Little House" imagination games.

March:  Your prayers for others are so thoughtful and sincere during Lent, and you are enthusiastic in your efforts to get beans in our basket!  You tell everyone about the baby in my belly, more and more excited everyday for your little brother or sister. You work hard on your Leprechaun trap on St. Patrick's Day, even harder on your first Lego set from Nana.  You are excited about Easter, excited for your birthday, impressing us with your reading skills, loving riddles with Papa on Sundays.  My favorite moments with you were our evening Stations of the Cross during Holy Week.  You did such a good job reading your Stations book and sharing with us what you had learned about it in school.

G-Bear's happy birthday dinner at Red Robin.

G-Bear, your thoughtful, generous heart never ceases to amazing to us.  Whether you are helping Buddy Bear find eggs on Easter (you were so careful to pass many over so that he could find some), playing chase games with E-Bear, "mailing" me a letter that you made at school, or saving a spot for Daddy at the breakfast table, you are so often thinking of others.  It is quite fitting that Buddy Bear said "happy" for the first time today in reference to your birthday.  You remain E-Bear's closest friend and role model, and the two of you can both entertain each other for hours and drive each other crazy.  You are a devoted sister to Buddy Bear, always willing to wrestle with him or keep him busy with his trains.  I love our days together and still get misty as I drop you off at school in the mornings, even though I know how excited you are to get to your class.  Daddy and I are so proud of your loving spirit, your love for God, family and friends.  We can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the coming year.