KB succeeded at turning five and fun was had by all.  My biggest success was remembering to take her photo with the special duck that was bought to help mark her growth.  You know how weird we are about that. . .

Little has a frog:

Bubba has a car:

And KB has a duck:

In doing this post I have realized that KB is missing three years of duck photos (yes, she is only five) and Bubba is missing two. . .I must have really had my hands full to have forgotten.  Chalk it up to just more proof that I need Jesus and we’ll, instead, comment on the amount of personality my daughter is displaying in this latest photo.  Socks that don’t match (of course) and sunglasses on the duck.  Oh, and there’s the purse she has on her shoulder that is full of little dolls to take in the car.  I love this girl.

I got her to put the duck down so I could get a picture of her birthday shirt:

Goof ball.  Moments later she interrupted my photo-taking spree to say, “Now I’m going to pose, Mom!” and this was the result (notice the skirt she selected to wear with the shirt. . . they both have brown and pink!):I should have known that silliness was ahead at this point (5m):

I guess I am a slow learner!

I have said it over and over – I absolutely love Autumn. Leaves changing color, a nip in the air, pumpkins and Mums. . . it is all so very wonderful!

This summer I wrote to my friend, Nicole, and asked her to PLEASE look at her calendar and figure out a Saturday in October that we could drive to see them; they live 1.5 hours West of us. The thing is this: when I think of Fall I think of the Summeralls. Here’s why. . .

2006

2008

Well, after a three year break we figured out a way to spend an Autumn day with our dear friends once again. We had lunch together and the kids played and played. Early afternoon we loaded up and drove to a tiny little pumpkin patch and went exploring.

There were goats to feed. One promptly ripped Bubba’s cup from his hand and ate it!

There were straw horses to ride,

mazes to navigate,

and time for just being silly.

We had a wonderful time catching up and after everyone had held a rabbit and petted a puppy we ate caramel apples and then parted ways. The Summeralls are good friends; the kind of friends you can pick right up with after being apart for ages. I am thankful for our time together and thankful we got to make another Fall memory.

I’ve been doin’ some figurin’ and I am thankful for everything I reckon these photos represent . . . time, love, commitment, and being known.

“Is this the little girl I carried,
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing older,
When did they?

My little one turns five today and I keep having the words of that song run through my head.

Yep, my baby turns five today.  The time school starts today is almost exactly when she came into this world in 2007 and changed our lives (again) forever. I never thought I would be so mushy, but I get sad when I look at how tall she has gotten or hear her working to pronounce the “th” sound so she can sound grown.

She has her own style and a strong will to match her strong mind.   I look at her and the words that cross my mind are delightful, fun, vivacious, joyful.  She wants to be a veterinarian and I can see it; she loves animals so very much.

I hear people say that “each age just gets more fun”.  This may be true but I sadden when I think that one day she’ll stop playing dress-up and she’ll want her clothes to match.  One day she will stop having conversations with her stuffed animals and stop reading to her “many friends”.  One day she won’t ask if she can “please go rake the leaves”.

I like my little five year old and like who she is becoming.  I just wish she would slow down and stop “becoming” so quickly!!

Happy Birthday, KB! I love you!