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Ellery turns five
Five.
You just turned five.
Part of me is not shocked at all about this. Ever since your birth, you have had this wise way about you. Five actually seems too young, as it’s not a far stretch to imagine you sitting in a coffee shop, doling out sage advice to your friends.
Four has been a big year for you. You went from being the only child left in the house with a stay-at-home-mom, to going to school full time with two working parents. Granted, we are together all day, but these are huge changes for you. During the day you have to share me with 11 other children, and, for the most part, you do it without a second thought.
I adore this space you’re in. You are so content with life and the world around you. In your mind, the world is good, and you have every reason to smile. And you do. Constantly.
If I could give you one gift, it would be that you could hold onto that forever. Hold on tight, my love.
Happy birthday.
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Two
When I remember the two of them in this stretch of life, this is what I’ll remember.
Older sister as the horse, galloping full-on. Younger sister on piggyback or tucked into a cart. The two of them do this for hours each day. It’s no wonder the older one is solid muscle, and the younger one knows the difference in rhythm of trotting and cantering, despite the fact she’s never done either on a horse.
The symbolism of these roles is not lost on me. The older one, running as fast as she can, her body moving as quickly as her brain, which is teeming with huge ideas. The younger one is the quieter half of the duo, happy to ride, but knows she is instrumental to this game.
As with all sisters, they fall in and out sync with one another. They are joyously engaged one moment, and then it all falls to pieces. But then when I turn back around, there they are, galloping down the driveway.
(Taken in the wee hours of the day, before I’ve even had a chance to brew my coffee.)
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Chicken
It’s been a while since someone got out this chicken costume. It never fails to make me smile.
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Winter
This was our week to talk about winter at school. We were going to catch snowflakes, put ice under the stereoscope, take macro snowflake photos, and all sort of other neat things.
Instead we discovered that there are bulbs coming up in the side yard.
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Learning to tie a bow
One of the most difficult works in the classroom. She finally mastered it and is bursting with pride.
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Book Island
Today was room cleaning day. Somewhere in the middle of cleaning, Neko veered off track and suddenly she had turned her entire bedroom into a library.
Each book had a green strip of tape on the spine. There were sitting areas, advertisements encouraging you to read, and a book return. A kind librarian checked your books out on an iPad, and her friendly assistant, wearing a Rapunzel dress, offered tea to all visitors.
As it turns out, I had a book on hold at Book Island!
Later on there was a bit of a disagreement between all parties under the age of nine, and Book Island’s owner stormed off and declared Book Island would be closed forever.
I’m happy to report all conflicts were later resolved, and Book Island reopened with a technology upgrade—the addition of a Lego Mindstorms contraption that beeps each time you place a book under the sensor.
(And, no, she never did finish cleaning her bedroom.)
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