My 5 year old Princess

I don't know how it happened...but somehow this little sweetie turned 5 years old today

Seriously...I feel like that picture was just taken yesterday

And now...

Now she is a sassy little 5 year old!

She is about 45 inches tall and weighs about 41 lbs. She is tall and slender. We will get her official measurements at her well-child check-up, but those are my measurements. She is wearing size 5 pants and size 5 shirts. There are some size 5 pants that are a little bit short, but they work for the most part. She loves to wear dresses and fancy shoes or boots.

Taylor is getting much better about bedtime here lately. She still doesn't like it, but most nights we can put her in her bed, give her kisses, cover her up, give her a glass of water, and she will stay in bed and play quietly until she falls asleep. She comes out and gives us a few extra hugs and kisses. It can take her up to an hour to actually fall asleep, but I am just glad she is staying in her bed without much of a fight.

She loves to play with baby dolls and dress up stuff. Not many days go by that she doesn't dress up like a princess at least once during the day. She also loves to wear jewelry. She wants to wear make-up all the time, but we had a make-up on the floor incident a few months back and we have taken all her play make-up away for now. She loves to have her toenails and fingernails painted. She is also getting into playing with barbies. She likes to fix their hair and can now put their hair into a ponytail all by herself.

Taylor's favorite past times right now are definitely tumbling and singing! She tumbles and cartwheels all over our living room on a daily basis. She is actually getting pretty good for her age I think. She has been taking tumbling for about a year now (with a few months off in the spring and summer). She loves to go to tumbling and it is great exercise for her. I can tell she is getting stronger all the time. She can hold a hand stand for about 5 seconds now and her cartwheels look great. She loves to do roundoffs and she loves to swing around and over the bar in tumbling class. She also loves to sing songs. Sometimes, she makes the songs up (this makes me laugh because I remember I used to do the same thing!). Me and Will tell people all the time that if she isn't tumbling, she is singing, and if she isn't singing, she is talking. She goes non-stop all day long!

Her favorite shows on TV right now are probaby Good Luck Charlie, Max and Ruby, iCarly, and 19 Kids and Counting (we like to watch this one together!).

Taylor is one of the smartest little girls I know. She is going to Pre-K at Oakdale right now and she loves it. She wasn't so sure about it at first, but she is loving it now. She is learning all the sounds each of the letters make and can recognize all the letters now. She can spell and write her first and last name, although she doesn't realize that if you don't have room for the whole name on one line that you should start another line for the last name. So sometimes her name looks like this on a piece of paper

TaylorSm

ith

Cracks me up, but hey, at least she knows how to write it! She can count to 29 and could count much higher if she could learn 30, 40, 50, etc. But for now she is content with counting to 29. She says that her favorite thing to do at school right now is watch movies. Her best friend at school is Rylie Voyles.

She is very interested in God and Jesus and is starting to ask a lot of questions about them. She understands that God sent Jesus to Earth to save us all and that Jesus died on the cross so that we can go to Heaven one day and that if we ask Jesus to, He will come live in our hearts. But I don't think she completely understands her need for a savior yet. She doesn't understand what the alternative to Heaven is yet and hasn't asked about it. But she really does enjoy learning her Bible stories and learning how to be a good girl. She also knows that she should tell others about Jesus too. I pray that soon she will begin to understand her need for Jesus as Savior.

Taylor and Liam are getting along pretty well these days. They still have their moments of fighting and "you can't come in my room" moments, but for the most part they play very well together. When we found out we were having Liam so soon after we had Taylor, one of my hopes was that they would be each other's best friend. And I believe that is happening around here. They do appreciate that they have someone to play with.

Taylor's favorite colors are purple, pink, and green. Her favorite food is chicken nuggets and hamburgers and ranch dressing. Her favorite drinks are chocolate milk and water. (These are the answers she gave me when I asked her)

Taylor loves Mommy, but she really is a Daddy's girl. She has had this man wrapped around her finger for, oh, about 5 years now. She loves to give him lots of hugs and kisses and loves it when he gets in the floor and lets her jump all over him. She likes to ride in the front seat in his truck especially!

Taylor Ann,

you truly are my little princess girl. I love you so much. You made me a Mommy 5 years ago and I never knew how much I could love you. I have messed up plenty of times, and I am still trying to get it right most days. But you are just the sweetest little girl. You love life and live it to the fullest. I pray that you will grow into a Jesus loving girl who isn't afraid to tell other people about Him. I pray that soon you will accept Jesus as your Savior. I pray that even now God is preparing a man for you that will love you and treat you with love and respect and who you can build a Godly family with. I know that will be forever away, but as fast as time is flying these days, I know I need to start praying about it now. I pray that the world won't corrupt your sweet spirit. I have worried about this many times since you started going to school, but I know that we have taught you right from wrong and now all I can do is trust that God is with you when you are out there. I love that you will tell me anything and talk to me about anything. I hope that never changes. I want you to know that I am always here for you even when you mess up. You can never do anything that is going to make me stop loving you. I love you little girl!