Delaney's 5th Birthday

Our Delaney is a young soul. She has a tender heart and eager eyes. She likes to talk and talk and talk when she's at home, but if often very shy and quiet when out of her element. We are working on being polite enough to answer people when they talk to her, but she seems to get embarrased and clam up.
She doesn't really love school, but she loves her teachers and likes to be affectionate with them - giving lots of hugs. She's not to be bothered with learning letters and numbers when there are other things to learn. Her favorite kind of learning is more about nature and animals. She likes to ask lots of questions and LOVES when something "clicks" and she masters a bit of trivia. She will show her satisfaction with the b-i-g-g-e-s-t smile you have ever seen.
She likes to rest a lot and cuddle a lot. She's very picky about what she eats even when it comes to sweets. She's sensitive to smell and is not afraid to tell you that your breath stinks.
She admires Cecelia and nurtures Laila. She doesn't like it when Bill or I are gone, she much prefers we are all together all the time.
Delaney loves her extended family too and often reminisces about things we've done with this uncle, or that grandparent, or this cousin.
Her 4th year was not our best year. Her and I butted heads quite a bit as I expected her to want to be more independent and she wasn't ready. She is not the kind of kid to jump at the chance to be the helper or do things on her own. Delaney is going at a slower pace and it took me almost the whole year to figure that out. She's still very much a little girl. I almost worry about sending her to kindergarten in the fall, but I know she is ready and will thrive in her own special way.

Now that spring is here we do a lot of driving around with the windows open. Delaney seems to go to a happy place when we're driving - she likes the music up and she always faces the wind with her little smile, like she's taking all the good things in.
And when I was cleaning house with the music on and I found her just sitting on the porch in the rocking chair holding Pearl. She sat out there for the longest time, in the quiet, listening to the rain and looking out  the window.
This is the peaceful counterpart to the Delaney who cries at the drop of a hat. I get so frustrated with that part and when I find her being so sweet it makes me feel bad for not always consoling her when she's upset. She's just a little bit more emotional than most and I need to just accept it.

Of course - and I say this about all my girls - she is beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. Unique.
She is perfect just the way she is and no amount of words could ever capture all of who she is.

To our funny, curly-haired, brown eyed ray of sunshine:
Happy 5th Birthday to you....with all our love.