It's so late but...Caitlin is 5!!

Oh my Little Miss.  You are 5 years old and I am so lucky to be your mom!!  Simply said, you make my life better.  In every single way.  

At 5 years old...

*You LOVE helping with anything and everything.  No matter what your dad or I am doing, you want to be involved, you want to be helping and you want to be included.

*You ask a million questions!!  You are so curious about the world and everything in it!  You want to know the who-what-where-why-and-how of everything.  You are always keeping me on my toes:)

*You love life.  You love being up first thing in the morning...I really think the break of dawn is your favorite part of the day.  You're ready for life the minute you wake up and you play hard until the sun goes down!

*Your dad is still your favorite person.  You and your dad have a special relationship and I hope that will never change.  You are the one who softened him up and opened his heart and I hope you always stay close to your dad and know how much he loves you!

*You are little miss independent.  You want to do everything on your own.  This has caused me a few spilled milk clean-ups and digging eggshells out of the batter situations, but it is all worth it to watch you grow and to see you develop new skills.  You aren't afraid of failing, you just try to figure out a better way the next time.  I love this about you.

*You are a smarty pants!  You don't forget anything.  No matter how long ago it was said or done, you remember it and you let us know:)   

*You love your sister.  You pray every night to Heavenly Father that he will take her arthritis away.  Your care and concern for her touches my heart and I am so glad she has you to watch over her.  (And I have to remember these sweet moments for the times when you two aren't acting like you love each other very much...)

*You will ask, "Mom, will you tell me about that time when..." at least once every day.  You love hearing stories about your dad's and my childhood.  You love hearing stories about your grandparents and great-grandparent's lives.  I think it helps you feel close to them, even though some of them are in heaven.  You ask about them as if they are part of your everyday life.  Your tender feelings toward your ancestors is just one of the reasons I know you are wise beyond your years.

*You are my little rock-star.  You are always dancing, singing, performing, acting and just being plain fancy.  You love to accessorize and wear make-up.  I attribute this to both of your grandma's because I hardly wear any make-up at all, but when you go to visit them, they always get you all "dolled up".  You love it!! 

*You are a light to anyone and everyone who meets you.  You make friends quicker than anyone I know and you always want to meet new people and introduce yourself.  You have an immense love for people and I hope that love and compassion just grows and grows as you get older.  You will be a blessing to so many people because of your amazing capacity to just love them.

*You are so beautiful inside and out.  I have tried to teach you that beauty isn't what matters, but what does matter is how you treat other people and you have taken this to heart...which makes you one of the most beautiful girls I know.

*You change your clothes at least 3 times a day and you always want to have a dress on.  Each occasion calls for a new outfit and as cute as it is, my laundry days are getting a lot busier!  It's a good thing you love doing the laundry with me:)

*You have the best imagination.  I love just listening in when you play and hearing the world you create.  You are seriously the cutest. 

*You are still as strong-willed as ever.  I love the fire in you, but we have been having some issues with tantrums...crazy tantrums.  Luckily they are really short and you are always really quick to say that you're sorry...and you are just as quick to forgive others.

*You have the best laugh.  A lot of the time, you won't give your real laugh, but when you do, it is completely contagious.  It mostly comes out during a funny part of a show or when your dad tickles you and I love it!

*You continue to have a desire to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ.  You know your Heavenly Father has a plan for you and you love Him.  You are starting to understand more about the Holy Ghost and that he can be with you always.  You love to go to church and participate by giving talks, scriptures and prayers.  You have 3 scriptures memorized right now and we are working on more.  I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you headed down the path that leads home to your Heavenly Father and I pray you will always stay on that path, and if you ever leave it, you will find your way back quickly.

*I love that the thing you want more than anything from me is simply my time.  I am trying to be a better mom and give you way more of it.

Caitlin, you are an absolute blessing to our family and we love you more than we could ever express.  You make us laugh and you bring so much joy to our home.  You keep us young and always tell us how much you love us.  You're our sweetheart.  You make being a parent pretty much the best thing in the world and we love you forever.

Love,

Mom and Dad