I can't believe she is 5...

Five is such a benchmark. Leaving the preschool years behind, graduating to elementary aged child.

Five years ago this mercurial bundle of joy was dropped into our family and we have never been quite the same. We were a quiet family with one very careful, quite child when Chloe joined us. We had never even childproofed pre-Chloe. We quickly fixed that as soon as she started crawling. Of course, it did no good, by a year, she could outsmart every device we owned.

Chloe infused us with spontaneity. She comes up with some of the zaniest whims. Beams like the sun when she smiles and when she feels something, it is with her whole heart. She is all in or all out. She regularly surprises us with how compassionate and sensitive she is. Chloe is Chloe, never anything less. She is one of the most authentic people I know. We treasure her, and while it hasn't been all rainbows and giggles (along with all this comes ideas about challenging society and ergo your parents) We are the luckiest family in the world with the addition of our own sunshine.

For her birthday we went to a hibachi restaurant called Samurai. She wanted them to "light everything on fire!!!!" and she ate with chopsticks. Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Kerri and the cousins all came out to celebrate. After that we went to Putt Putt fun house to ride bumper boats and climb the rock wall. It was such a blast!!!!!