Jillian is SIX!

Dear Jillian,

The past 6 years with you have been beyond amazing.  You're the kind of kid people wish for.  You're just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.  I have no doubt you make this world a better place.  I adore you.  Every single thing about you.  Honestly.

When you turned 6 it rocked my world a bit.  I seriously can't imagine liking you better as a six year old than I liked you as a five year old.  That might sound weird, but I'm trying to say that the last 365 days with you have been so phenomenal that I'm sad to see them come to an end.  You're marvelous and I know for a fact that if in the future there were a time machine that could bring me back to a point in time I would not hesitate to pick any of the days in the past year.  I wish I could bottle you up.

This year when you started Kindergarten, I cried.  Sure, I was worried for you about all the things Moms worry about, but mostly I cried for me.  I MISS you.  With all my heart.  That said, it's so beautiful to watch you get on the bus every morning with such a carefree attitude and open heart.  You look for all the good things in life, and you find them.  

I'm so so so stinkin' proud of you.  You're beyond doubt one of the best things I've ever done.  When we brought you to your final Kindergarten conference I asked your teacher if she could give you a few goals for First Grade.  She encouraged you to continue adding detail in your writing and to take risks using extended vocabulary (even if you have trouble spelling the words).  To raise your hand more often & keep up the great Math skills.  Then she added that more than anything academic, she wants you to "stay just as sweet as you are".  I could not agree more.

Your smile can light up a room.  You're pretty darn goofy at times (especially if you are tired) but most of the time you're extremely compliant:

You are a character.  You do indeed have the ability to be a bit stubborn.

You are very excited to be six.

And, you think you are very funny.  In fact, you often tell us jokes and then say, "get it?  get it Mom?"  Yup.  We get it.  Here's one you made up today: "Why did the tick go by the clock?  Because it said tick tock, tick, tock.  Get it?"  Sure. 

You like it when people say you are "cute".  The other day you said to Mommy and Daddy, "sometimes people say I'm cute and it makes me feel really shy so I don't like it."  You then added (in a whisper) "actually...  I do like it.  I am pretty cute."  Goodness.

You are a deep thinker.  You are beyond your years in the things you understand and the knowledge you possess.  Mommy and Daddy agreed a long time ago we would always answer any questions our kids asked honestly.  You've made this goal a bit harder than I expected it would be at this point.  Sometimes I just have to tell you that there are things I'd rather discuss at a later time.  You accept that, but I can see your wheels turning like crazy in those circumstances.  Unfortunately, you've been exposed to a lot of terrible truths about our world already.  War, school violence, death... it's out there and you know about it.  One of the things I love the most about you is your ability to find the silver lining in situations.  You're incredible at this.  I hope with all my heart this continues for you year after year.  It's an amazing quality.

I love the way you laugh.

I love how brave you are.

You are a lover of nature and animals.  You certainly have a way with living things, large and small.  You recently told me you'd "consider caring for animals as a job".

When we take photos you like to suggest places we should go and ways you can pose.  You're a natural in front of the lens :)

You love to dance.  You were taking dance classes but you decided to drop out in order to take gymnastics.  After one session you said you wanted to end those lessons as well because "things seemed too rushed after school and there's not much time to play with sissy".  You also added that you, "prefer to dance freestyle anyway".  Oh. My...  How I adore you.

"Hello lovely nature."

Since you turned six you really get a kick out of clarifying things by saying, "Oh, do you mean back when I was five?"  Yesterday you told me, "I really like to talk about when I was five as a way to talk about the future and the past... you know what I mean?"  

You love to sing.  You sing directions to your sister and brother, you sing about getting ready, you sing in the car, you sing in the bath.  You are learning a lot of songs but MAN does it annoy you when I correct your tune or your lyrics.  I try to leave you be but there are certain songs (the National Anthem for example) I'd really prefer you learn correctly.  The other day I told you that I'd like you to learn the song correctly because it's an important song and it's a traditional tune.  I showed you a couple of people performing the song online.  After I said, "see what I mean- they both use the same tune and lyrics."  You replied, "actually, I noticed Beyonce did it a bit different in a few parts- kinda like I do."  Well then.  By all means... lol

Have I mentioned you are silly?

You're a bit sultry.  You like to wear two piece bathing suits ("because you make a really good hula girl") and you're really into "talking about boys" and such.  It's startling to say the least.  There is a song that you heard which has the lyrics, "Heeeeeeyy, sexy lady".  You asked me for clarification on what that meant and I told you "it's an adult way of saying pretty, but totally not appropriate for a little girl". Now every once in awhile you'll say, "Oh, is that too, ya know... S-E... you know?"  Yes.  I know.  The other day at school a little boy in your class told me, "I'm kinda in love with your son." I said, "Excuse me?" and he said, "your daughter.  I meant your daughter.  Jillian.  She's, well...  I kinda love her".  Great.  Too bad he's a few weeks late- Jillian's already dating another kid from her class.  Sorry bud. 

You love to climb trees.  You love to climb anything.  You're a monkey. 

Such a sweet little girl.

You like to talk about the job of an actress but you, "feel too shy to try it too much".  Sometimes you ask me to take pictures of you "making different kinds of faces".  This is angry:

This is scared: 

In the effort to document things, here are a few more things about you...

You LOVE to read.  LOVE it.  You'll wake up early sometimes and get in a chapter book or two before coming out of your room.  Right now you're into the Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children series.

You don't like food that is too sweet, but you do like ice cream.  Frosting is not your thing.  Your favorite vegetable is carrots and your favorite fruits are cherries and oranges.  You're still not a very big eater, but you're willing to try new things usually which is great.  Your favorite food by far is still steak with blue cheese crumbles.

I call you by a lot of nicknames.  Ju Ju Bee has been around for awhile but recently Bunny got mixed in and that morphed into Bun Bun.  I also call you sweets magee, Jilli, Jill, sweetsie...  I'm sure there are more...

You're tiny.  You wear a good amount of 3T clothing, and size 9 toddler shoes.

You recently learned how to ride a two wheel bike with no training wheels and you're rocking it.  It seemed to be overnight and you were able to ride almost all the way around our loop without stopping (a mile!).  Super girl!

You're a bit of a thrill seeker.  We recently got a boat for our family and you were SO anxious to ride in a tube behind it.  There were a few parts where I thought you would be scared, but you screamed very happily the whole time.

You play really nicely with Liv & Evan.  When you and Liv play you are "Mommy Jillian" and she is "Baby Kelly".  When you talk to your brother you talk in a really high pitched baby voice.  You love to when Grandma and Papa come over to play with you.  Papa has been a huge help in getting your biking skills in order. 

In closing, I want you to know that Daddy and I both think you are exceptional.  You are a really wonderful big sister, daughter, and student.  Happy 6th birthday sweet girl!  Looking forward to another year of fun with you!

Love,

Mommy