Our six year old!

She received chapter books for her birthday!

As I read through what I wrote when she turned five years old, I see that there are many things that haven't changed. She still loves to play and talk with just about anyone, loves princesses and everything pink, rides any amusement park ride she's tall enough to ride, etc. Here are some ways she has changed over the past year:

1. Pink is still her favorite color, but it's now followed closely behind by purple

She loves anything related to the movie Frozen!

2. She's gone from playing with a Leapster to an iPad. She doesn't listen to books on CD any more (hopefully some day she'll get back into that).

3. Finished her first year of Sparks.

4. Started riding adult roller coasters!

5. No longer writes in all capital letters. Sometimes she switches back and forth (even in the middle of a word), but she's come a long way, as when she turned 5 she was still writing in all capitals even thought she knew how to write all her lower case letters.

Rachel turned 5 last month; the girls are almost exactly the same size.

6. Completed the entire Level 1 spelling curriculum and is 75% done with Level 2.

7. Although she still loves wearing dresses, she no longer wears them every single day. She wears pants, skirts, or shorts most days.

8. Learned the Lord's Prayer and can recite the books of the New Testament and sing the doxology

9. When she turned five she could read a few BOB books. Since then she completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the reading curriculum. She has read eight chapter books in their entirety thus far. Lately she's really been into Mr. Putter and Tabby as well as Nate the Great books.

10. Completed a Kindergarten math textbook as well as the Apples book from the Life of Fred series. She is about 2/3 of the way through a 1st grade math textbook. We have been working on single and double digit addition and subtraction (without renaming), the hundreds place, reading an analog clock, etc.

11. Completed her third handwriting textbook (Pre-K, K, and 1st grade). We recently started the 2nd grade book. She also completed the first Draw Write Now book (handwriting and art). She completed the Fun to Draw workbook and has done several of the lessons in the I Can Do All Things art course.

12. Completed one year of Level 1 gymnastics. She learned how to do things like a push-up, headstand, handstand, and cartwheel (although all of those have room for improvement). Her bridge is outstanding.

13. Learned how to blow her nose and swing herself on the swings.

14. Took a t-ball class for the first time and played on a basketball team for the first time (Daddy was her coach!).

15. Scored her first goal in soccer! She completed 3 seasons of U6 soccer and will be on a U8 team in the fall.

16. Learned to like eating carrots (raw or cooked), green beans, corn on the cob, blueberries, clementines, cherries, etc.

17. Was promoted from the preschool Sunday School class (that she had been in for three years) to the K-2nd grade class.

18. Took horse back riding lessons (first on a pony and then a horse) for the first time.

19. Took Level 1 swimming lessons and participated in a drama camp for the first time in Williamsport during the summer of 2013.

20. Joined the King's Kids choir at church for the first time.

21. Although she still loves princess movies and Gigi dvds, this past year she also fell in love with the Liberty Kids dvds and Spiderman and His Amazing Friends from 1981 on Netflix (she likes Firestar the best).

22. Learned how to steer a car. Last year she didn't do very well with the bumper cars and go karts at Knoebels, but this year it's very different since she's practiced driving cars around our yard.

Although part of me doesn't want the kids to grow up, it is exciting to watch them learn new skills throughout the year. I look forward to seeing how she will change over the next year. June 24, 2008 was such an incredibly special day, as it was the day I finally got to hold my child in my arms. We love you SO much, Nadia Renee!