Man alive, Look who's 5!

Gracie is 5 years old! Mike and I have been talking for months about the fact that we CANNOT believe that this little girl is 5. We have never before had a hard time accepting any of our children getting older but it is so unbelievable to us that it has been 5 years since she joined our family.

To celebrate we had Grace's favorite dinner, manicotti, on Monday night along with cake and ice cream. I tried making homemade fondant for the first time and it turned out ok. Then on Tuesday we headed to Omaha. We went to the Winter Quarters Temple and Mormon Trail Visitors Center, ate dinner at a restaurant, and swam at the hotel pool. On Wednesday, Grace's big day, we headed to the Omaha Zoo which was amazing!

Here are some fun facts about Grace at age 5:

LOVES, LOVES, LOVES barbeque chips. Will not eat any other kind of chip. She asks for/demands barbeque chips every day at lunch and is very sad when she doesn't get them. Other favorite foods include: french toast, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and manicotti.

Grace is VERY picky about desserts. She loves brownies and Reese's, but other than that she usually passes on dessert (even ice cream). And I know she has a little of me in her because she also hates root beer.

Favorite spot on the couch - the crack. She has to be right in the middle, snuggled into the cracks of the seat and back cushions. If anyone else is sitting in "her spot", she will insist that they move and if they are unwilling they will have a fight on their hands.

Green is her current favorite color, but give her a few days and it will be something else.

Whenever Grace gives her toys or stuffed animals a name, the first thing she always says is whatever sound pops into her head like Enna or Ooaa. She usually changes it several times but the first pass always sounds nonsensical. For example, we let her pick a stuffed animal at the Omaha Zoo on her birthday. She picked a cheetah that was named Ooaah, then Adda, before finally settling on Sparkles. She also has a stuffed puppy that she has named Pinata.

If you want to make Grace's day tell her she is a) getting so big or b) getting so tall. Seriously, nothing makes her happier. She is so happy to be 5 because it means she is getting older and therefore bigger.

Grace is one of the best self-entertainers I've ever met. She will sit and read books or play with toys by herself for hours. She is also the most focused movie/tv watcher out there. It doesn't matter what is on, she will sit and watch it. She is really into watching TLC lately, her favorite shows being "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Bringing Home Baby."

Loves to sing! Usually sings VERY loudly. Favorite Primary song is "Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus".

Grace is a morning person. She ALWAYS wakes up happy, ALWAYS! And having breakfast quickly is very important to her. She has this cute little way that she says breakfast every morning that we keep thinking she will grow out of, but she hasn't yet.

She loves to dance and "shake her booty" as she likes to say. Crazy girl. Her favorite song to dance to is "Single Ladies".

Still loves everything girly - jewelry, make-up, getting her hair done, new clothes, shoes, Barbies, talking on the phone. Her favorite books are Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy. Would totally get her ears pierced if we would let her.

And here is her 5th year collage.

Boy she really is a big girl!