Miss Em - January 2012

Emily just turned five.

We were in Disneyland over Christmas. She surprised me and went on EVERY ride. We started with the Matterhorn and ended with Space Mountain being her favorite. I sat next to her on Thunder Mountain Railroad and held on for dear life while she raised her arms in the air and loved every minute of it. The park was pretty crowded over the holidays and she summed it up after coming off a ride and asking, "Which line are we going to stand in next?"

With all the talk recently of Jesus' birthday she got confused and wondered to me, "What was the other present the wise men gave baby Jesus? Besides Frankenstein and gold?" But she did get one Christmas fact right when she said, "Mom, I know who is on the naughty list (we'd been watching Dora's Christmas Movie). Satan." Of course, I should have known.

Santa thought Emily asked for a bigger bike for Christmas...one with a basket and streamers. But after we were done opening presents she said, "Actually I wanted an American Girl doll." (It's NOT a coincidence that this is what her best friend, Jordan, got for Christmas.) I told her that maybe she could ask Santa for the doll next year, but she doesn't want to wait that long, so when I reminded her that a friend saved her money to buy an American Girl doll, Emily thought it was a great idea. She has been collecting any coin she finds around the house and asks me everyday if there are any "money jobs" she can do. At a New Year's Eve party she chose all the small prizes wrapped in 1$ bills and I even bribed her with a dollar if she stays in bed every night for a week instead of coming to visit us at 2 o'clock in the morning. Well worth the investment if you ask me.

Emily is always happy when she gets what she wants and is curious with her questions and in her conversations. She likes to tell everybody what to do and would boss us all around if we let her. There are never enough hours in the day to play with Jordan. On Thanksgiving we spent the entire day together and when it came time for the Taylors to go home after 9:00 at night, the girls said, "It wasn't long enough." They play and pretend, laugh and imagine and sometimes even talk in their own language. I'm so happy that Emily has a best friend.

One thing I want to remember about Emily at this age is the way she talks on the phone. When the boys talk to someone on the phone I usually stand behind and prompt them with what to say or how to ask a question. But Emily can do it all by herself. She relays stories and tells her grandmas things that I would never think of. It's fun to listen to what is on her mind.

I hope to look in her eyes more this year and give better hugs.
I want to really listen to what she says and hear what she actually needs.