Happy Birthday Annabelle!!

FIVE, wow... Hard to believe. Every year I say that and every year I am amazed at how much she has changed. She really has grown up a lot. No longer a baby, nor a toddler, she has become quite the little girl.

Annabelle learned how to tie her shoes today. She has been practicing for the past few days and becoming VERY frustrated because she could not do it. But she kept at it, not giving up until she mastered tying the shoes- There is no stopping her once she sets her mind to something! The other day she she was having trouble pronouncing the word, "message"- she practiced for over an hour until she got it right, then we we arrived at school she told everyone that she could say, "message"! She is a very determined little lady. A bit of a perfectionist, if you will.

Annabelle is very much a social butterfly. She talks to everyone. Recently we were at a play space and she went around and introduced herself to everyone there. She later came over to me and announced that, "she was making friends and that I should make friends too." Before we left there she stood in the middle of the room and exclaimed, "these are all my friends, everybody knows me"... and she was right!

Annabelle is still obsessed with puppies. Whenever we see a dog, whether it be on t.v. , at a park, or just driving by a person walking one on the street, Annabelle gets very excited and usually shouts, "I SAW A PUPPY!!!" She has about 200 stuffed animals... Most are dogs.

Annabelle loves to draw and paint. She is getting pretty good at it too! Sometimes she gets a little frustrated though- the perfectionist in her tends to come out when she draws. The other day she was determined to draw a three dimensional box and I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown because she could not do it!! But she never gave up and eventually accomplished what she set out to do.

She is also getting a little bit sassy in her old age: She occasionally gives me some lip and she's been saying things like, "oh my gosh" and rolling her eyes!! She can be very dramatic at times. I sometimes feel like she's 15, not 5!

She can also be very sweet too: She is always worried about her brother and says that all of her friends are her favorites, because she doesn't like to leave anyone out.

Annabelle's teacher always says that Annabelle "has got it going on" -She says that Annabelle is as sharp as a tack and that nothing gets by her. I believe her teacher; Annabelle doesn't miss a trick!