(official) Birthday post coming soon...

Last week, you called your ankle "the waist of [your] leg." Tonight you insisted, "only round money goes to the bank, not the rectangular kind!"

As of May 15th, you are 5 and we are learning more about this amazing age every day.

Last night

"Mom, I love you every day -- I'll love you forever. You are the best mom ever! I love you so much. I love to give you kisses? Can I rub your neck? Do you feel better?

Dad, you are going to live in Asia, where there are a lot of storms. You will live there when you are a grandpa. You can't live with us.

Mom, I want to live with you when I'm grown up, but Dad won't be here. Only girls -- we'll put up a sign on the house that says, 'girls only.' (Whispered) Right, mom?!"

(Laughter)

Guess I'm ranking high this week!

Conversation: health

L - "Tomorrow, you are going to take a break from coffee."

M- "Really?! No way."

L- "No, not you. Dad. Dad drinks way too much coffee."

M- [Laughs]

L- "He needs to eat more healthy things."

M- "Is that so?"

L- "Yes! He needs to eat more apples."

M- "Why does he need to eat more healthfully?"

L- "Because he needs to eat more healthy things. That's all!"

Grace in Small Things: 5 of 365

1. "I'm going to change Myra's last name to Pretty...actually, to Nice."

2. Your excitement about sports, especially at the baseball game last night.

3. Watching your "kids" grow and change: today, you were measuring them to see how much they've grown.

4. Mamma Mia sung in a restaurant bathroom. I'd never heard you sing the song before -- you said you learned it from friends at school.

5. Impromptu dancing!

Grace in Small Things: 4 of 365

1. Watching your first Buddhist precept ceremony -- you received a beautiful mala after making your promises.

2. Dancing to "What A Feeling."

3. Listening to Nana read you every book you wanted to hear!

4. You LOVE cilantro and declared the dinner tonight was perfect and wonderful.

5. Making brownies with you: even though you don't like chocolate, you enjoy baking them for other loved ones.

Grace in Small Things: 3 of 365

Things you've said this week:

1. "Weren't you paying attention?! Do you even know what's going on?" (Said while discussing the Sprout show Angelina Ballerina. Apparently I didn't "get" the plot.)

2. "You're a SHAMELESS mom!" (Spoken in harsh tones--but delivered with a smile--to me because I was teasing Dad while climbing the stairs to bed.

3. You have this way of telling us how far you want us to leave your pocket-style bedroom door open at night. "Leave it a little bit lower" has, until this week, been your way of saying you just want a sliver of light coming through. This week, "I want it a little backer" is your new way of communicating you want it open a bit wider.

4. You've been falling asleep in the car on the way home from school. It is an instant -- and deep -- sleep wherein you want to be held on the couch before settling into dinner. You press you cheek into my chest and mumble a shoe removal request before slumbering for a few, blissful, moments.

5. "I love you so much too, Mom. Is tomorrow a hang out day or a school day?"

Grace in Small Things: 2 of 365

1. Pink tights and extra-small, pastel, cotton camisoles

2. Compound words you learned to read: starfish, bathtub

3. "I jump and jump so I can be big and strong!"

4. Strawberry Shortcake socks

5. Springwater School (fingers crossed!)