Mary Beth age 6

Mary Beth at 6:

*Her favorite colors are yellow, magenta, and red. She claims that she no longer likes pink. When I looked shocked and asked why, she said, "Mom, pink is for babies. I am not a baby. That's just how life goes."

*She is incredibly social, and doesn't seem to need alone time like the boys (and me!). She loves hanging out with me, all "her boys", extended family, Whitney, and younger sisters of Matthew's teammates.

*She still wants to be a nurse when she grows up.

*Mary Beth is very healthy. She didn't miss a day of school for being sick her entire kindergarten year. She has a tinge of asthma, which is exactly like Matthew's. No wheezing, just allergy induced congestion that she has a hard time getting rid of. Since she started her life with so many issues with her kidneys, we feel very blessed by her good health. Speaking of her kidneys, she has had no problems in a few years. We avoid ibuprophen and limit her soda intake, both of which are hard on kidneys, but other than that, she has no limitations. Her perfect blood pressure is also a good indicator that all is good inside our little girl.

*She is 46 pounds and 45 1/4" which puts her at nearly 50% for both height and weight. The doctor thinks she will be somewhere around 5'6" like me.

*All things princess have left her life. She loves Hello Kitty, Barbie, and American Girl things.

*Words I would use to describe her personality: spunky, feisty, sweet, loving, laid back, funny, talkative, obedient though sometimes sassy, joyful. She continues to be a very easy child to raise.

*She just wrote out a list of what she can do, and brought it home from school today. This is what she said:

I can skip.

I can rub my moms bac.

I can relax. (Followed by a picture of her laying down with the caption "Ah Ah").

I can love.

I can hug.

I can mop.

*One of the funniest things about Mary Beth is her mature taste buds. She loves (and has always loved) tomatoes, mushrooms, deviled eggs, raw and cooked clams and oysters, guacamole, sour cream, roasted red peppers, Thai and chinese food, and every vegetable she has grown in her garden. This is funny to me as she doesn't care as much for shepherd's pie, chicken soup, and square pizza (the one reason she did not want to go back to school!).

*She still can't ride a bike. ;)

*She is a terrible artist.

*She is a fabulous reader.

*She can quote tons of movies.

*She loves speaking in accents.

*She uses lots of "grown up" words, and loves talking with gestures. Very funny!

*She loves being silly and laughs all the time.

*One of her favorite activities is to sing and dance with her best friend, Whitney.

*She can be fearful of new situations. She was worried about starting 1st grade since she didn't know first grade things, and was nervous about piano lessons since she didn't know how to play piano.

*Her most commented on physical characteristic is her hair. Her long, blond, curly hair gets lots of compliments, and usually is followed by, "Is her hair naturally that curly?" On my nice days, I smile and say yes. On my sarcastic days, I smile and say yes, but inside I say, "No, we have our 6 year old's hair permed twice a year."

*She loves math.

*She wants to be called Mary Elizabeth, but only wants to write Mary on her papers. Mary Beth is a good compromise!

*She still can't sleep without her bibi that she still "Nanas" daily. I really need to get video of this as it is quite humorous. She is proud of herself for no longer asking to bring it to church or errands, but she is always happy to find it after school and bedtime.

We love our little sunshine to pieces and couldn't imagine life without her! What a fun 6 years it has been!