Elise at Five

Elise, summed up in one picture

My Elise Lady,

Your muchness is still going strong, but it seems to be tapering off at the extreme ends. You still like to get Aaron or Elijah all worked up, but the Sharpie on the wall episodes are basically gone! 

Earlier this year you told Daddy "I'm tired of playing with my invisible friends." That just broke my heart. Covid has been pretty easy on our family compared to many others, but you are in desperate need of socialization. I try to arrange playdates when I can, but we're still trying to careful since vaccines for your age aren't anywhere close to happening yet. 

With that in mind, we decided that your needs will best be met going to public school. There are lots of things I don't like about it (especially the single 20 minute recess thing), but overall I think you need that constant interaction with friends. I'm excited for you!

You spend most of your time playing babies, Barbies, Legos, or Little Critters. Occasionally Aaron or Catherine will play with you. Sometimes Paul Knox. But mostly you play by yourself. Once a week on your Mom Day I try to make sure I take time to play with you, but it's never enough. We played for over an hour today and it still wasn't enough! 

Aaron's bed, full of your millions of 'babies'.

You love to sleep in Aaron's room. I think you love it because he'll play some form of babies with you as you're supposed to be going to bed. You love having company! 

Other fun things you like to do include watching horrible YouTube videos like Cry Babies whenever I'll let you borrow my phone, playing Smash Brothers on the Switch, climbing the playset, playing on the trampoline, and riding your bike. 

At your checkup you were 3 ft. 7 in. tall (55%) and 33 lbs (10%). 

You adore Catherine and would follow her everywhere if she'd let you. Sadly she's been getting more standoffish lately so you're thrilled if she ever deigns to play with you. 

You love to talk and will go nonstop if given the chance. 

You still like to pretend that rules are only mostly applicable to you (like staying in bed or helping clean up after meals). It's getting better, but it's also harder to enforce because all your older siblings are up late. 

We've been working on beginning reading skills and it is no fun. Math is great. Letters? You can't remember their names or what they say even though we've been through it over and over again. I know it will stick when it sticks, but I feel like things should be sticking more than they are. Thankfully you love to read stories with me, so reading will happen when you're ready!

You show your feelings with your entire body. There's no hiding when you're excited, or sad, or angry. You also still wake up hangry most mornings and will get two breakfasts. One when you first wake up, one when everyone else eats. 

All things girly, princess, sparkly, rainbow, and glittery are your domain, despite your older siblings' best attempts to shame you out of loving them. 

You are my little force of nature. My pixie/gremlin child. Without you our lives would have so much less sparkle. I sure love you, my littlest Elise!

Elise's Five Year Old Interview:

1. What's your favorite color? "Pink."

2. What's your favorite food? "Ohhh...umm...Nutella wraps?"

3. Who's your best friend? "It can't be one of my cousins? (Yes, it can). Katie?"

4. What's your favorite movie? "Frozen 2. No, actually Avatar the Last Airbender."

5. What's your favorite toy? "My lost pony. And it's a stuffed animal. And I used to ride it." (She just saw this old toy in a baby book and was sad that it was no longer around). 

6. What is your favorite game to play? "Hungry Hippos."

7. What's your favorite game to play on devices? "Uhh...umm, I like to play...the game that you like make the like food. It's the thing that you make like cocoa or something, like tea? And it's Doctor Panda."

8. What's your favorite snack? "Peanut butter and...no! I mean...what is it again? Nutella and pretzels."

9. What's your favorite animal? "Bunny. Actually, a cat."

10. What job do you want to have when you grow up? "I want to work for Burger King. Make um, ice cream. The like, ice cream cones. Yummy! I want to taste some."

11. What is your favorite song? "Into the Unknown."

12. What's your favorite church song? "The snowman one" (Once There Was a Snowman). 

13. What's your favorite book? "Frozen Elsa. No, Elsa! The Frozen one."

14. What's your favorite thing to learn about? "Doing the like, train thing. It was at our new school." (Absolutely no idea what she's talking about).