Naturally the girls hijacked the day and my emotional imbalances and worked it to their advantage to open Jamison's presents, try out his toys, have Chick fil A for lunch (ice cream cones included of course), screen time, pizza for dinner, cake for dessert etc. etc. etc.
At one, Jamison is far more mobile than his sisters were. He loves to be outside and can say "vroom vroom" (well, it sounds more like "broom broom") when playing with cars. He adores Emery and Anna Kimball so much so that I often will let him into their room even before their appointed wake-up time. You would too if you had already been entertaining a 12-month-old in the wee dark hours of the morning for going on two hours and wouldn't mind a few moments of solitude before morning part II officially begins.
At this stage I would probably give him a C- when it comes to wake-up time and nap durations but even so, his smile and general adorableness can cover over a multitude of sleep-related sins.
Yesterday, Emery finally turned five. She's probably been talking about and anticipating this birthday for at least seven months now. In lieu of a party we loaded up the day with a ton of fun activities and treats and I think we thoroughly exhausted her to the point of her not even being too sad that the birthday was over at the end of the day.
The picture above is the only decent one I got of her all day. Every time I tell her to smile for the camera she does this smirk/smile thing which isn't exactly becoming. Sigh.
At five, Emery still has such a sweet spirit, which I know sounds vague and something nice mothers say about their daughters ... but she really does! There is something gentle and dear about her. If Anna Kimball is playful like a golden retriever, well, Emery is playful like a butterfly. She flutters, rather than romps, around the house. Emery adores being read to and would literally listen to me read the phone book I think, if there still were such a thing.
This past year it has been so fun to see her artistic side develop. I love that she isn't afraid to draw something like a giraffe, for instance, even if she doesn't "know how to." Knowing that she loves to draw is becoming a pretty awesome ticket to have in my pocket when it's clear that she is bored and fluttering around the house with nothing to do.
What Emery wanted most for her birthday was a fish. So she woke up on her birthday to a red, male fish we named Cinco (get it, Spanish for five? :))
Well, today Cinco died. Talk about a birthday letdown.
But, it turns out this everything is actually ok. Apparently Emery really wanted a blue, female fish. Maybe we will name her Cinderella. And pray she doesn't croak when the clock strikes midnight.
Happy birthday Jamison and Emery! We love you!
