Now that my baby girl is Five...and I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that fact... I thought I'd do a little look back at Four.  Kerry has had lots of new experiences this past year.  She started gymnastics over the summer and has been loving it!  Seriously, she has never once complained about going, even when I know she's tired or has just not had the best day.  She seems to be well suited for it, too.  She can turn a mean cartwheel now and the instructor stopped me just last week to tell me that she thinks Kerry is doing really well and that she is "so strong for her size".  I love that almost every week as I'm buckling her in to her carseat she'll say "Mommy, gymnastics was fun!" 

She has spent each Thursday for the past year at her Mother's Day Out program.  She has really spread her wings and is so ready for Kindergarten.  Last Fall they had a little end of year commencement program since there were several of her classmates who were graduating. Mrs. Marilyn called me at work and explained that, since Kerry had learned all of the songs and was such an, um, enthusiastic performer would they mind if she joined them on stage.  I left work a bit earlier that day and luckily had my little purse sized camera with me so I could take some video.  Boy am I glad I didn't miss this.  Had I known earlier I would have dressed her in something more stage appropriate, though.  The loudest little voice you hear belongs to my girlie in her very first performance  =) !

Kerry lost a special little friend this year.  She still talks about "Miss Kitty" and how much she misses her.

 

But she gained another furry friend when this little guy showed up under our neighbors deck.   She named him LG...yes, as in the electronics brand.  We've since decided that it can also stand for Little Guy.  Since age two she has a mild fixation on this brand and when she was littler she would even insist on going through the electronics department when out shopping so she could point out all of the LG televisions on display.  Anyway, he was little, all alone, and Kerry said "Daddy, I love him."

 

 End of story.

 

In June Kerry enjoyed her first trip to DisneyWorld!  We went Nana, Papaw, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Travis, and cousins Sydnie and Kinsley.  Kerry had the best time meeting all of her favorite characters and swimming in the enormous pool area.  If we asked what her favorite ride was she would usually say "The bus!" or "The Monorail!", haha. 

 

The biggest developement this year is that at age 4 years 5 months, Kerry started reading on her own.  She spotted a set of "Berenstein Bears" books at Sams and when we got them home she surprised us by opening up one of them and reading it.  I think I just kinda looked at Doug and said "Alrighty then, I guess she can read now".   And she hasn't looked back.  

  

 

Sometime later in the Fall she seemed to have quite a physical growth spurt, all in the arms and legs and she just looks more "thinned out" and mature to me lately.    She's grown about two inches this year but hasn't really gained any weight. 

 

My little "Doc McStuffins" at Halloween.  Around this time is when we started noticing how much more mature she was starting to look! 

Four was an amazing year for Kerry.  It was a year of Super-Hero Kerry and "magical powers" and magic tricks and fantastic stories and imagination and Princesses and Pirates and gymnastics and writing sweet little notes for Mommy and Daddy and growing independence...oh boy, has she ever had her moments of stubborn independence.  But thankfully she's had just as many cuddly moments.  Four was such a sweet age and I'm mindful of the fact that it's the last year before she starts school.  Sigh.

 

So I'll end by sharing just a few little recent gems from my just-turned-five-big-years-old girl.

 

 

"I know what a frog is...an amphibian.  And if you can't say it you just call it a frog."

"How'd you know I needed that, Mommy?  You're just smart sometimes, like me."

While wrapping Penguin Puppet in a blanket:  "My little Sweet-Pea.  Sweet-Pea means, like, daughter."

"I like your style, Mommy!"