Last Day as a Five-Year-Old

Dear Evie,

This is my sixth letter to you on the eve of your birth/birthday, and it seems with each passing year that the time to write this letter comes faster and faster.  I remember people telling me as a child that time goes faster when you're an adult, and I was incredulous about that at the time, but it turns out it's true.  The speediness of the days and the swiftness with which the years are going by is alarming. 

For some reason, you turning six seems to me a much bigger deal than any birthday you've had since you turned one.  Maybe it's because you're now done with Kindergarten and with Lipman and are moving on to elementary school proper.  But I think it has more to do with the fact that you are shedding your baby-like ways and no longer seem to be little.  Not only have you sprouted up this year and lost several teeth, you're more mature and you understand so much more.  Of course, you understand more academics - you've been working on math and reading, science and geography all year and you've impressed me with deciphering many signs and texts that I didn't think you'd be able to read at your age.  But you also seem to understand things on a deeper level; you have this incredible sense of your place in time.  You've asked me recently about what your great-great-grandparents were like (I could only tell you about 3 of them from my personal experience), and talked about what you'll do as a grandmother.  How is it that, at 5 years old, you can conceptualize that much time?

Your memory continues to amaze me.  You easily recall things that happened over two years ago and you correct me when I'm wrong.  In fact, just this week, I was telling you that your Nature Camp experience would be at the place where Harrison had his birthday party, but you couldn't remember what I was referring to.  Then after I described it more, you told me, "No, Mama, you mean where Noah had his birthday party."  And you were right, and I was even more astounded because I thought we had been there just this past October, but Noah was a year ahead of you in class, so we must have been to his birthday in October 2016 - about a year and a half ago!

I think the most defining characteristic of yours right now is you ability to make friends and ease everyone into conversation with you.  You are friendly, good-natured, approachable, charismatic, and enthusiastic.  People just love to be around you.  Ms. Anna from church told me Sunday that you are more than just a child; you're really fun to be around and you're someone people want to make friends with.  I consistently hear from people who know you how impressed they are with what I call your "Mouse Krech" quality of chatting with just about anybody.

Oh, my dear girl, I just can't describe to you how much joy you bring to my life.  I thank God every single day that I'm the one who gets to be your Mama.  You make me so proud, you make me think and question everything, you make me a better person.  Thank you for that.  Thank you for your love.  Thank you for being my Evie.

All my love, always,
Mama