Five Years of AJS.

 

We celebrated Avery Jane’s fifth birthday earlier this fall.  As with any good birthday celebration, we managed to extend it across multiple days with triplicate celebrations.  First, we had the actual birthday, which seemed to require some sort of acknowledgement since her party was the following day.  So, we closed the book on year #5 with a trip to one of AJS’ favorite spots – the zoo.  She was fascinated with feeding the stingrays, especially our plump (can stingrays be plump?) stingray friend, Teddy.  We also dropped by to give the giraffes a bite.  The next day, we rolled out the red carpet for all of our favorite four and five-year-olds and served tea for twenty in the backyard.  And as you might imagine, this theme was not arrived upon lightly.  After discussion that spanned a year, we settled upon a tea party, but only after I firmly rejected a “Dolphin Tale” party – Avery’s then-favorite movie that revolves around a dolphin-amputee.  I was convinced that other parents would question our decision to serve cake shaped like a dolphin sans tail.  And so we tea-partied.  Faux tea was consumed, delicacies inhaled, and tea hats constructed.  Lastly, we wrapped up our celebratory tour with a visit to her school.

Five years of AJS has been so sweet.  It pains me that I cannot still feel what is was like to have a baby AJS or a toddler AJS.  I see the pictures, I have the memories, but I cannot take myself back to that time in any real sense.  In many ways, she is a pint-sized adult but retains a child-like sweetness.  Without AJS around, I would never be as educated on many topics, including princesses and pumpkin types, and I am certain I would get away with a lot more, like forgetting to use my manners and saying “ya.”  But who would tell me I am pretty each and every day, even when I am wearing yoga pants?  And who would tell me that she loves me more than anyone and pray for me (almost) every night?  Our Avery Jane has brought us buckets and buckets of blessings, and she’s just getting started.