Looking Up: Vivian Paige: FIVE

7.3.19

F.I.V.E. They call that a handful.... and let me just tell you, it IS! This girl has more opinions and sass than... well, if I meet someone I'll let you know! Raising this strong, independent, passionate, fierce, intelligent, beautiful soul has not been easy, but it has been the most rewarding and amazing experience of our lives. To watch her navigate this world is inspiring. We are so proud of the person God made her to be and we can't wait to continue watching her grow.

Viv lately

-32lbs 40.25in (still TINY!)

-4T clothes.. some 5T ;)

-Sleep: 10-12 hour nights. Naps happen every once in a while, but she has at least an hour of "quiet time" in her room while Ford naps. No period of sleep can pass without the question "Is it a short nap or a long nap?" (nap vs. bedtime). Bedtime routine consists of books and prayers, and she will fall asleep immediately if she's laying on my chest listening to my heart beat... I have to say, it's my favorite part of the day... reminds me that once upon a time she knew what my heart sounded like from the inside... and for the first 6 months of her life she LIVED on my chest. I know it's a comfort to her and I'll allow it for as long as she wants. If I try to get up too soon, she'll ask "Can you lay with me for one more minute?"... I usually stick around for about 5.... or 20. She STILL insists on having her door open and hall light on at bedtime. We let her read/play in her bed until she falls asleep. She WILL try to push that boundary if she thinks there's even the slightest chance of getting a few more moments to be 'up' with the big kids. This is usually the time she has to inform us of VERY important information, like the neighbors are playing outside or one of her bathroom lights is out.... GO.TO.BED! At one point we had to put a lock on her closet and steal all her light bulbs every night otherwise we would find her up at 5am "working"... thankfully that stopped

-She is still at the Montessori school 5 days/week 8:30-4 and she loves it! She is in Ms. April's Primary classroom for the second year in a row. Her teacher describes her as bright, confident, charismatic, cheerful, eager, and a leader who is always willing to let those around her shine.
-She is doing gymnastics once a week along with weekly practice for her upcoming performance in 'Beauty and the Beast Live'- her first Broadway show, y'all!
-We went to DISNEY!!! again.... this time with brother and Nonnie and PawPaw
-She raised over $1000 for the American Heart Association for the second year in a row, was asked to be on the Tulsa news, and walked (and talked) the entire heart walk with the news reporter
-She is the BEST big sister!! They have their quarrels, but goodness she loves and nurtures that little best friend of hers. She always stands up for him and protects him. She is his biggest cheerleader!
-She lost her first sibling this year, our sweet dane, Lola Mae. This was so very hard for our family, but in true Viv fashion she was the strongest and most faithful of us all. While I was running around with my head spinning in fear and denial as I was preparing to take Lo to the vet, Viv was right by her side comforting her (with Nonie's elephant). In the days that followed, Viv prayed for exactly what our family needed to grieve and heal. At one point she did break down and release her emotions after understanding that Lola wasn't coming back to this side of home, but quickly channeled her sadness into the sweetest picture of Lola in heaven. I am in awe of this soul on a daily basis because of moments like these. She has a direct line to God and I just love her faith.

Her "quirks"/demands have kept us on our toes... here are just a few...
-She can't close her lips when she's wearing lip gloss or lip stick so she talks funny and drools a little bit
-I am fairly confident she says more words daily than there are in the dictionary... the girl NEVER stops talking
-She has a little OCD, especially when it comes to her food... all items must be served together... she has no concept of "appetizer" ie. eat your fruit while this frozen waffle toasts... NOT.having.it.
-She is also very "process oriented" as dad describes her. No task can be complete until the one before is finished. Makes chores really fun for us!
-She's a little pack rat! She collects, stores, hides, and packs all kinds of odd things
-When she does something questionable, her response is often "My brain thought of it and then my body just did it". Another one is "My brain thought of a lesson and taught me"
-Her favorite color right now is "rainbow, but blue matches really well"

Milestones

-We have a reader! She is very good at sounding out words phonetically and has most of her sight words down. She has been obsessed with wanting to learn to read ever since she entered the primary classroom 2 years ago, so this new found skill has given her a great confidence boost! It obviously took time, but she was patient through the process.
-Writing in cursive (she actually wrote me a little note the other day to confess a few sins she made at school)
-Skip counting by 2, 3 and 4
-Addition and subtraction
-It's fascinating to watch her little brain grow right before our eyes. She has matured so much over the last year and watching her thoughts play out has been incredible. The way she processes cause and effect and connects events reminds us daily that she's not a toddler anymore! One example was at swim lessons. Our swim instructor has an indoor pool (barn) and outdoor pool. She never questioned why we were in the barn one week, but not the rest. One day I overheard her telling Ford we had to go to the indoor pool when the weather is bad or it's too windy. Sounds simple, but it's pretty amazing to see her make those connections when just a year ago she probably would have been throwing a tantrum because we weren't following a routine.
-She's also at an age where she has a better grasp of time, which is good for some things but not all. She now understands when Adam has been gone for longer periods of time and she has had a really hard time with that. This year has been the hardest by far for her adjusting to his coming and going. We're working through it as a family!

Likes
ANYTHING Rainbow Unicorn!

Princesses- especially Ariel right now
Getting her nails painted
Playing with friends
Her brother
Church
Books
Playing pretend- princess, teacher, mommy, shopping, cooking, dressing up
Looking at pictures and videos of herself (vain much? haha)
Coloring/painting
Puzzles

Cooking with mom.. Mimi got her a Rad-dish subscription and she has loved shopping, cooking and serving us dinner once a month
Jumping on the trampoline
Singing
Dancing- she just can't stop the feeling!
Being outside
Swimming- she has become such a strong swimmer
Movies/TV.... Faves are Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Pirate Fairy, Mia and Me,

Food: Her favorite meal is still salmon and brussel sprouts (she requested it for her birthday), and she's great about trying new things, but don't get me wrong, there's nothing like a good carb or a pound of sugar!!

Dislikes

Not getting her way

Being patient

Pictures (over the last year):

5th Birthday!!
We celebrated at her school with mini cinnamon rolls and 5 walks around the sun!