FIVE!

My little girl turns five today (or tomorrow for those of you reading this in North America today). Here's a snapshot of little Abner at five:

She has two adult molars already and is quite excited to lose her first baby tooth. She keeps wiggling her teeth trying to loosen them and speed up the whole process.

She can read a good deal for her age - even her teacher remarked on how well she reads! She's now able to read short paragraphs of text on her own with only occasional help from an adult. Now that she can read, one of her favourite things to do is look over our shoulders while we're on the computer or reading books and call out words she recognizes ('cause that's not annoying at all).

She has not picked up any kind of a Kiwi accent yet, but has adopted a few local words, like: wee (small), carpark (parking lot), and heaps (lots).

She can pour her own cereal and milk for breakfast (which comes in handy when TDSH is out of town and mommy doesn't want to get up at 6:30 a.m.)

Her favourite chores are setting the table for dinner, pouring her own milk (into a mini wine glass, no less), putting clean dishes back in the pantry, carpet sweeping, putting beers in the fridge for mommy and daddy, and helping to match socks fresh out of the laundry.

She can also tie her own shoes...if you have about five minutes to spare before actually needing to head out the door.

Happy birthday to my favourite little girl.