I must have blinked.

Yesterday or the day before--- sometime recently I was driving somewhere and I looked in the backseat of my sexy minivan and noticed that Princess was no longer the sweet 2 year old girl who had a winsome laugh and infectious grin. She is growing. So so fast. Her limbs are stretching; her hands are almost as big as mine and she is creeping up on me in height.

Her face is loosing the softness of baby chub and becoming more defined. Her eyes are still piercing blue and she smiles with her whole face but they have a maturity too them in the five year old sense.

She carries herself not with the awkward gait of a toddler anymore but with more grace and purpose to her movements. She can flip her hair with the best of them!

Princess has always been bright and she has always been astute. But now, she is learning emotional intelligence, as well as reading. She is conscientious and generous with her heart. She is a peacemaker with her siblings.

She is all of this and at the same time as being a five year old girl with a budding attitude and occasional defiance. She can be the greatest one to solve problems and in a moment switch to being in the middle of the conflict. She is so independent but still relishes in snuggles and stories.

As much as she is a young lady she is also a kid. I am guilty of at times expecting too much from her. When she acts in a perfectly age appropriate way I get unduly frustrated and I am sorry for that.

I am proud of her. She is an outstanding girl and I love her.