She's turning six!

Elle will be six next week so I went out and took some pictures of her to put on her invites.

  (She was grumpy...so I got mostly "cheeky" shots)

BUT

I just love this little girl..she doesn't want to grow up as much as I don't want her to grow up.

She has some serious anxiety about growing up...and I don't know what to do about it.

I don't EVER say anything negative about growing older...but she is so afraid of it.

One night after I read her bedtime story to her she started crying and told me

"Mom, I don't ever want to grow up....if I grow up I can't live with you and daddy anymore."

It seriously broke my heart.

Elle has the sweetest soul of any child I've ever met.  She is so kind to others and loving.  She loves her Savior and loves the Scriptures.  Every night before she says her prayers she sings "Book of Mormon Stories".  She says the sweetest prayers I've ever heard. 

 One day I got upset with her and sent her to her room.   A few minutes later I went to check on her and to talk with her as to why I had gotten upset.  When I got to her room and peeked in she was kneeling saying a prayer.  In the prayer she was making her own promises to her Father in Heaven promising that she was going to try her hardest not to disappoint her momma anymore.  Then she said..."and let my momma know that I love her and I forgive her." AHHHH sweet. 

 THEN one a few years ago Elle made her room a MESS...not just any mess like a

  BIG FAT CAN'T WALK IN THE DOOR MESS!  So I sent her to her room to clean...every 10 minutes for an hour I would check on her to see if she was cleaning...and she was just sitting there with this look on her face like 'how am I going to do this on my own'.  But I kept insisting she do it.  She would cry and tell me she couldn't do it alone.  I would remind her she made the mess on her own so she could clean it on her own.  A few minutes later I went to check on the progress and she was praying.  This is what she said

  "Heavenly Father...I made a big mess, and I don't know how to clean it up on my own.  Will you help me?"  

That simple prayer humbled me and reminded me that sometimes we make huge messes of our lives or situations and we can't clean them up on our own, but we have people who love us who will help us clean them up.  So needless to say we had a moment together and cleaned up her room.  The best reward was the hug and kiss that followed.

Elle has taught me so many lessons, like how to be a true friend.

One day at school it was Elle's day to be the 'Helper' and as the helper they get to choose someone in the class to help them help. (he he)  Well the night before the "BIG DAY"  I asked Elle who she was going to choose and this is what she said. "Well mom, I really want to choose Sarah; but i'm going to choose Ashlyn"  When I told her that if she really wanted to choose Sarah she could she said this "But mom, nobody ever chooses Ashlyn."  How special and sweet she is that she noticed that, and felt that she needed to be a friend to this girl and choose her so she didn't feel left out.  I'm so impressed.

Elle is a drama queen, but a pure joy.

I love being her mom!

I love that she loves that I'm her mom too.

XOXO