Kaiya-bear turns SIX!

On August 14th, our sweet, oldest daughter, Kaiya Michelle, turned SIX! It's been the BEST six years of our lives, having this girl in our lives! She is just pure sweetness!

 We had a really, really fun week of celebrating! On her bday on Wednesday, I got to take treats to her class at school and spend the afternoon there. It was soooo fun, I always love being at school with her and how happy it makes the both of us! Also, the fair happened to be in town and she got a flyer at school, so that was her evening request! It was actually a really, really fun night! We had a delicious dinner at Dickey's and then headed over to the fairgrounds. We got to see some of the animals, which is always a highlight for our kids -- they are OBSESSED with anything that moos or baaa's or oinks...well, pretty much anything that moves and makes noises! They loved it! And a nice girl even gave them rides on her goat! Funny! We also rode some ridiculously overpriced rides, which the girls also loved! And Kaiya's number one fair request -- cotton candy! Then there was that one ride, the one that Chris said I would have to take the kids on, because he can't do spinning. The one where I was like, pshhh, whatever, I can ride ANYTHING, I have never gotten sick on a ride, and I have never met a ride I didn't like. Yeah, that ride. I went on it with Kaiya and Taylor, who had an absolute blast on it. And then there was me, as soon as we got off, who was soooooo incredibly sick for the next 3 hours! No joke! Head spinning, stomach turning, massive headache, feeling some serious vertigo! I think I may have lost my youthful ability to "stomach" the rides I have always loved. Sad day for me, I'm not going to lie! Then it was home to open presents as a family and enjoy some cupcakes!

 (all smiles BEFORE the ride that almost killed me!)

 

birthday hugs...

  

 and birthday spanks, courtesy of your loving sister!

 

A few days later, we got the awesome treat of having Jessicka and Dalton come up to stay with us and come to Kaiya's party! We had so much fun with them! Seriously, what a blessing it is in our lives (and in Kaiya's) to have them be so close to all of us! It was a lot of effort to come all the way up and we could not be more grateful! We had pizza and movie night and Jess and Dalton also brought their awesome theater popcorn maker, which the kids thought was the coolest thing EVER! It was such a fun night with them! 

The next day, we were busy getting ready for Kaiya's party and I was so grateful for the help! We had a Hawaiian luau party and it was such a fun day! My parents also came over and helped out and partied with us -- thanks you guys! We had a lot of girls -- I think there was like 15 -- over. Some are new friends from our neighborhood and ward, some from her class at school. We made cute flip-flops and candy lei's. We went on a scavenger hunt for all their party favors. We played musical towels. And the highlight was having Kai's cousin, Ame, come over and teach all of the kids a hula dance! She did such a good job and the kids LOVED it! How lucky Kai is to have such an awesome older cousin! We also had a slip n slide and put the sprinkler under the tramp so the kids could get wet! Cake pops and ice cream ended the party and although mom was completely exhausted, it could not have turned out better! And Kai was so happy. So happy! And that is always the reminder of why we make the effort, to see her smile and feeling so special, well, that means success every time! Later that night, Jessicka's family came up and met us for dinner and then we all got to hang out for awhile. It was soooo nice to see them and spend time with them! I am constantly reminded of what a blessing it is to have so much love surrounding and intertwined in our adoption experience. So many people to love Kaiya and the rest of our family! And so many people for us to love as well! We could not have dreamed of a better experience, truly!

So, yes, it was a wonderful, fun few days for our girl! Soooo happy to celebrate this amazing daughter of ours! We ADORE her more than we could ever say! 

Some things about Kaiya at six years old:

Kaiya is growing up so much! She says things sometimes that I just can't believe! It's like, where did my baby go?! We can't fool her on anything anymore, she is just too wise! She is the BEST helper and big sister! I know that I ask a lot of her and she is always so eager and willing to help me out. I can't say enough how much I appreciate this girl! I know at some point, her eagerness will wear out, but for now, geesh, how awesome it is that she loves to do dishes and vacuum and even doesn't complain when I ask her to constantly run and get this or that for me! Her teacher at school has said the same thing about her -- that she's so helpful and never complains. Yep, that's Kai!

Kaiya has lost 3 teeth so far, with two more wigglers! The first couple were a little traumatic for her, but now that she knows the tooth fairy comes, well, she works pretty hard to wiggle them out! She loves writing a little note to the tooth fairy too, so cute!

Kaiya is a collector (jewelry, stickers, books, lip gloss, etc.) and an organizer! She is always putting her stuff into boxes or stacks or piles. Although I like to sneak in when she's not around and throw lots of things away, at least she is very neat with her collections. She also gets mad when the toy room is a mess, how funny (and how lucky for me?!)! She loves to make up and organize her bed every day and makes these cute and funny little displays with her toys. 

Kai is such a smart little girl. She is always thinking. Because she has always been a little more quiet, she takes her time to really be thoughtful and figure things out in her head. She has become such a good reader and writer and is a really determined little worker when it comes to her school work. She is our child that I never really have to push too hard when it comes to getting homework done or to read -- she is always just taking care of it without the reminders! Love her determined spirit and her hard work.

Kai has become so social and I absolutely love it! We live in a really fun neighborhood with so many kids and every single day, Kaiya is off playing with everyone! I am so happy for this! She even has a little boy at school that she loves. Not necessarily in a lovey-dovey way, just loves, loves, loves to be with him! They are the cutest little buddies! She is such a sweet, kind friend. She is always concerned about others and speaks so nicely to everyone. Sometimes I think it surprises and really hurts her when she finds that not all kids are that way in return. The other night at her soccer game, she was playing a little girl from her school class on the opposite team. Kai was so excited to see her and ran up to give her a hug, and the girl totally pushed her away and shouted, "you are NOT on my team". Kai was pretty hurt. And man, it took everything in me to not run over and be the protective mama-bear and scold that little girl. I know it is how Kaiya will have to learn to navigate the world of friendship and team sports and basically just life in general. But it kills me to see her sensitive little heart get hurt! Thankfully, she is also growing leaps and bounds in confidence, so she is able to move past these kinds of things much easier. And my job will always be to continue to nurture that kindness that she possesses in endless amounts. It will always be better to be kind and I'm soooo grateful that my daughter is that person naturally! My sweet, sweet Kai!

I am just in constant amazement in how much Kaiya has grown up this year. In so many ways. Confidence, social skills, academics, even physically. It is a really sweet and tender experience for me to be able to see it all happen. Although it kills me that she can't just stay my little baby forever, I love the person she has become. I love her so much, it feels like I could burst. I love how affectionate she is. She is the only one of our children that has always loved to have her back scratched and it is our ritual every night for her to snuggle up in my lap to get her back scratched. I LOVE this time with her. 

She is becoming so adventurous where she was always so timid before. She flies around on her scooter and makes me so nervous!! It's fun to watch her hanging with all the little boys in the neighborhood and on her soccer team, never to be outdone by any of them! She loves to ride her bike and hula-hoop. She loves to be in the water and is always eager to try new things. 

She was born with such a sweet, gentle, thoughtful spirit. I love how much I learn from her. She has such an innate love for Heavenly Father and Jesus and desires to do what is right. She loves her sisters and protects them and teaches them and includes them. She has the cutest giggle ever, and a sly smile when she's trying so hard not to laugh! Her gorgeous blue-green eyes are full of wonder and love of life and learning. I feel very strongly in my heart, that she was sent to our family to teach us so many things. She already has. She has a quiet sweetness that radiates from her and shows all over her face. Never showy, never wanting to be the center of attention, never wanting people to watch her, she just quietly goes about life trying to do good and be good. I love that about her, in a world where it seems so many are dying for the spotlight, she doesn't need or want one bit of it. 

Her place in our family is a miracle and gift that I have never gone a day without appreciating and cherishing. I think about the intricate details of finding her, and I know it was Divine Intervention that brought her to our family, a loving Father in Heaven who knew how much we needed her, how much I needed her. I felt that overwhelming confirmation the second she came into this world, as I sobbed uncontrollably in the hospital room. I was so overcome by her sweet spirit, I had never felt anything like it. It is a precious memory that I will never forget. And each day for the past six years, I have been blessed by this special spirit, this amazing girl I am honored to call my daughter. Lucky doesn't even begin to describe what I feel being her mom. I just know it was meant to be in a way I will never be able to put into words.

Wishing you the best year ahead, our precious girl! And with you around, I know it will be pretty sweet! Happy 6th Birthday, Kai!!