Hellobee

I can’t believe I’ve been a mom for almost five whole years. My daughter, Snowy, is an absolute joy. She is a firecracker: a boundless bottle of energy from the moment she wakes up to the moment she falls asleep. She is fearless and loving. She is also really growing into her own when it comes to her passions and interests. She knows what she likes, and these are five of her very favorite things right now.

1. Dinosaurs.

Most kids go through a stage where they are absolutely fascinated by dinosaurs. I never remember having one, but I joke that my husband, who long wanted to be a paleontologist as a child, never grew out of his. Snowy is on her second dinosaur phase. Her first began the summer when she was 3, when there was an awesome dinosaur ride at our local zoo. She wanted to know all the dinosaur kinds and learn as much as she could… but the interest faded as quickly as it began. It came back a year later, this summer, and it came on STRONG. She loves watching Dinosaur Train, coloring dinosaur pictures, playing with her toy dinosaurs, and just anything that has to do with dinosaurs. Her favorite kinds are the triceratops and the T-Rex. Currently, I’m really doing my best to help Snowy pursue her dinosaur interest. It’s so fun to see how into them she is, and I’m learning a lot too: I’ve finally entered my dinosaur phase right along with her! Stay tuned for several posts I have in the works for dino-crazy kids, including:

• a gift guide for kids who love dinosaurs.
• a dinosaur lover’s train trip.
• a dinosaur lover’s road trip.
• planning a dinosaur and dolls birthday party

2. Dolls.

When I was five years old, I got two of my most memorable birthday gifts ever: my dog, Wishbone, who lived until I was in college, and my American Girl Doll, Kirsten.

When Snowy was less than a year old, my husband found an awesome buy at a garage sale. A preteen was getting rid of all of her American Girl stuff, including a Julie doll she gave a haircut to but otherwise was in great condition, a bed, and a wardrobe full of clothes.

After saving these for years, we finally passed them on to Snowy, and she wants to do everything with her doll, who she calls “Mollie Julie.” She loves pretend playing that she is Mollie’s mama. My sister and I recently dug through my old stuff as well, and I’m so excited to pass it down to her.

3. Dress-up.

To Snowy, an outfit isn’t complete unless it has a tutu, and luckily she has a whole rack of them (all gifts, hand me downs, or thrift store finds). She also has a closet full of princess dresses and will often wear a princess dress on the weekends, just because.

4. Arts and crafts.

With Snowy’s 5th Birthday coming up, the main thing we are asking family and friends for is art supplies, of all mediums. Snowy is a very creative kid, and she absolutely loves expressing herself through art. She does a lot of coloring at home in her coloring books, probably at least one picture a day. She’s also really into making plastic bead bracelets and necklaces. She’s always making them for other people, mostly for family. She’s very giving, and right now art is one of the biggest ways she tells us she loves us.

5. Animals.

Up until very recently, Snowy wanted to be a teacher when she grows up, but just this weekend switched to vet, because of a kids’ song she heard on Youtube about how vets help animals. We have one very sweet, tolerant old cat. Allie, who Snowy adores. She loves all animals so much: she adores our frequent trips to the zoo, and her day is made when someone lets her pet their dog. My parents and sister both recently got dogs, and we also recently moved closer (only a few hours away rather than 5+). Snowy is over-the-moon delighted. We got to spend Thanksgiving with both dogs as my sister was hosting, which made Snowy’s holiday very special.

I love Snowy’s personality and everything she’s currently interested in, and can’t wait to see what she gets into next.