This girl..

I tell you, this 5 year old keeps us in stitches.  Sure, she's the one who knows no fear, is full of energy and adventure (using the top of the swingset above the swings as a balance beam for example) and has caused us all of our gray hairs, but she has the perfect amount of spunk to keep us in stitches.

She's the first out of bed, the first to help with morning chores and she's the one sitting in the window making a sign language "I love you" to me as I drive to work.  When I return from work, she's the one with pigtails, a dirty face, barefoot with a summer dress skipping towards me to get the first hug.  She quips this and quips that and we roar with laughter.

Just this evening, this was our conversation,
Audra: "Mama, if someone came to me and said 'I'll trade you that baby for 9 tomatoes', I'd say 'NO WAY' Does that make you happy that I wouldn't trade Anna-Kate?".
Me: "Yes. I don't want to trade Anna-Kate either".
Audra: "Wanna know why I wouldn't trade her? It's because we already have so many tomatoes, that's why."

I know that someday she plans on living in the city, wearing "up shoes", jewelry and "facepaint" (aka makeup) and I have little doubt she'll be doing that.  She'll be the city girl with ducks in her bathtub. She's that girl with moxie and we love her.

Cheers to you, Audra. May you always be the child who is filthy head to toe, but drinking your water with class.