I think every year Emma grows older, I am shocked that I have a (fill in the age) year old. I can sort of feel her independence growing every year and even though it fills me with immense sadness, I love seeing the person she is growing into. I still remember when I was her whole world and could provide her with anything she needed and magically solve all of her problems. I always tell her how one day when she’s a teenager, she is not going to like me as much as she does now so now she’s afraid of being a teenager! I really need to record these moments so I can show her lol. For now, I have at least another year where she still wants me to walk her into school and she doesn’t find me embarrassing yet! :)

Year 6 started with her finishing up her Kindergarten year with Mrs. Tilton. We were so amazed at everything she learned when compared to our own experiences in Kinder. Nowadays kids are learning how to read so it was so fun to see Emma reading all of these books on her own! One of my favorites is seeing her read to her little brother who loves being read to!

This past year, we got really into camping and had several opportunities starting with boyrobot’s annual camping trip with his coworkers and their families to the San Diego KOA.

We are big fans of KOAs with young kids because they always have fun activities, mostly clean facilities, and pretty well-kept campgrounds. They also have options for cabin rentals and sometimes teepee rentals if you’re into that! We did tent camping which the kids love. This is the year we perfected our grilled pizzas and that was usually the dish we contributed to our group camping trips where each family is in charge of a meal.

The San Diego KOA was a lot of fun….I do wish it was warmer when we went so we could enjoy the pool more! While we were there they were building a whole bigger pool area so we definitely need to come back and check it out!

A few weeks after this camping trip, we were off to our next adventure! We went to Phoenix with some friends to stay at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. They have an amazing pool area with a lazy river and the weather was perfect for it! The kids had a blast because we went with some of their (and our) best friends! While there we had some amazing pizza at Stumpy’s….you have to check it out if you’re ever in Phoenix. We also visited the Children’s Museum of Phoenix which is a must do if you have kids. It’s one of the bigger children’s museums we’ve been to and lots of fun! I seriously wish I could just go around the world traveling with my family and friends.

At the joint birthday party we threw for her and Max, a cousin gifted her with her first pet. She has been begging for one but we haven’t allowed her one so her cousin’s parent asked me if it’s ok to get her a fish. Luckily boyrobot loves fish so we allowed the gift. Here is Rega 1…isn’t she a beauty?

Yes she was Rega 1 because shortly thereafter she ended up dying. We ended up trying again and getting her a 2nd betta fish but that one also died. I think our house got too cold (or hot?) for it. We gave up after that :(

This year, Emma got really close to boyrobot. For a long time, I was probably her favorite….but because of Max and his neediness, she naturally drew closer to boyrobot. She’s also such a peacemaker and would always concede to her brother to make him happy. She is seriously the sweetest kid I know (I may be biased but I swear it’s true!). One day she is going to be a great mom, caretaker or just child advocate I think. She has such a nurturing soul at such a young age already!

Some pics from Emma graduating Kindergarten. I loved her teacher and her room mom. They made her first year in school so special and fun!

For the past several years, June is Emma’s recital time. This past year she performed in Beauty and the Beast as a “teacup”. I never get pictures of the actual recital since photography is not allowed but we have a DVD of her performance and she loves rewatching all of her old shows!

In July, my whole family came to visit to celebrate my grandfather turning 80! Emma absolutely loves other kids so she was so happy to get to hang out with her cousins that we only see maybe twice a year! We took them around to some of our favorite spots and then at the end of their trip we all headed to Las Vegas for 4th of July!

As you know, I started recently travel hacking so don’t be surprised when I tell you we got on another plane for another trip! This time we visited Oklahoma for my 20th year high school reunion! My parents still live there so we stayed with them. It was my first trip on a plane with the kids by myself and they were so good! I’m so happy they are natural travelers and love traveling just as much as I do. Most people think Oklahoma is so boring but there’s so much to do with young kids! We visited the aquarium (which was one of the coolest I’ve been to!), a children’s museum, and Woolaroc! We also made a pit stop at Pioneer Woman’s restaurant. (delish!). It was so fun attending my reunion too since most of my friends came back for it. I even got to meet one of my favorite bloggers (who married someone from my high school!).

Aside from vacations, we filled the kid’s summer with some summer camps and activities like gymnastics and swimming. I had won a week long camp session for Emma at Inside The Outdoors so she really enjoyed that! We also did a science camp that both her and Max were able to do together. There was also lots of beach time since everyone in my family loves the beach except for me lol.

Throughout this year, you will see Emma’s love and want for a pet continue to grow. She devises all different ways to bug boyrobot about getting a pet. Sometimes we visit Petsmart when they have adoptions on the weekend and she will literally stay there for hours just petting and looking at the cats! We also volunteered at our local pet shelter.

Right before school starts, Emma got to attend her first real sleepover with friends. Our dear friends Hoa and Mike hosted and of course Emma had a blast! I keep forgetting that it’s my turn to host the next one.

We also squeezed in another camping trip for my birthday over labor day weekend. We took the kids fishing for the first time!

Emma started 1st grade this past year and got Mrs. Bortz as her teacher. Her group of friends is always changing but I think if I were to name her closest friends in 1st grade they would be Lily, Annie, and Krystal.

This year is when Emma really started taking her extracurriculars seriously! Emma had her first recital in September. She did amazing and it actually kickstarted her love for piano. After this show, she started practicing daily without us even prompting her! She also joined the performing troupe at her ballet studio. This required a 2nd ballet class every week and much more rehearsals and shows. She also had to prepare for her end of year exam to pass her first level of ballet! Along with all of this, she decided to become a girl scout. This girl is so busy but she loves it!

A quick trip to Legoland with friends. Emma’s best friend is a girl named Katie who is our close friend’s daughter. We don’t get to see them as often as we would like but whenever we do the girls are like glue and get along so well!

For Halloween this year, Emma requested a Tinkerbell costume. I tried my best :)

And in November, Emma finally lost her first tooth! She had been waiting forever for that to happen so she was super excited. Luckily she is sentimental and wanted to keep her first tooth so I didn’t have to figure out how the tooth fairy was going to work.

We also made a quick trip to Disney this month thanks to our super awesome neighbors April and Mike who gift us with tickets every year. I really miss being an annual passholder!

For Christmas we did an epic road trip to the Grand Canyon….I will have to make a separate post for that as there are just too many pictures to share and this post is getting crazy long already lol.

In January we took a trip to Brianhead with friends.

This year she had her birthday party at the Turtle Rock Nature Center. It was such a unique space to have a birthday party and the kids (and parents!) enjoyed it very much. They let the kids make an art craft, go on a scavenger hunt and mini hike, and played games. It was so fun!

On her actual birthday, she had school, but I took the day off to spend with her. We took her to John’s Incredible Pizza where she told me it was her best birthday ever. I love how easy kids are to please at this age lol!

So happy to be the mom of this amazing, thoughtful, and sweet girl. She told me the other day she just enjoys talking to me. I love hearing about her day and I hope she is always willing to share it with me. I am really treasuring this time with her….it’s seriously so fun! She’s the best daughter I could ask for and I can’t wait to see what year 7 has in store for her! Happy birthday, Emma!

And here are her birthday questions for this year (with my comments in parentheses):

1. What is your favorite color? pink and turquoise
2. What is your favorite toy? iPad
3. What is your favorite fruit? oranges and lychees
4. What is your favorite tv show? World Of Dance
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? pad thai
6. What is your favorite outfit? my lightning pants
7. What is your favorite game? boys against girls freeze tag
8. What is your favorite snack? chocolate crepes
9. What is your favorite animal? dogs
10. What is your favorite song? What If I Shine by Barbie
11. What is your favorite book? Fox In Socks (it’s a tongue twister book that she loves showing off how fast she can read!)
12. Who is your best friend? Katie B. (3 years running now!)
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play All Around The World Red Light Green Light (I guess this is another game they play at recess at school)
15. What is your favorite drink? milkshakes
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Lambie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pad thai
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know (and that’s ok Emma!)