Happy Birthday!

                   

The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five     ~ Jim Trelease


Another year has flown by. We've decided the time goes by so quickly in all those moments when we're making memories; when we're laughing, being silly, snuggling, reading, enjoying the outdoors. All of those moments make up the months that have made up this amazing 4th year.

You've become a great little helper around the house. You gather the trash from the bathrooms and bedrooms and you're quite the little table setter, too. Sometimes you "help" in other ways, too; like when you spray water on the windows and clean with your hands.

You've mastered zipping and buttoning. You've gotten lots of practice at buttoning when you change your pajamas once or more during the night. Oh, the night. You don't always like going to bed and usually wake up in the middle of the night. We wondered if we'd ever get a full night's sleep. You insist that we put on the door knob safety lock and close the door "tighter and tighter" so Cleo doesn't go in to your room. We've explained that she can't turn the doorknob, but... In the last week or two of being 3 you've started getting much better about going to bed and staying in bed, all night long. We hope that continues!! You also like to say you're so exhausted (that's really what you say) but then deny that you're ready for a nap or bed.

You've really blossomed in music class. It's our favorite 45 minutes of the week. You love to sing the songs in the car, at home, where ever. You actually had all of us singing one of your favorites at Thanksgiving dinner. Your favorite instrument during free play time is the triangle right now. I wonder if you'll gather up the nerve to be the first to get one of the coveted drums. The other kids are usually a little quicker, a little more willing to get in there and grab it, but that's not your style. And that's ok.

You learned to ride your trike this year. That was quite the process, but in the end, we wonder if you didn't have it figured out all along and it just took the right trike for you to get it all together. Either way, you're quite the speed racer up and down the sidewalk as your little legs get stronger and stronger.

You loved watching the Olympics and still say you're Missy Franklin and you're 19 years old (even though the real Missy isn't) while doing the "backstroke" in the bathtub.

You've become a bit of a backseat driver lately. Any acceleration or deceleration elicits a comment from behind. It's usually something to the effect of, "woah, slow down there, mama."

You've become a true, blue Broncos fan. You adore Brandon Stokley and actually wanted to vote for him when we were deciding on a president.

You "found" a new friend this year, as well. Camry came on the scene a few months ago. He's an imaginary friend and he always seemed to be sick. You would call him on the phone to check on him. Lately he seems to have recovered, as you don't mention him being sick as often. Sometimes he's pushing you on your trike or riding with you on the swing, or just generally near where ever you are, doing whatever you're doing. We're so glad you have such a fantastic imagination. You also do this funny thing where you hold your hand out, palm facing the person you're talking to, and show them your "iPod". You pretend your palm is the screen and you show us a movie, a picture, what Camry is doing, a whole host of things. And no, you don't really have an iPod or any other electronic devices. But you have found the computer and really know your way around. You can open up a browser and go to the website you want. It probably helps that pbskids and abcmouse start out just like they sound. But we're pretty impressed with your ability to have figured out how to use the trackpad and click. You're growing up in such a different world.

You tried roller skating (which you still aren't completely sure about) and ice skating (which you love). You went camping and are already asking when we can go back and do it again. We assure you that this time of year is not the time to be going and we'll be waiting until summer.

You've really honed your knock-knock joke skills. It used to just be:
"Knock-knock."
"Who's there?"
HAHAHAA.
Now you've at least got:
"Knock-knock."
"Who's there? "
"Who."
"Who, who?"
"You sound like an owl!!"
 HAHAHAA.
This is part of the bedtime routine. You tell that joke to whomever puts you to bed as we close your door on our way out. And it's usually daddy who gets that honor.

He's been the one putting you to bed most of the time this year. We read a story together and then one of us takes you to your room, reads another story, says prayers and puts you to bed. We used to switch off every other night, but at some point you decided it was daddy's turn every night. There was a while where you went back to switching it up, but lately you've gone back to wanting daddy most nights. You really are daddy's girl. You look forward to him coming home from work every day.

You love spending time with your cousins and like to go on "adventures" with Sissy. That might just be going to the library or sometimes some place extra fun. A lot of the time it involves an ice cream cone. You also like playing with The Fellas. They are your best friends. It's been fun to see how you have really started playing together as you've all gotten older. You like to give them kisses on the cheek and they like to rub them off.

You love going to the zoo and the park. You'd go to both everyday if you could. You like feeding the giraffes and the budgie buddies and you like seeing the penguins and the baby gorilla.

You can make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You sometimes take out a couple of eggs and a pan, ready to make some for yourself, apparently. Thankfully the controls are too far out of your reach for you to turn on the burner, otherwise we'd have a problem. But we have found cracked eggs, sometimes in the pan, sometimes not. The kitchen may be a little bit of a mess afterwards, but we're so glad you're self-sufficient.

You are such a sweet, thoughtful little girl. You're very witty and say and do some really funny, crazy things. You still love to be held and cuddled. This time every year is bittersweet. We're so proud of how far you've come, what a special little girl you are, and are excited for all of the new, fun things to come.

Happy Birthday, Eva Grace. We truly hope you enjoy being four!! We love you