Well, you did it! You finally just decided to put aside your fears and take the plunge….literally!

For the past 4+ years you have rarely been in the swimming pool without a life jacket. And the few times that you have, it was with much hesitation and fear on your part.

We signed you up for swim lessons a couple of weeks ago. You screamed and cried the ENTIRE first class….which, we actually expected. What we didn’t expect was for you to embrace…and even enjoy(?)…the 2^nd and 3^rd classes?!

So Sunday morning we decided to take a family dip in the pool. Much to our surprise, you wanted to try and swim without your life jacket. Well, before we could even try and figure out what had changed, you were swimming from the steps to your dad (at the middle of the pool) and back again! And each time you came up for air you wanted to do it again! We kept looking at each other asking “who is this kid?!”. 🙂

Once you figured out you could do it and got a little bit of confidence under your belt, you didn’t want to stop! It was AWESOME! So, we are officially calling you a swimmer….and we couldn’t be more proud of you!

In the meantime, it was all we could do to keep your brother from drowning himself! He has no fear and insisted on just walking off the steps and into the abyss. Our experiences with him have really taught us just how much we should appreciate your cautious and guarded behaviors. He is all boy as evidenced by the fact that he is into everything and requires at least one dedicated parent at all times. 🙂

You are getting super tall – your dresses are all shorter on you now – and you are maturing so much! You can recognize all letters and are learning how to write them in uppercase. Daddy went on a business trip a couple of weeks ago so we snuck a card into his suitcase….and you had written all 6 letters of your name on it by yourself!

Speaking of travel…you & I went on a girl’s trip to Wichita Falls last weekend…it was to surprise Luli at her retirement party. The ladies she worked with coordinated the outing and daddy graciously agreed to stay home with Brady and the dogs so we could go. It was SO SUPER FUN! She couldn’t believe we were there and even started crying when she saw you. You had a ton of sugar (cake, cookies, ice cream) and were wound up…but you were still on your best behavior!

It was also our first time to sleep in the same bed. I was looking so forward to that treat – until we laid in the bed. You were tossing and turning and having a very hard time winding down. I slept very lightly once we did fall asleep so I was exhausted when you woke us up….at 6:00am!!! 🙂

You are such a special person…with so many amazing qualities. You bring happiness and joy to our lives each and every day. It’s so fun and exciting to watch you learn and grow! And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you being my little helper! From putting away silverware, to feeding the dogs, to watching Brady….you are always willing to be my second set of eyes and ears. I couldn’t do it without you!

You are officially a self titled “Boat Girl”!  One of Brad’s work friends invited us to go out on his sailboat Friday night and watch the fireworks display over Lake Grapevine.  We got a sitter for Brady and headed out.  You were very shy at first because you’d never been on a boat and did not know Rob and Kelly.  It was very humid and pretty hot at first but once we got out on the water and started feeling the breeze it was awesome!

You started breaking out of your shell and had a blast going up and down the stairs into the galley.  After a while Daddy asked if you wanted to crawl up to the front of the boat and sit up there.  I thought for sure you’d say no as the climb to the front was a bit intimidating.  But much to my pleasant surprise, you were excited to give it a shot!  And so you did….and you LOVED it!  Even when the waves came and rocked the boat pretty good – you threw your hands up and said “Wheeeee!”.  At one point we all 3 ended up sitting up there…it was super fun.

We finally convinced you to go back to the seats in the back of the boat but you kept asking when you could go back up to the front?!  Of course, your dad agreed and took you back up there.  Once the fire works started you decided to perch up on one of the back suspended seats.  You were a bit intimidated by the loud booms but really seemed to enjoy the show.  It was such a special treat to get to go out on the boat, and watch the fireworks, and hang out with new friends.  What fun!

Afterwards, Rob and Kelly could not stop talking about what a well mannered, mature, sweet, and fun young lady you are!  They said you were one of the most well behaved children they’ve ever been around!  What a compliment…to all of us!  🙂

We followed that up with a pool party at our house the next day.  We had some friends over and you got to play, and swim, and eat hot dogs, and jump in the pool, and hand out with your friends.  Brady loves the water too so we all had a super great time.  What a super amazingly fun weekend we had!

Speaking of fun weekends – a couple of weeks ago we went to Tyler, TX for a 3 day vacation.  We went to an indoor water park 2 days in a row and even visited the zoo.  You loved all the different animals….but weren’t too fond of the smell of some of them. You even went into the bird habitat with daddy!  Though you were a bit intimidated, you did great!

We celebrated your 4th birthday last month at Urban Air – an indoor trampoline park.  Grandma Karen flew down to celebrate with us and even Brady got in on the fun.  He was crawling around the kiddie area like he owned the place!  We got you a new shopping cart for your birthday!  You had a cheapo plastic one that you would take shopping every weekend….the wheels were about to fly off that thing.  So we splurged and got you are miniature version of the ones the stores use…it’s heavy-duty metal and everything!  YOU LOVE IT!  And you get a ton of comments on it every time we go shopping…both from parents and other kids alike.

You are a total girly girl!  You LOVE to wear skirts and dresses and can’t get enough of all things girly – jewelry, fun shoes, flowers, rainbows, hearts, hair stuff, etc.  I often just watch you…just observe you.  I find myself in awe…in awe of what a beautiful person you are on the inside and out.  You’re kind, loving, gentle, smart, sweet, funny, caring, and simply put – just pretty AMAZING!  We can’t fathom one single day of our lives without you and we count our many blessings each and every day.

For quite some time now, I have been telling you at random that “I thank God for you every day”.  It’s just another way to let you know how special you are to me and just how very much I love you.  Well, the other day out of nowhere you said Mom…which you say a lot :-), and when I said yes honey you said it to me – “I thank God for you every day”.  It was probably the most precious moment I’ve shared with you since you were born.  It simply melted my heart.

You only have one more year before you head off to Pre-school….that is so hard for me to fathom.  It’s equally as hard to believe just how stinkin’ smart you are!  You know all your months of the year, all the colors of the rainbow, you can count to 100 by tens, you know all 5 senses, and you know all your colors in Spanish!  You’re one smart cookie and you make us proud each and every day!

You are one of the kindest and most caring people we know.  You love animals and people and are such a gentle and loving soul.

Some might call it bossy, but we like to think you are just headstrong and know what you want.  You are quick to tell us, and others, what you want them to do in any given situation.  For example: sing/don’t sing, point/don’t point, sit up/lay down, stop/go, etc.  You are super inquisitive and just can’t seem to get enough information to fill your smart little head.

You are still a super star big sister.  You help me sooooo much when it comes to watching Brady and making sure he is staying out of trouble – like when he has something in his mouth he shouldn’t, or he is about to go somewhere he shouldn’t.  You still love to play with him but have a super bad habit of always taking from him the toy he is playing with.  He is holding his own though – and you might be in BIG trouble a couple of years from now when he’s bigger than you and can really fight back.

You have become quite adventurous thanks to your father.  He has taken you on many “adventures” around our neighborhood:  thorough the forest, over the waterfall, through the brush, and on top of the hills.  You’ve even taken a liking to bug catching and bugs in general – who would have thought!?  You are a big fan of the outdoors and even love eating outside on the patio.

It’s been WAY too long since mommy or daddy posted an update to your blog.  To say life has been a bit hectic is an understatement…

You have matured so much in the past couple of months.  You are learning opposites like near/far, big/small, etc.  You can count to 40 unassisted.  You have taken an interest in road signs, especially speed limit signs, and can even decipher the numbers – 35, 45, etc.  We have started introducing you to the God and the Bible.  Luli lets you play Bible games on her iPad and mommy & daddy read your “My First Bible” book to you.  We also attended a kid friendly church service with Grandpa and Abby – there was lots of singing and lessons and you really seemed to enjoy it!

Speaking of singing, you love, love, love music!  Your first ever favorite song was Carley Rae Jepson’s “Call Me”, but you have since moved onto Pink’s “Try”.  You call it “our song”!  🙂  You not only enjoy the music & singing along (especially the chorus), but you listen very intently to every word.  So far, that song has taught you the meaning of deceiving and ruined.  You also pick up on the emotions – you always want to know why she sounds sad at the end of the song.  Oh, and you recognize different instruments – pointing out the piano and even making note of the background singers – asking if I can “hear her girlfriends singing”.  It’s pretty impressive and makes me wonder how big a role music will play in your life.

You are still smitten with your brother and show him some token of love and affection on a daily basis.  You are one of the few, even maybe the only, people who can make him belly laugh!  Even without trying you will do things that just tickle his funny bone.  He loves to watch you and learn from you – I hope that the two of you will always enjoy the special bond you share.  We always joke that we are “living in the house of crazy” because things just seem to always be hectic…but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

You are an awesome eater!  You love cottage cheese, raw green beans, cucumbers, edamame, mushrooms, salad, olives, and even pesto!  Like your mom, you tend to shy away from meats a bit.  Although you will tear up a talapia fish stick and like the occasional hot dog.  You are great about trying new things – always with the understanding you can spit it out if you don’t like it.  Hopefully you will continue to be an adventurous eater!

It is so very difficult to fathom how it can possibly be time to start thinking about school for you!  But, the time has come.  Our school district offers an awesome Pre-K program at a few of the public schools.  It is a paid program and children are chosen for attendance based on a lottery system.  I am hoping all the times we’ve been unlucky before was just because we were saving up our luck for this one drawing!  🙂

The program would mean you would no longer be in daycare.  Instead, you would spend your day at the public elementary school in a class of 20 children – all your age.  There are 2 teachers to the class and you get to go to the library, the computer lab, field trips, and all kinds of fun things!  It’s an amazing pre-cursor to Kindergarten and provides a wonderful opportunity to ease the stress of the transition from daycare to public school.

Your father and I have already toured one of the schools that offers the program and we are scheduled to tour another one in a couple of weeks.  And yes, I’ll admit it – I started to cry in the middle of the Pre-K room right in front of the teacher during our tour!  I am just having trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that it’s been almost 4 amazingly awesome years since we brought you into this world!  You’ve already turned into such a kind, loving, considerate, passionate, beautiful young girl.  We thank God everyday for all of our blessings.

Well, we got you all dolled up in your pretty holiday dress and talked all the way to the mall about how excited we were to see Santa.  Even in the line you were ready to tell him that you wanted a bike.  Then it was our turn…and the outcome was the same as in year’s past….your cried…A LOT.  But you are a strong little girl…you can squirm with the best of them.  Last year, Santa kept commenting on how strong you were (you were 2) and this year he kept yelling “HURRY UP!” at the picture taker.  We ended up discussing the fact that you never got to tell Santa what you wanted for Xmas!  So we got back in line…and did it all over again!  It was an improvement – there were no visible tears but you were in no way, shape, or form enjoying yourself!  But mommy & daddy were happy because we got a picture of you and Brady together with Santa…and we were able to let him know you wanted a bike for Christmas!  Success!

Luli and Papaw came in town this weekend for an early Christmas – since Luli has to work on the holiday.  Friday night we went to Interlochen and looked at Xmas lights, we had a delicious and fun turkey dinner Saturday night, and this morning we woke up early and headed to Rainforest Cafe for breakfast with Santa!  You were a bit intimidated by all the moving (fake) animals at first…but you did a great job of being brave and ended up really enjoying the experience.

We had a buffet breakfast and then got to go take pictures with Santa…and guess what?!?!?!  You didn’t cry!!!  Afterwards, we continued our annual Build-a-Bear tradition.  You got an Elephant (Ollie) and Brady got a Giraffe (George).  Elephants are daddy’s favorite animal!  Luli and Papaw even got you a super cute elephant cup to match Ollie!  We had a wonderful time and they were so glad to have shared the experience with us.

You have a new hobby – collecting acorns for mom & dad!

It was so cute…about 2 weeks ago you proudly presented me with 3 acorns when I picked you up from school.  I am guessing you found them on the playground during recess.  My hands were full, and I was not quite sure what to do with them, so I put them in my pocket.  As I was tucking you into bed that night you asked me where the acorns were.  I was sure glad you did because they were still in my pants pocket, in the dirty clothes, awaiting their imminent trip to the washing machine.  I promptly took them out and put them on top of the bathroom vanity.

The next morning one of the first things you asked me was the whereabouts of said acorns!  You don’t forget a thing.  I proudly grabbed them from the vanity and showed them to you…thinking that would be the end of that.  Boy was I wrong.  You proceeded to instruct me to take them to work so I could show the acorns to all my friends.  Ha!

I began to wonder when I would be able, if ever, to part with these acorns.  Thinking quickly….like I seldom do….I told you that my friends may be sad that they don’t have any acorns and asked if it would be okay if I shared my acorns with them.  The immediate response was No!  Mommy those are your acorns!

Needless to say…those 3 acorns are still on my bathroom vanity….wondering what their final destination will be…and when they might get there.

Not to worry though – knowing those 3 are safe and sound, you’ve now begun collecting acorns for daddy!  I am sure glad he’s not going to miss out on all the fun. Ha!  We love you monkey!

You love music, dancing, and singing!  Your current favorite song is Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call me Maybe”…it’s an upbeat number with fun lyrics!  You are also big into the Christmas music right now.  Anytime we get in the car you ask for it to be turned on!

Like me, you love to make up songs and will often time just bust out singing for no apparent reason.  You will often ask me to sing about something random…the fan, the dresser, the trees, the lights.  I of course, willingly oblige by making up silly lyrics to a funny tune.  Though the lyrics are not altered, one of my personal favorites is the rap version of Row, Row, Row Your Boat, that I came up with.  It never fails to get a giggle out of you!  We have so much fun singing together!

We just celebrated an amazing Thanksgiving weekend.  Grandma Karen flew down from Iowa and spent the week with us.  We went to Tim and Sherrie’s for Thanksgiving day and you had a ton of fun playing with all the other kids.  We even took the bounce house and the brand new Wii U.  Everyone had a great time and it was a blessing to be surrounded with so much love on such a special day.

We also got to join Colton, Jordan, and Emerson at the Allen Event Center for Disney on Ice!  You wore your Princess dress – you were Rapunzel from Tangled, and had a blast.  It was a little loud in parts but your favorite parts of the show were Rapunzel and Tinkerbell!