You are so big and brave.

I am consistently impressed by your adventurous spirit and fearlessness. You are not scared of anything, not even people. And that is a quality that I admire in you and wish I possessed myself.

Earlier this week, Mr. Paul called me into his office at the church and told me that someone wanted to bless us. Some sweet angel who must have known how much you long to go to school had offered to pay for you to go to First United Methodist Preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and, needless to say, you were thrilled.

We went to visit your school on Wednesday. The other kids were already seated for their snack and doing some kind of snacktime song and clapping that you didn't know. Nobody told you what to do, so you observed for a few seconds, then you went and sat down at an empty seat. The director looked at me with her eyebrows raised, and she told me later that not many kids would jump in like that.

I wasn't surprised, though. You are my brave girl, after all. I hope that I can learn that from you.

Anyway, you going to preschool now means that we won't be doing our little preschool at home anymore. That makes me a little sad, because I had really come to enjoy learning with you about rainbows and the sun and letters and Bible stories. We can still do that, just not Monday and Wednesday and Friday mornings. I'm so happy for you to be in a place where you will really thrive! I keep hearing what a great school it is, you already even have a friend there, and everything has fallen into place in such a way that I am certain this is a gift from God.

Here are some pictures of you from this morning, your first day of school. I love you, sweet big girl. I am proud to be your mother!
Love, mom

You are the most prettiest.

I gave up hope of trying to fill in all the spaces between the last entry and this one. I think that's what has kept me from writing for so long- the daunting idea that I'd have to catch up. Maybe some day. But my hope at this point is to start with today and post more frequently from now on.

You're four.

You're tall. 42.5," to be exact. no more "tall shoes" for you to wear in order to be able to ride splash mountain this year :) you're shaped exactly opposite of me, which means, in short, that you're shaped like a girl. you've got a booty and hips. i think it might be a little easier for you to find pants when you grow up, than it is for me. that's a plus!

You're funny. you come up with some new zinger every day, and you're certainly not afraid to speak your mind. you get more articulate every day.

You're tough. today at the doctor's office, the nurse gagged you several times with the big giant q-tip, but you kept opening wide and saying "AAAAAAAAAGH!" you impressed me with your cooperative attitude with the people there. and you didn't even cry when you got a shot.

Today on the way to get sam, you said "i'm most prettiest than all the other girls." and I said, "oh really? what makes you say that?" and you, very matter of factly, responded, "because i have long brown hair. it can do anything. piggy tails. ponytails. braids." you're a little bit obsessed with your hair. maybe because you get lots of compliments on it. but you refuse to let me even trim it, because you said you want to look like rapunzel. that might take a while!

I love to see who you're growing up to be!
love, mom