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

we've almost lost the whole summer!

look at that- not even one single post since the beginning of june. lots of stuff has happened since then.

some things have changed.

we moved. changed houses and cities and churches. that's the biggest one! back to fort smith.

grandma and papa got a kitten.

your cousins troy and lincoln are no longer like imaginary cousins; you actually got to meet them!

some things have stayed the same.

you still are afraid of fireworks, but not much else. and not goats, anymore.

you still talk about your friend abby constantly.

you still really look a whole lot like your cousin becky.

and, of course, you are growing and changing so fast we can't keep up. there's no denying that you're growing up. we look at pictures of you lately and say, "wow. she looks so old."

you've learned and done a lot over the summer, like going to brookfield zoo, and learning to spit watermelon seeds and picking tomatoes.

also, you're my big helper. everything for you, you have to do yourself. and everything for others, you have to help with. you're an excellent pudding maker.

i'm afraid that you're going to be terribly sad in a couple days, when sam goes back to school. you sure do love him a lot. and he loves you too. and so does daddy, and so do i.

love, mom

you are our little daredevil!

You often surprise us with your bravery. Like when we go to Disney World, and you want to ride every single ride, including the roller coasters. And when you jump off the diving board into Uncle Pat's pool. Sam said, and I think he's right, that you like to do things that scare you. I'm super proud of you for tackling your fears at such a young age. And also a little worried about the heart attacks you're going to induce in us throughout your life.

These pictures are from your first time jumping off of a diving board. At first you wanted me to hold you while i jumped. Then you wanted me to stay under the diving board and hold your hand. Then you wanted me or Amber to catch you. Then you just kept jumping, going to the ladder, getting out, and jumping again. You jumped probably 20-30 times. Sometimes you'd count; sometimes you'd sing "Living on a Prayer," and then jump. And after you got dried off, you sat by the pool and watched some big guys jump off and do all kinds of flips and crazy stunts. You'd yell, "That was AWESOME!!" I wonder how long it'll be before you're trying stuff like that....

I love you!

love, mom

you were quiet again...

for a few minutes you were off being quiet, and then you came out with one fingernail painted and a guilty look on your face. actually, you did a pretty good job. and you hadn't polished the rest of the bathroom, which i'd kind of expected.

you definitely have a mischievous streak. believe it or not, i was accused of that as a child too....

i love you, mischief and all.

love, mom

Happy Easter!

Just for fun, i tried to get a picture of you and sam like the one of you and him from 3 years ago. you both look so much different now!

We had a fun day at church today, learning about Jesus and finding eggs, and then coming home and finding eggs again.

Last night when we painted eggs, you had fun for a little while but quickly got bored. You didn't appreciate daddy polka-dotting your belly. You sure do appreciate chocolate, though.

Love, mom

You are growing up at an astounding rate.

today, you and i went to help daddy at his work. daddy showed you how to write your name on the dry erase board, and this is your handiwork.

you've always been really good at drawing what others draw, but it's really amazing to see your own name, written with your own little hands. i don't think the letters and their sounds and meanings really make much sense to you, but they will really really soon. that's so exciting, but also alarming. it seems like you're growing up so fast! but let's hold off on the college applications for a little while.

i love you!

love, mom