Happy Birthday, Boo!

Dear Boo,

Happy Fourth birthday! Unlike last year, when you couldn't have cared less about your birthday (so long as you had a cupcake "wiff frost"), this year you’ve been counting down “na-night rests” until today. I sometimes wish the na-night rests would slow down for a minute, because time seems to be speeding by faster than I’d wish. Since you are four today, I thought I'd share four high lites from this past year:

1.) Likes/Dislikes

Your favorites include: skittles, milk, fruit snacks, “toast n’ eggies, n’ milk n’ cheeros” (your “usual” breakfast choice), hot dogs and broccoli. You like to play kitchen, princesses, cram-as-many-tiny-things-into-a container-as-possible, and any other game that Dad invents. You are independent and choose your own clothes, brush your own teeth (eat toothpaste), get your own drinks, and snacks (as evidenced by once finding you on the couch surrounded by FIVE cheese stick wrappers). You like to watch Sesame Street & Disney Princess movies. But, we get a nice balance by your recent fascination with airplanes and “helicocters”. You can hear the engine sound when none of the rest of us can, and you must quickly look in the sky or out the window to find them, then let the entire house both see and acknowledge them as well. This happens no less than seven times a day. "Wow! It's amazing! Another airplane!" If we are in the car, it bothers you that you can’t “hear” them. Favorite story books lately are Poppleton, The Cat in the Hat, and Disney Princess stories.

You dislike most meat, with exception of hamburger or hot dogs (does that count as a meat?), and most fruits except apples and raisins. Other dislikes include:
Water spilled on your clothes (must strip and change immediately)
When your ZeeZee needs a bath (that drying cycle seems eternal)
When your hair gets washed (“I’ll get soap in my eyes!”)
Your hair being wet (must be dried with the hairdryer, like Mom’s)
Sun in your eyes (oh, life is so difficult)
Other people besides you singing in the house or along with a movie (“No, quiet! Don’t sing!”)

2.) Potty Time

We finally checked potty training off the list. You go, girl! I never thought the day would come, but it did, and afterwards I felt silly for worrying so much about it. True to form, you did it when you were good and ready, and one day you just didn’t need those Disney Princess pull-ups anymore. Now you don't even need five pairs of underwear anymore! You’ve been 99% since then, only having an accident when you were dog tired and didn't wake up to go. I think the real motivation finally came through a few picture books The Prince and the Potty, The Princess and the Potty, and The Potty Book for Girls. We still read those every once in a while, and they give us both a good laugh.

3.) Big Primary

You’re also off and running in “the big primary” now and in Sunbeams. You adore your teacher, Sister Vance, and she is wonderful. She’s always got a fun and inexpensive craft for you kids to take home that has to do with the lesson, and the other day I heard you “teaching” a lesson to your Yaks. “Okay, now it’s time for the lesson. Who can tell me about this picture of Jesus? Jesus went to the store…” and it went downhill from there. You love singing time the best, and your favorite songs are “I am a Child of God”, “You’ve Had a Birthday”, “I Love to See the Temple”. A few weeks ago we had an unplanned Friday night, and we asked you where you wanted to go. "To the temple," you said. How do we say no to that? We walked around the temple grounds and you said you wanted to have your birthday party inside. Yaks thought that inside the big doors is where they kept the toys!

4.) Worry Wart

There have been some worries in your life lately. At first it was ants eating you. These worries escalated into nightmares of ants in your bed. Those have now subsided, but we’ve apparently got some visitors (Crankey and The Lady), who hang out in your closet. You worry and protest before you try anything new, but most of the time, once you’ve tried (or been forced) to do it, you love it! It’s nice you worry about the people you love, too. You worry about Daddy getting hit by a car on his bike or not knowing where to go potty at church. You worry when your brother is sad, and although I may have told him "no" that he can’t have something, you’ll say, “It’s okay, Mom. He can just have it!” You worry if people cry at the pulpit at church and will loudly ask, “What’s wrong with that lady?” We’re working on talking calmly and not whining, inviting and not bossing (physically dragging) your brother to do things with you, and being patient. A common occurrence is that you kids will be playing something together. Yaks will lose interest and move on to something else, which will set you to crying, “Mom, I need a friend downstairs!” Apparently, I don’t count as a friend when you say this, but that's okay. You know who your friend is when it's time for stories, lunch or a band-aid. :)

School has started up again, and we're excited to start a little school time here at home and work on writing, drawing and other projects. I think you'll enjoy school once that time comes, but I'm glad we've got you around for a couple more years. We love having you at home! Your little giggle and smiles make our home such a fun and happy place, and I don't know where Yaks would be without his sister. I've never once heard you say that you are bored or can't think of something to do. You love life and have such an enthusiasm for everything you do. I hope you stay that way for "lots of na-night rests" to come. Happy birthday, Boo. We love you!