Emma: 4.5 Years

Today marks your "half birthday"...and you know,

half birthdays are pretty important to little girls (and boys:).

Thanks to Pinterest, you got a "half birthday cake", which you were very excited about. We sang Happy-Half-Birthday to You, and your daddy declared us all crazy:).

Here's what you're up to at 4 1/2 years old...

(in no particular order)

• You weigh 44lbs. and are 44 inches tall!
• You are a big helper when you want to be.
• You usually help with chores after school in preparation for the next day (taking dirty clothes to the hamper, getting things to replenish Luke's diaper bag, laying out clothes for the next day, etc.).
• You also pick up the toys...oftentimes this consists of cleaning up the living room, your room, and Luke's room, which you are not keen on. You have no problem telling me that you didn't drag out all that stuff and you don't want to clean it up. Luke will help clean up, but only if he sees you or me doing it first. I have to remind you that one day he will be older and you can make him clean your room. ;)
• You are very good at playing and sharing with Luke 95% of the time...I'm very blessed in that department. However, you love to drag him around also. He's starting to "fight back" when he's not interested, and I have to get onto you for bothering him and onto him for hitting at you.
• You also play by yourself very well. You love to play outside...in the playhouse, on the swingset, riding the Gator, picking flowers, picking up sticks, playing t-ball, etc. Your favorite things to do inside are play "baby dolls", "school", and "dress-up" (complete with makeup and accessories;).
• You are so strong-willed it is often scary. If you set your mind to something there is no changing it...no matter what it is.
• You still pitch fits, but you are getting better...4s have definitely been better to us than 3s:).
• You are understanding consequences better now, and although you still do things you shouldn't (and always will, because you are human), you realize immediately there is a consequence to every action.
• You don't like to be in trouble (again, that fact doesn't always stop you from misbehaving, but I see you thinking things through more often than you did at 3.5). Mrs. Elizabeth started using the "stoplight" method for behavior. If you stay on green, you get a prize from the treasure box...if you move to yellow or red, you don't...and other consequences are put in place by me. You DO NOT like to move off green. You know that as soon as I walk in the door in the afternoon I'm going to look to see where your clothespin is. If it's not on green you usually go and hide somewhere...although you're very honest most of the time and tell me exactly what you've done. It breaks my heart to know that you say and do mean things sometimes, but I also know that's part of growing up. The days on green FAR outnumber the days on yellow or red (you've been on red two or three times and yellow probably five or six times). Shortly after the stoplight showed up at daycare and you moved to yellow, you sat in the floor crying one morning. You said you did not want to go to daycare, because you didn't like the stoplight. You told me that Mrs. Elizabeth needed to throw the stoplight away because you did not like moving off green. At that time your solution was to just throw it away, now you realize it's here to stay and you make a more conscience effort to stay on green.
• You know how to manipulate situations to your benefit. For instance, if you don't want to go to bed you offer to organize all the toys or clean out your books or straighten up your drawers (you get the drift...all things that make Mama happy, but at a time that is inappropriate). On occasion you will tell me, "if you don't let me do "such and such" I'll cry." Of course, these are usually times when we are in a crowd of people and a scene would be quite embarrassing. I try not to give into these ploys, but sometimes survival mode kicks in and I do.
• You are also kind hearted, you love the Lord, and you love praise. I have figured out that is the best way to deal with you...find the good and focus on it. Each morning on the way to school we pray (eyes open;). I also remind you that I'm praying for you throughout the day, and this really does help.
• You love church, and some Wednesdays I am so tired that I (shamefully) talk myself out of going. However, when I pick you up from daycare and you cheerfully ask, "is it church day today?," I change my tune and we go...and I'm always glad we did. On Sundays you go to Sunday School, Children's Church, and Mission Friends...and you have learned so much!
• You are the smartest girl I know...really. You know all of your letters sounds and colors, you can recognize/draw/write your shapes and numbers, you can read and write your name and Luke's name, you can write anything if we spell it to you (and you ask us often how to spell things), you can add and subtract using manipulatives and/or pictures, you can count to 100 by ones, fives, and tens, you are learning sight words and you recognize them when we're reading books, your vocabulary and comprehension are amazing, you can make predictions and draw conclusions.
• You are a puzzle queen, having recently taken on 100 piece puzzles. We keep one on your desk and you work on it when you feel like it.
• You have been going to Mrs. Elizabeth's since you were a little under a year old, and I give her most of the credit for your learning. Since you miss the cutoff for Kindergarten, you won't start until next year. There are actually four of you who will start the same year. I'm not an advocate of preschool (I don't think it's bad, but I don't think it's necessary either as long as children are being exposed to literacy, socialization, and experiences). Therefore, we have decided not to enroll you in a K-4 program next year. You will stay with your friends at Mrs. Elizabeth's until you start school next fall. Daddy and I feel this is the best choice for you and us at this time.
• You have always been a great eater, and that hasn't changed. I'm so thankful that you are willing to try new things.
• You are a good sleeper once you get to sleep. Bedtime is 8PM, but a few months ago you started crying and whining to stay up later. Of course, if you don't get enough rest you are super ill in the mornings. So usually we start bedtime around 7PM to ensure that you are asleep by 8PM. Some nights this works perfectly, and some nights it is 9PM and you're still awake.
• You have started sleeping a little later in the mornings (7AM-ish), which is good and bad. Good on the days we can sleep in, bad on the days we have to go to school and you're whining because you don't want to get up at 6:15AM.
• You still take naps, and although you can go without a nap if needed, you are a much happier girl when you are well rested.
• You have turned bath time into shower time! Recently you have decided that you can bathe all by yourself. You also decided that you would rather take showers, which we allow most of the time. Surprisingly, they result in less water on the floor.
• You like to pick out your own clothes (much to my dismay), but I have found that mornings are much better when I relinquish control and let you pick out, within reason, your attire for the day. You are currently in a "tank top phase", and you want to wear one under everything. You also love to wear sweatpants or "comfy" pants (and they must be long enough to go down over your shoes). You know, though, that you have to wear good clothes when we go somewhere other than daycare, and you must wear a big bow. ;)
• You are a daddy's girl...hands down! You love to go wherever he goes, and you have him wrapped around your finger.
• You are in your second year of dance and tumbling, and you have just started your first year of t-ball. I will be interested to see how it works out, but if you love it and want to play again next year I'm thinking we may have to cut out either dance or tumbling. I don't want you (or me) to be spread too thin.
• You inspire me, Emma Catherine. Your strong-willed nature is frustrating for me a lot of times, but I know that it, paired with your brains, beauty, and heart the size of Texas, is going to get you through many tough curves in the road of life. You can do whatever you set your mind to, and I can't wait to see what your future holds.
• “So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” -- Dr. Seuss
• Happy "Half" Birthday to the baby who changed everything...:)