Fourth Birthday Eve!
Happy Birthday Eve, my love!
I kissed my three year old daughter tonight for the last time. Tomorrow, you'll be four. Every one of your birthdays is a reminder of how quickly time goes. I once heard someone saying that parenting means the days are long and the years are short... I don't think I could find a truer statement. I'm not sure why but I am really struggling with you turning four. Maybe because you're spending the night with your MiMi tonight, maybe because you start preschool this year, but I really think it's because I have so sincerely enjoyed you at three.
Your third year was so much fun, my girl. So many people comment on how beautiful you are, and they are right. Those big, beautiful brown eyes get you just about anything you want from that daddy of yours. But when they say that, I want to respond with, "You have no idea." Yes, baby girl, you are beautiful. But for so many reasons beyond that sweet face of yours. You're beautiful because of the way you love your little brother. I was so worried about how things would be when we brought Max home but you are the BEST big sister. You actually have big plans to marry Maxwell someday and it melts me every time you mention it. You're beautiful when you're focused in on your art projects, eyebrows furrowed and completely oblivious to what's going on around you. We redid a corner of your room and turned it into an art station for your birthday present this year and you have already spent hours at that desk (yes, we surprised you early because I'm so bad at waiting to give you gifts!).
Your kind, generous spirit makes you beautiful. You get so excited to make gifts for others, or give them clothes you've outgrown or toys you don't play with anymore. You love taking care of your baby dolls and stuffed animals. Sometimes when I check on you in the middle of the night, it's hard to see you in the midst of all the babies and stuffed animals sleeping on your bed with you because you could never let them go without a comfy bed, too.
I wanted to make sure to include some of my favorite memories with three year old you.
1. You found a Victoria's Secret magazine on our table and decided that would be your Halloween costume (spoiler alert: it won't be).
2. We've started making you clean your room and there are times when you will go sit in there for hours and instead of clean, just play with all of the toys spread all over your room. I don't know what drives me more crazy, you not cleaning or the fact your dad loves when you do this because MiMi told Dad about how I used to do the exact same thing.
3. You started gymnastics this year and love it! Oh bug, it was so hard to watch you those first couple of times when you were so shy. Gymnastics is the first thing you've done that really pushed you (and me) out of your comfort zone. I've been so lucky to be with you every day those first couple of years, and that you go to MiMi's for daycare and Grandma's house for fun that you've never really been put in something totally new. It was hard for me to not be in control of the situation. But we did it, my love. Even if gymnastics is just something you do for a little bit, it will always hold a special place in my heart because this is where I first saw you conquer your fears and I had never been so proud of you!
4. Watching you get so excited to meet Max might be one of my all-time favorite parenting experiences so far, and I'm so glad Katie caught it on camera. Seeing you step into the role of big sister better than I could have ever imagined has been magical, Isabella Michelle.
5. You've learned to write your name and all the letters of the alphabet. They are splattered all over the random pieces of paper you leave around our house and I'm quite positive if we were to come back to this house fifty years from this day, we'd still find some of these papers I'm talking about!
6. The Bella pose. You, my girl, have officially perfected the hip pop as a three year old and love to strike this pose whenever someone takes a picture of you. I really think it terrifies your dad.
7. You are no longer my barbie doll, willing to wear whatever I put on you. You prefer to pick out your own clothes now and have recently decided to make fashion statements wearing leg warmers on your arms, headbands on your legs (which look like garters and freak me out!), and mom-clips in your hair. And speaking of clothing, you've mastered taking your shirt off by yourself which was a HUGE deal to you. It's so fun seeing you beam with pride.
8. Finally - year three is when we started jamming in my car to good music. You can pick up lyrics to songs like nobody's business and when you request songs by Milky Chance and The Chainsmokers, I swear I almost tear up with joy.
Oh my sweet girl, the world is a brighter, messier, happier, better place with you in it and I can't wait to make a million memories with you as a four year old.
All my love,
Momma
I kissed my three year old daughter tonight for the last time. Tomorrow, you'll be four. Every one of your birthdays is a reminder of how quickly time goes. I once heard someone saying that parenting means the days are long and the years are short... I don't think I could find a truer statement. I'm not sure why but I am really struggling with you turning four. Maybe because you're spending the night with your MiMi tonight, maybe because you start preschool this year, but I really think it's because I have so sincerely enjoyed you at three.
Your third year was so much fun, my girl. So many people comment on how beautiful you are, and they are right. Those big, beautiful brown eyes get you just about anything you want from that daddy of yours. But when they say that, I want to respond with, "You have no idea." Yes, baby girl, you are beautiful. But for so many reasons beyond that sweet face of yours. You're beautiful because of the way you love your little brother. I was so worried about how things would be when we brought Max home but you are the BEST big sister. You actually have big plans to marry Maxwell someday and it melts me every time you mention it. You're beautiful when you're focused in on your art projects, eyebrows furrowed and completely oblivious to what's going on around you. We redid a corner of your room and turned it into an art station for your birthday present this year and you have already spent hours at that desk (yes, we surprised you early because I'm so bad at waiting to give you gifts!).
Your kind, generous spirit makes you beautiful. You get so excited to make gifts for others, or give them clothes you've outgrown or toys you don't play with anymore. You love taking care of your baby dolls and stuffed animals. Sometimes when I check on you in the middle of the night, it's hard to see you in the midst of all the babies and stuffed animals sleeping on your bed with you because you could never let them go without a comfy bed, too.
I wanted to make sure to include some of my favorite memories with three year old you.
1. You found a Victoria's Secret magazine on our table and decided that would be your Halloween costume (spoiler alert: it won't be).
2. We've started making you clean your room and there are times when you will go sit in there for hours and instead of clean, just play with all of the toys spread all over your room. I don't know what drives me more crazy, you not cleaning or the fact your dad loves when you do this because MiMi told Dad about how I used to do the exact same thing.
3. You started gymnastics this year and love it! Oh bug, it was so hard to watch you those first couple of times when you were so shy. Gymnastics is the first thing you've done that really pushed you (and me) out of your comfort zone. I've been so lucky to be with you every day those first couple of years, and that you go to MiMi's for daycare and Grandma's house for fun that you've never really been put in something totally new. It was hard for me to not be in control of the situation. But we did it, my love. Even if gymnastics is just something you do for a little bit, it will always hold a special place in my heart because this is where I first saw you conquer your fears and I had never been so proud of you!
4. Watching you get so excited to meet Max might be one of my all-time favorite parenting experiences so far, and I'm so glad Katie caught it on camera. Seeing you step into the role of big sister better than I could have ever imagined has been magical, Isabella Michelle.
5. You've learned to write your name and all the letters of the alphabet. They are splattered all over the random pieces of paper you leave around our house and I'm quite positive if we were to come back to this house fifty years from this day, we'd still find some of these papers I'm talking about!
6. The Bella pose. You, my girl, have officially perfected the hip pop as a three year old and love to strike this pose whenever someone takes a picture of you. I really think it terrifies your dad.
7. You are no longer my barbie doll, willing to wear whatever I put on you. You prefer to pick out your own clothes now and have recently decided to make fashion statements wearing leg warmers on your arms, headbands on your legs (which look like garters and freak me out!), and mom-clips in your hair. And speaking of clothing, you've mastered taking your shirt off by yourself which was a HUGE deal to you. It's so fun seeing you beam with pride.
8. Finally - year three is when we started jamming in my car to good music. You can pick up lyrics to songs like nobody's business and when you request songs by Milky Chance and The Chainsmokers, I swear I almost tear up with joy.
Oh my sweet girl, the world is a brighter, messier, happier, better place with you in it and I can't wait to make a million memories with you as a four year old.
All my love,
Momma
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