guess who is FOUR YEARS old?

Four years ago we started this little blog so that family and friends who lived far away could see pictures and hear tidbits about our latest project, baby Ava Elliot. I can't believe that four years have zoomed by, or that this little girl blowing out the candles on her My Little Pony cupcakes is the same baby they handed me in that Ohio hospital who changed my life forever. Since then, our family has grown (and grown). We have moved twice and both changed jobs. Our lives are in full swing, and this birthday thing is another reminder of how fast she is growing up. Someday she will look back on the little blog and be able to read the story of her life from our point of view. This year:

• She is still a little old soul. Intense and fully absorbed in whatever she is into. This year we have added some silliness to the intensity. Knock-knock jokes are a regular.
• She still loves bugs and knows the names of more than I do.
• She loves anything animal and her favorite game to play is some kind of pretend animal story which is usually very detailed and must be followed exactly as outlined.... "You be the Mama polar bear and I'm the baby polar bear and Olivia is the cub. This crawl space under my bed is our ice cave and you need to climb under here to protect your cubs. Here, this stuffed animal is a fish. Now, rip the head off the fish and eat it, and then feed the pieces to your baby bear cubs. Now, paw at the sea lion that is climbing into our ice cave. Oh no, your polar bear cub is escaping, better catch her."
• Her favorite show is Word Girl, and this includes listening to the CD in the car OVER and OVER and OVER while she tries to memorize the theme song (which is incredibly fast and difficult).
• She loves most vegetables, including salads and will ask for them regularly.
• She is a great big sister (most of the time) and I love to watch her try to teach Olivia how to say a certain word or how to play a game with her. She is also smart about this, and uses it to her advantage to get what she wants at times.
• She is a good mix of confidence and reservation in public. We used to worry about the reservation, only because we wanted her to feel confident enough to stick up for herself and be able to have a conversation with people without being so painfully shy. Those days are over. Whether it is just getting older, or going to school, or having younger sisters to compete with... she has emerged from her shell. I love to see her feel comfortable talking with people without looking down at the ground and then clinging to me waiting for me to answer for her.
• In our household she is BOSSY, in a very matter-of-fact-I'm-four-and-I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-so-you-should-listen-way! We are working on balancing this out... not easy since she comes by it naturally I'm told. :-)
• She loves being outside.
• She loves her cat Oliver.
• She has an incredibly high pain tolerance and never cries when hurt.
• She HATES having her hair washed or brushed.
• She is really a very sweet, sensitive, and intuitive little creature, although I don't think you get this from her until you are in her inner circle.
• She is not a hugger, or a lovey-dovey-er. She doesn't really like fawning and doesn't always answer when you say "I love you". But, when she does... you know she means it. One of my favorite times of day is the early morning when she crawls into bed with us and says, "Mama, I need to snuggle." I always just wrap my arms around her and breath her in. Happy Birthday little lady. We love you!