4th of July...Wilder was not a fan of the fireworks.Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Good times....
Check out www.warholweirdos.blogspot.com to see a blog I started but never finished~ it was *supposed* to be a chronicle of our life but then motherhood spun me in a different direction and thus...allurawarhol.blogspot.com was started and the rest is history:)
When 89 degrees feels "cool"~JULY 2011
Oy, what a summer. Our air conditioner is barely working and we have had a massive heat wave so being 8 months pregnant is simply a joy:)
I'm 32-ish weeks now and I can feel babygirl moving and grooving constantly. Sleep is elusive since I'm up to pee 40 times and getting out of bed makes me feel like an upside down beetle trying to get upright. Plus....its HOT. I mean, REALLY INSANELY HOT. Pathetically hot. Its been in the high 90's but still cooler outside than inside because at least out in the blazing sun there's often a much needed breeze. I'd like to offer a hearty "thank you" to the people of the industrial revolution for providing the technological advances that made air conditioning possible and accessible to the masses....and a big "screw you" to our own air conditioning unit that decided to crap out when we needed it most.
We got a 3D/4D ultrasound and a few pictures of babygirl's face- though she spent much of the session slightly hidden by the placenta and kept her arms up in front of her face like a boxer in a defensive position. If she's born knowing how to box then she will likely be able to hold her own with Lu & Wild:) The funniest thing is that there were a few times when the sonographer pointed out that she was licking the umbilical cord. I'm guessing she will love having a pacifier like the older kids did, since she seems to find comfort in moving her gorgeous pouty lips/mouth around:) She's got a lot of hair already and the sonographer says she is already long/tall-so perhaps I am growing a future super model? Or better yet...a physician-philanthropist-nuclear-physicist-super-model? :)
The good thing is that she's adorable! What a relief huh!?! :) Sometimes when I look at her moving on the DVD of the session I see Lulu and other times I see Wilder, so I'm guessing she will be a mix of both and that pretty much guarantees cuteness:) About 52 days left and I'm ready. I know that 9 hours after she is born I will miss being pregnant but for now I'm ready to hold her in my arms.
In the event that she isn't born by 41 weeks (a week post due date) my doctor is willing to look at inducing her. If we end up moving to Buffalo there would be about a 45 minute drive to the hospital and that is assuming we aren't trying to get there during rush hour (which would double the time). My doctor doesn't want me delivering on the side of the road so I'll have to think about if I want to induce or just wait it out and take the risk. I know each progressive child tends to come more quickly (shorter labor) so that could pose a challenge since we will have to establish REAL labor (which can take awhile) vs. false labor and then pack up the kids and get them somewhere or wait for someone to come to our place to care for them...and then head out on our trip to the hospital. I'm hoping I start labor in the evening so we can get the kids taken care of and to the hospital without the added stress of rush hour.
We are PRAYING that we get to close on the Buffalo house on August 18th. It will be a rad 5th Anniversary present if we do. It will be hell if it falls through for any reason since we will have about a month to 6 weeks at that point to find a new house, get an accepted offer and close. As of Nov. 12th we are not eligible for a mortgage because of my student loans coming due within a year so we have to be in a home by then or we don't move. The Buffalo house is perfect for us, the best we have seen in our price range BY FAR and we are really hoping it pans out. We have spent nearly the entire summer on negotiations and in dealing with this house (re-doing contractor bids 10+ times, dealing with deed issues, changing the structure of our mortgage, paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork...) and the ridiculously sucky selling bank (which happens to be Fannie Mae/government) so everything has been done in the slowest, most inefficient, stressful and unreliable way possible. All of this is totally aside from the MN government shut down which also caused a massive delay due to deed paperwork that was needed to be able to close on our last closing date which was July 22nd. We are really hoping that since the selling bank was willing to extend closing a third time, that it means they are serious and willing to figure out the deed issues in order to make this happen since there is still a huge chance they will decide to cancel the contract on us and start over looking for a cash buyer to avoid fixing the issues with the deed.
So we could use some prayers that the next few months work. They don't have to be easy or perfect, we just need them to *work*. Its going to be hard enough moving, unpacking, doing all the much needed projects to make the house tolerable and dealing with the hoards of contractors doing contstruction on the house so late in pregnancy, or even with a newborn...but having to start over fresh and FIND a new home and endure all the stress and waiting again at this point, with a newborn and a REALLY tight timeline might be more than I personally can take. I really hope this house becomes a reality!
Lu and Wild are awesome. Busy and awesome. We spend our days at the beach, the library, at various parks, the zoo, and in the back yard sprinkler...sometimes just making tents on the bunk bed and playing pirates or constructing cities of wooden blocks. I LOVE having two kids that are old enough to go places and (mostly) follow directions. I am trying to get us out as much as possible (when I have the energy) to get them out into the world since I'm guessing once babygirl is here we will need to hunker down a bit which might be fairly boring for them. Plus, when you live in a state that offers only 3 months of non-frigid, non-snowy, non-rainy weather a year you gotta make the best of it! I know we won't be quite as able to get out and explore next summer with the baby so we are making the most of this one. We have a lot of world to explore, lots of bugs to chase, lots of puddles to splash in, lots of slides to slide down..lots of learning to do:) Gotta keep moving until my energy level grounds us.
Both kids are looking forward to the baby and to starting school in the fall. Lulu is starting to sound out 3 and 4 letter words and I have no doubt she will be reading soon. I have both kids participating in a summer reading program sponsored by Mensa and so we have been reading amazing books that have stood the test of time, many from my childhood that I remember and loved and being able to learn about different topics and cultures. Wilder is potty training with the help of M&M's and super hero underwear, its going pretty well as long as I'm vigilant about reminding him. He hasn't quite learned to pick up on physiological signs that he has to go yet- so we are just trying to make a habit out of trying every 90 minutes or so. Each time he tries he gets an M&M and when he's successful he gets a sticker to put on his a chart that he can fill in and use as a ticket to Chuck E Cheese. Amazing that that place is such a huge draw to a kid that is terrified of the big mouse and who isn't old/big enough to play 99% of the games...but whatever works!
The best news of the summer so far: Wilder is eating salad! My previously anti-ANTI-vegetable guy is starting to come past his aversion of everything green. Its been such a pain in the tush to try to sneak veggies into him so I'm relieved that he is more willing to try things. He is at the point now where he pretty much eats his salads without need to be cooerced, though if I throw something new (like sliced radish) on it, we have to cheer for him and encourage him to take that first bite. Turns out no amount of cheering will convince him to try a brussel sprout (my fav) but we'll get there...baby steps:)
Both kids are happy, healthy and eager to meet their sister. Lulu is quick to remind me that she is going to share her toys with babygirl, and she makes fun plans for ways they can spend time together once babygirl "grows up" like her. Wilder kisses my belly often and likes to sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to her a few times a day.
Adam is well. Working long days as usual. Once babygirl is a few months old he is going to start applying at other places to see about getting back to a more family friendly 8 hour work day as opposed to his 10 hour plus commute and working late work days now. He's just going to wait until life stabilizes with the baby before looking elsewhere...one thing at a time:) He is really looking forward to his Father's Day present which he'll get to enjoy about 48 hours from now when we go see Night Ranger, Journey and Foreigner in concert. Its going to be a rocktastic ear-gasm-y night and a LONG overdue break from the kids for us. A nice way to remind ourselves that we are Jalen and Adam/husband and wife and not just mommy and daddy:) Were both looking forward to it, I mean, come on...who doesn't like Foreigner?!?!
Feeling pretty blessed these days...hot, sweaty and blessed:)
I'm 32-ish weeks now and I can feel babygirl moving and grooving constantly. Sleep is elusive since I'm up to pee 40 times and getting out of bed makes me feel like an upside down beetle trying to get upright. Plus....its HOT. I mean, REALLY INSANELY HOT. Pathetically hot. Its been in the high 90's but still cooler outside than inside because at least out in the blazing sun there's often a much needed breeze. I'd like to offer a hearty "thank you" to the people of the industrial revolution for providing the technological advances that made air conditioning possible and accessible to the masses....and a big "screw you" to our own air conditioning unit that decided to crap out when we needed it most.
We got a 3D/4D ultrasound and a few pictures of babygirl's face- though she spent much of the session slightly hidden by the placenta and kept her arms up in front of her face like a boxer in a defensive position. If she's born knowing how to box then she will likely be able to hold her own with Lu & Wild:) The funniest thing is that there were a few times when the sonographer pointed out that she was licking the umbilical cord. I'm guessing she will love having a pacifier like the older kids did, since she seems to find comfort in moving her gorgeous pouty lips/mouth around:) She's got a lot of hair already and the sonographer says she is already long/tall-so perhaps I am growing a future super model? Or better yet...a physician-philanthropist-nuclear-physicist-super-model? :)
The good thing is that she's adorable! What a relief huh!?! :) Sometimes when I look at her moving on the DVD of the session I see Lulu and other times I see Wilder, so I'm guessing she will be a mix of both and that pretty much guarantees cuteness:) About 52 days left and I'm ready. I know that 9 hours after she is born I will miss being pregnant but for now I'm ready to hold her in my arms.
In the event that she isn't born by 41 weeks (a week post due date) my doctor is willing to look at inducing her. If we end up moving to Buffalo there would be about a 45 minute drive to the hospital and that is assuming we aren't trying to get there during rush hour (which would double the time). My doctor doesn't want me delivering on the side of the road so I'll have to think about if I want to induce or just wait it out and take the risk. I know each progressive child tends to come more quickly (shorter labor) so that could pose a challenge since we will have to establish REAL labor (which can take awhile) vs. false labor and then pack up the kids and get them somewhere or wait for someone to come to our place to care for them...and then head out on our trip to the hospital. I'm hoping I start labor in the evening so we can get the kids taken care of and to the hospital without the added stress of rush hour.
We are PRAYING that we get to close on the Buffalo house on August 18th. It will be a rad 5th Anniversary present if we do. It will be hell if it falls through for any reason since we will have about a month to 6 weeks at that point to find a new house, get an accepted offer and close. As of Nov. 12th we are not eligible for a mortgage because of my student loans coming due within a year so we have to be in a home by then or we don't move. The Buffalo house is perfect for us, the best we have seen in our price range BY FAR and we are really hoping it pans out. We have spent nearly the entire summer on negotiations and in dealing with this house (re-doing contractor bids 10+ times, dealing with deed issues, changing the structure of our mortgage, paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork...) and the ridiculously sucky selling bank (which happens to be Fannie Mae/government) so everything has been done in the slowest, most inefficient, stressful and unreliable way possible. All of this is totally aside from the MN government shut down which also caused a massive delay due to deed paperwork that was needed to be able to close on our last closing date which was July 22nd. We are really hoping that since the selling bank was willing to extend closing a third time, that it means they are serious and willing to figure out the deed issues in order to make this happen since there is still a huge chance they will decide to cancel the contract on us and start over looking for a cash buyer to avoid fixing the issues with the deed.
So we could use some prayers that the next few months work. They don't have to be easy or perfect, we just need them to *work*. Its going to be hard enough moving, unpacking, doing all the much needed projects to make the house tolerable and dealing with the hoards of contractors doing contstruction on the house so late in pregnancy, or even with a newborn...but having to start over fresh and FIND a new home and endure all the stress and waiting again at this point, with a newborn and a REALLY tight timeline might be more than I personally can take. I really hope this house becomes a reality!
Lu and Wild are awesome. Busy and awesome. We spend our days at the beach, the library, at various parks, the zoo, and in the back yard sprinkler...sometimes just making tents on the bunk bed and playing pirates or constructing cities of wooden blocks. I LOVE having two kids that are old enough to go places and (mostly) follow directions. I am trying to get us out as much as possible (when I have the energy) to get them out into the world since I'm guessing once babygirl is here we will need to hunker down a bit which might be fairly boring for them. Plus, when you live in a state that offers only 3 months of non-frigid, non-snowy, non-rainy weather a year you gotta make the best of it! I know we won't be quite as able to get out and explore next summer with the baby so we are making the most of this one. We have a lot of world to explore, lots of bugs to chase, lots of puddles to splash in, lots of slides to slide down..lots of learning to do:) Gotta keep moving until my energy level grounds us.
Both kids are looking forward to the baby and to starting school in the fall. Lulu is starting to sound out 3 and 4 letter words and I have no doubt she will be reading soon. I have both kids participating in a summer reading program sponsored by Mensa and so we have been reading amazing books that have stood the test of time, many from my childhood that I remember and loved and being able to learn about different topics and cultures. Wilder is potty training with the help of M&M's and super hero underwear, its going pretty well as long as I'm vigilant about reminding him. He hasn't quite learned to pick up on physiological signs that he has to go yet- so we are just trying to make a habit out of trying every 90 minutes or so. Each time he tries he gets an M&M and when he's successful he gets a sticker to put on his a chart that he can fill in and use as a ticket to Chuck E Cheese. Amazing that that place is such a huge draw to a kid that is terrified of the big mouse and who isn't old/big enough to play 99% of the games...but whatever works!
The best news of the summer so far: Wilder is eating salad! My previously anti-ANTI-vegetable guy is starting to come past his aversion of everything green. Its been such a pain in the tush to try to sneak veggies into him so I'm relieved that he is more willing to try things. He is at the point now where he pretty much eats his salads without need to be cooerced, though if I throw something new (like sliced radish) on it, we have to cheer for him and encourage him to take that first bite. Turns out no amount of cheering will convince him to try a brussel sprout (my fav) but we'll get there...baby steps:)
Both kids are happy, healthy and eager to meet their sister. Lulu is quick to remind me that she is going to share her toys with babygirl, and she makes fun plans for ways they can spend time together once babygirl "grows up" like her. Wilder kisses my belly often and likes to sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to her a few times a day.
Adam is well. Working long days as usual. Once babygirl is a few months old he is going to start applying at other places to see about getting back to a more family friendly 8 hour work day as opposed to his 10 hour plus commute and working late work days now. He's just going to wait until life stabilizes with the baby before looking elsewhere...one thing at a time:) He is really looking forward to his Father's Day present which he'll get to enjoy about 48 hours from now when we go see Night Ranger, Journey and Foreigner in concert. Its going to be a rocktastic ear-gasm-y night and a LONG overdue break from the kids for us. A nice way to remind ourselves that we are Jalen and Adam/husband and wife and not just mommy and daddy:) Were both looking forward to it, I mean, come on...who doesn't like Foreigner?!?!
Feeling pretty blessed these days...hot, sweaty and blessed:)
My Adorable Wilder 7/26/2011
My Adorable Wilder,
You have grown SO much since the last time I wrote. You are TWO AND A HALF now! How did you manage to grow up so fast?!?
You are in the midst of potty training now and its going fairly well when I stay vigilent. You "get" what needs to be done but need to be reminded to go because your sweet little two year old mind doesn't remember to head to the bathroom quickly enough when you need to go.
Also, one of your most endearing qualities is your sweet vernacular. You speak REALLY well, huge vocabulary but one of your "quirks" is that you put "not-don't-want" together all the time. So if you don't want to go to bed you would say "I not don't want to go to bed!" and its hilarious! Everything is "not-don't-want":)
You seem to be coming past your aversion to veggies which makes me feel a HUGE relief! In the past you have refused to touch anything of a vegetable variety but you have been really decent about eating salads (as long as they are sopping with French dressing) so we are getting there:) How can a vegetarian child not love veggies? :)
So some big news my sweet boy...you are going to be a BIG BROTHER in two months! You are so excited to meet your little sister Penelope. You have spent the last two months sweetly talking to her and kissing my belly. I know you will be such a loving big brother, its just who you are. You are the sweetest and most affectionate kid I've ever known. I LOVE that each morning you wake up and come into my room and climb into bed next to me, curl into me and kiss me. It starts my day the best way possible. You are also one to tell me you love me ALL. THE. TIME. and it makes my heart sing with joy. Out of nowhere you will just offer "mom, I luff you" and it feeds my soul. I am blessed to hear you say those words 10-20 times a day and never do I take them for granted. I appreciate them each time you say them, and I love you too my dear, just as deeply.
We are going to be moving in the next month or so and you will get your own "big boy room" which I know you will be excited for. As much as you and Lulu adore each other it will be nice for you to have your own space. You tend to be more passive than she is and you often let her dictate things and you go along merrily with her, though in recent months you have grown up a bit and have started to push back at times. You are starting to stand up to her more and assert your own opinion and I know that's just part of you growing up and learning about who you are. So while I think at first having your own room might feel lonesome, overall I think it will help to reinforce you in becoming your own person. You are blessed to have an amazing an strong willed big sister and best friend, but in the past you have been so easy going that its been easy for you to lose yourself. You are growing up now, becoming your own man and its been wonderful to see your personality blossom.
You still love Toy Story and Yo Gaba Gabba, but Mickey Mouse and all superheros have also found a place in your heart. You and Lulu are quick to become Batman, Superman, Spiderman etc and play wonderfully creative games, saving each other from peril and doom...its so fun to watch. You guys also play house where you are sometimes the daddy and sometimes the baby. You love to pretend to be a puppy and you actually lick our faces...funny!
A few months ago I took you to ClubKid to be babysat since I had something going on with Lulu and the teacher there adored you. Everyone that meets you just adores you and sees you as the sweet and loving boy you are. You are so funny...if someone says your name is Wilder, you are quick to correct them "no, I Wilder Reagan!" and I have to laugh at how adorable you are. You are becoming this silly, sweet, smart little guy that I'm so proud of. Its funny, just a few weeks ago you started naming off colors and it shocked me that you even knew them since I hadn't really worked with you on them much-but you absorb the world even when I'm not aware of it and your constant ability to learn on your own is amazing to me. You start preschool in December, right after you turn three and I can't wait to see what's in store for you! I know you will LOVE school...you were always so sad when we dropped Lulu off at preschool and you kept saying you wanted to go to school too...so soon you will and I'm excited for you because I know you will just love it.
I love you so much, I can't even find eloquent or meaningful words that seem to "fit" or express how I feel enough. You are an awesome kid.
You have grown SO much since the last time I wrote. You are TWO AND A HALF now! How did you manage to grow up so fast?!?
You are in the midst of potty training now and its going fairly well when I stay vigilent. You "get" what needs to be done but need to be reminded to go because your sweet little two year old mind doesn't remember to head to the bathroom quickly enough when you need to go.
Also, one of your most endearing qualities is your sweet vernacular. You speak REALLY well, huge vocabulary but one of your "quirks" is that you put "not-don't-want" together all the time. So if you don't want to go to bed you would say "I not don't want to go to bed!" and its hilarious! Everything is "not-don't-want":)
You seem to be coming past your aversion to veggies which makes me feel a HUGE relief! In the past you have refused to touch anything of a vegetable variety but you have been really decent about eating salads (as long as they are sopping with French dressing) so we are getting there:) How can a vegetarian child not love veggies? :)
So some big news my sweet boy...you are going to be a BIG BROTHER in two months! You are so excited to meet your little sister Penelope. You have spent the last two months sweetly talking to her and kissing my belly. I know you will be such a loving big brother, its just who you are. You are the sweetest and most affectionate kid I've ever known. I LOVE that each morning you wake up and come into my room and climb into bed next to me, curl into me and kiss me. It starts my day the best way possible. You are also one to tell me you love me ALL. THE. TIME. and it makes my heart sing with joy. Out of nowhere you will just offer "mom, I luff you" and it feeds my soul. I am blessed to hear you say those words 10-20 times a day and never do I take them for granted. I appreciate them each time you say them, and I love you too my dear, just as deeply.
We are going to be moving in the next month or so and you will get your own "big boy room" which I know you will be excited for. As much as you and Lulu adore each other it will be nice for you to have your own space. You tend to be more passive than she is and you often let her dictate things and you go along merrily with her, though in recent months you have grown up a bit and have started to push back at times. You are starting to stand up to her more and assert your own opinion and I know that's just part of you growing up and learning about who you are. So while I think at first having your own room might feel lonesome, overall I think it will help to reinforce you in becoming your own person. You are blessed to have an amazing an strong willed big sister and best friend, but in the past you have been so easy going that its been easy for you to lose yourself. You are growing up now, becoming your own man and its been wonderful to see your personality blossom.
You still love Toy Story and Yo Gaba Gabba, but Mickey Mouse and all superheros have also found a place in your heart. You and Lulu are quick to become Batman, Superman, Spiderman etc and play wonderfully creative games, saving each other from peril and doom...its so fun to watch. You guys also play house where you are sometimes the daddy and sometimes the baby. You love to pretend to be a puppy and you actually lick our faces...funny!
A few months ago I took you to ClubKid to be babysat since I had something going on with Lulu and the teacher there adored you. Everyone that meets you just adores you and sees you as the sweet and loving boy you are. You are so funny...if someone says your name is Wilder, you are quick to correct them "no, I Wilder Reagan!" and I have to laugh at how adorable you are. You are becoming this silly, sweet, smart little guy that I'm so proud of. Its funny, just a few weeks ago you started naming off colors and it shocked me that you even knew them since I hadn't really worked with you on them much-but you absorb the world even when I'm not aware of it and your constant ability to learn on your own is amazing to me. You start preschool in December, right after you turn three and I can't wait to see what's in store for you! I know you will LOVE school...you were always so sad when we dropped Lulu off at preschool and you kept saying you wanted to go to school too...so soon you will and I'm excited for you because I know you will just love it.
I love you so much, I can't even find eloquent or meaningful words that seem to "fit" or express how I feel enough. You are an awesome kid.
My Precious Allura 7/26/2011
My dear sweet girl,
I'm sorry to have let this lapse for so long. You and Wilder have grown SO much since I last update, and life has been so busy. You are 4 years old now! Fully potty trained during the day and *mostly* at night. You are gorgeous and smart and a typical bossy first born:) Wilder is your best friend though at times you guys still bicker over toys and control of who gets to direct your creative playtime. And the best news?....you will have a baby sister in 52-ish days! You are such an amazing big sister to Wilder that I can't wait to see the bond you will surely have with Penelope.
You completed your first year of preschool in Mrs. Klatt's class at our Church (Holy Trinity, New Hope) and out of the 4 kids in your class you were the CLEAR shining star! Mrs Klatt was very complimentry of how smart and well spoken you are. Your best friend Aida was a constant companion at school and often a topic of conversation at home. You can write your name, you know almost all of your letters/numbers/colors/shapes and have even started to sound out short words so I'm sure you will be reading in no time.
You love to "take our orders" and play restaurant, you love to pretend you are Wild's mommy and play house and you two make the most endearing "kittens" and "puppies" ever. You have even started to be able to buckle yourself into your car seat by yourself. I'm amazed daily at how fast you are growing up an the things you say (though some things I can do without, such as your affinity for the word "vagina" to get attention~ugh!) but my love for you is so overwhelming that really, no matter how challenging your four-year-old-self can be at times I adore you.
Daddy and I are in the process of finding a new house to buy so its very likely that we will be moving to Buffalo in about a month if everything works to plan. This will be the first time you have lived in a new home and we plan to make the move as exciting and happy for you as possible since we know its a bit scary and stressful to leave the only home you've ever known. You ask sweet questions like "will we take the dogs/toys/this to the new house with us?" and I know that you are just trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together in your head to figure out what everything means. You are incredibly smart and intuitive like that.
We have spent much of the summer going to parks and beaches, its been fun having two kids that can walk and (for the most part) follow directions, so I can sit on the beach and you guys can splash in the shallow water and have a blast. Its been incredibly hot this summer so some days we have to stay in for safety and those days are more challenging since the heat doesn't reduce the amount of pent up energy you two have at these ages~ so its nice to get out and run it all off;)
We have so many changes coming up, with the new home and the baby, you'll start pre-k in the fall as well. I know you will be a superstar through it all!
I love you more than life itself. I hope I tell you that enough. I feel like I say it often but it doesn't seem like you always "hear" it. Maybe that's just life with a busy 4 year old whose brain is always occupied with figuring out what to play with and do next, but I really do adore you and I pray that you feel that deeply in your heart. It has been a challenging year at times, you seem to want to grow up faster than you can and sometimes you can be really hard to handle, but even when we "but-heads" nothing about my love for you never lessens or falters. If anything, it reinforces how similar we are and how strong-minded we both are and how thankful I am for you.
I love you.
I'm sorry to have let this lapse for so long. You and Wilder have grown SO much since I last update, and life has been so busy. You are 4 years old now! Fully potty trained during the day and *mostly* at night. You are gorgeous and smart and a typical bossy first born:) Wilder is your best friend though at times you guys still bicker over toys and control of who gets to direct your creative playtime. And the best news?....you will have a baby sister in 52-ish days! You are such an amazing big sister to Wilder that I can't wait to see the bond you will surely have with Penelope.
You completed your first year of preschool in Mrs. Klatt's class at our Church (Holy Trinity, New Hope) and out of the 4 kids in your class you were the CLEAR shining star! Mrs Klatt was very complimentry of how smart and well spoken you are. Your best friend Aida was a constant companion at school and often a topic of conversation at home. You can write your name, you know almost all of your letters/numbers/colors/shapes and have even started to sound out short words so I'm sure you will be reading in no time.
You love to "take our orders" and play restaurant, you love to pretend you are Wild's mommy and play house and you two make the most endearing "kittens" and "puppies" ever. You have even started to be able to buckle yourself into your car seat by yourself. I'm amazed daily at how fast you are growing up an the things you say (though some things I can do without, such as your affinity for the word "vagina" to get attention~ugh!) but my love for you is so overwhelming that really, no matter how challenging your four-year-old-self can be at times I adore you.
Daddy and I are in the process of finding a new house to buy so its very likely that we will be moving to Buffalo in about a month if everything works to plan. This will be the first time you have lived in a new home and we plan to make the move as exciting and happy for you as possible since we know its a bit scary and stressful to leave the only home you've ever known. You ask sweet questions like "will we take the dogs/toys/this to the new house with us?" and I know that you are just trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together in your head to figure out what everything means. You are incredibly smart and intuitive like that.
We have spent much of the summer going to parks and beaches, its been fun having two kids that can walk and (for the most part) follow directions, so I can sit on the beach and you guys can splash in the shallow water and have a blast. Its been incredibly hot this summer so some days we have to stay in for safety and those days are more challenging since the heat doesn't reduce the amount of pent up energy you two have at these ages~ so its nice to get out and run it all off;)
We have so many changes coming up, with the new home and the baby, you'll start pre-k in the fall as well. I know you will be a superstar through it all!
I love you more than life itself. I hope I tell you that enough. I feel like I say it often but it doesn't seem like you always "hear" it. Maybe that's just life with a busy 4 year old whose brain is always occupied with figuring out what to play with and do next, but I really do adore you and I pray that you feel that deeply in your heart. It has been a challenging year at times, you seem to want to grow up faster than you can and sometimes you can be really hard to handle, but even when we "but-heads" nothing about my love for you never lessens or falters. If anything, it reinforces how similar we are and how strong-minded we both are and how thankful I am for you.
I love you.
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