Four Years Old!

Happy Birthday Maddy!

I can't believe you are four years old. This year you lost all the last traces of your baby-ness. You are 100% kid now and so much fun to be around. Everything is an adventure to you, from helping your dad fix stuff around the house to sitting in the car for sixteen hours when we drive to Kentucky. I love your easygoing attitude and your crazy curiosity about everything around you.



The biggest change in your life last year was that you became a school kid, snow days, permission slips and all. I'm happy to say that you LOVE school. And your teachers love you too. I'm amazed at all the things you're learning. You've become an amazingly verbal kid and you love to talk about everything with anybody who will listen. There are no secrets in our house anymore!


One interesting thing about your going to school is that you have this whole other life now that your dad and I don't know anything about. Though we do get a glimpse of your school life now and then when you bring home photos of yourself wearing silly hats, holding ironic signs.


You're also becoming quite an artist. You love to sketch, and lately we can even tell what you're trying to draw. Just promise us you won't decide to become an architect, ok?


It's so much fun to see you develop your imagination. You're always wanting to make a train or a boat and head off on journeys to far off places. With this never-ending winter, we've been stuck in the house since Christmas and yet we've been to Africa a dozen times.


Being outside is still one of your favorite places to be, though you're less about the swing these days and more about running, hopping and playing ball.


But your number one favorite place to be, without a doubt, is on a boat. You spent some time on a houseboat this summer and you will never be the same. You took to the lake just liked I had hoped you would and you still ask to see our vacation photos every other day.


This Christmas was our most fun one yet. You were a bundle of Christmas energy for more than a month! You loved to wear your Santa hat everywhere and no one who saw you could suppress a smile.


There is one thing I'm very nervous about. Pretty much anytime now you could become a big sister and life around here is going to be pretty chaotic for a while. We've tried to keep you involved in the process of getting ready for the new baby and I KNOW you'll be a great big sister once all the dust settles. Just bear with us, please?


Unfortunately, I know how I handled my first baby sibling so I am fully prepared for the karma that is about to come my way. Still, we're very excited to start this new chapter in our family's life with you.



Happy Birthday Maddy! We can't wait to see what the next year holds for us!