My 4 Year Old Andie

My beautiful daughter...
You've been 4 for several months now. I write about you often, and these notes are shared in the books I make you for each year, but more often then I write about you, I am thinking about you. You are such a special girl. It's amazing to witness all of your growth and change. You're smart, strong, and you love the people in your life fiercely.
You are such a good big sister to Nolan. You two play a lot - usually making messes in all areas of the house. It amazes me how well you use your imagination. Your favorite things to play with (although you love pretty much everything) are your dolls, princesses, books, purses, and anything outdoors. You are obsessed with dresses - and you change your outfit several times a day, usually switching between princess dresses and the ones from your drawers. I have given up on keep your drawers clean because you love to dig through them and find the perfect outfits. I also don't mind you wearing your princess dresses in public. I love seeing you prance proudly around in them and know this stage will all be a memory much quicker than I would like.
You love your blankets that Gramz had made for you and you sleep with them every night. You still chew on them, although daddy and I are trying to break the habit a little bit because they get pretty smelly.
On June 29th, your cousin, Sadie, was born and you were so thrilled to meet her. You absolutely fell in love and you talk about her all the time. You have also become very interested in other babies, which is good because I am currently pregnant with another baby for you to love on.
It's been a big year for our little family. Besides growing another baby to love, we are building a home and daddy and I want it to be the best it can be for you and our family. We want it to be a place you love, feel comfortable in, and can grow with out limits in. I have really enjoyed designing a bedroom (with some of your opinions, too) for you and I can't wait to unveil that to you in a couple short months when we move in.
This week, you start your second year of preschool (pre-K). I can't believe you'll be going 3 days a week. I know you are ready for it. You love reading, other kids, and being in a school setting. But I have been relishing in the days where we can wake up and have the flexibility to do whatever we want, even if it means I am still in my pjs mid-day. I love 4-year-old you and it stings a little with each passing day to know you're no longer a baby. You are really thriving.
Some of my favorite things I want to remember from right now:
-Reading to you at night. You usually pick out 3 or 4 of the same books and you have them memorized. With out fail, you say to me "when you stop reading, let me read" - which means you want me to make pauses so you can read pages, sentences, or paragraphs.
-You love to sing and dance. Whenever you watch a movie with a dancing or singing part (your favorites) you get up and dance like them. I love watching you with our couch cushion (aka: the Beast) slow dancing at the end of Beauty & The Beast.
-You love to sleep with me and when daddy goes to work, I always let you in. You immediately fall asleep and seeing you slowly wake up in the morning is one of my favorites. You are such a beautiful girl and I love to study your face while you sleep.
-You are a risk taker. We took the boat out with pops the other day and I was so pleasantly surprised that you were willing to try wake boarding - twice! You fell, but got up again, and it made me so proud. I hope you always have the same fearless spirit in life. You really are capable of anything, you just have to keep trying.
- You are playing soccer right now and daddy is your head coach. This is the first year of recreational soccer, and I am excited to see you blossom. No matter what sports or activities you decide to do, we support you and love watching you.
-You love to touch and feel my belly and you talk to the baby all the time. You tell them you love them, kiss it, and ask me about how it's growing. You also think everyone may have a baby in their belly now, so I have to be careful who you ask!
-We took our first mommy/daughter date to dinner and then to see the Music Circus in Sacramento (Gramz & Shelley went too). You enjoyed Beauty and The Beast and you did a great job sitting through it. You loved watching the characters and have asked me a few times since if we can go again.
-You were a flower girl for the first time in Casey & AnnMarie's wedding. It was so much fun for you to be a part of something so special and I loved getting to see you get your nails done for the first time (even though you picked it all off on the drive home), get your hair done, and wear that white dress as you pranced down the aisle. You really enjoyed it and it was so much fun for daddy and I to watch you. It was an honor - especially because you love Annie so much and she was so sweet to you.
-Not only do you love dresses, you also love swim suits. I had a big bin of them in Nolan's room and you two would often come out wearing them, even if they were old and much too small for you. You two pretend to be going to the beach and wear them often.
You are wearing 4and5T clothes and size 9 shoes. You are definitely not small for your age, but you're perfect. You are a great eater and love fruit - you request it for every meal.
For your 4th Birthday, we celebrated in the morning with some special decorations and a few gifts from daddy and I. The week before the big day, we went to Disneyland with Gramz & Pops, Nana, Uncle Joe, Auntie Juju, Stella, and Caroline. A few of daddy's long time friends from Southern California met up with us as well. You loved getting to do the Bippity Boppity Boutique again, this time with Stella. You two were adorable prancing around Disneyland together. You picked Jasmine. The day after your Birthday, we took off for a family trip in Maui. Gramz & Pops were there, too, along with their friends Shelley and Curt. It was so much fun to see you enjoy the ocean and pool. You loved the water slides and although you need to be very closely supervised, you did a great job with swimming.
I still can't believe you are 4 years old. You are such a bright, beautiful girl. It is truly my life's biggest blessing to see you change, grow, develop and bloom. You are so unbelievably special to me and I truly only want the very best for you in life. It is my biggest hope that you never doubt how loved you are, that you always try your best, and never second guess your own potential. Be confident. Be kind. We are here to support you in anyway we can! You make us proud.
I love you so much, Andie Jean. You are one of my favorite people on the whole planet. May you always feel my love.
Mommy