I Have A 4 Year Old, Time To Celebrate!

The night before Kate's Birthday, I decorated her room. Nothing too fancy, just crepe paper, a sign, and balloons. James woke up first and I heard him say, "So many letters!! And colors! Blue and Purple! And BALLOONS!!" He quickly woke up Kate, and she was almost as impressed with the decorations as he was. 

For weeks, Kate has been planning a zoo trip for her birthday. We brought along her friend Blake. When Blake's dad dropped him off, Blake gave Kate a bouquet of flowers. She was thrilled and insisted on bringing them to the zoo.

Our very first stop to at the zoo was the gift shop. Kate has been asking to get something at the gift shop for months, and I have been promising her that she could pick something out on her birthday. She picked a toy elephant and lollipops for everyone. She also later picked cotton candy. It was the first time my kids have tried it. James said, "EW! It's yucky. I'm not eating it."  Kate said it was yummy, but only ate a couple of bites with a grimace on her face. My weird kids. We sent the rest home with Blake because he was the only one who appreciated it.

We rode the Merry-Go-Round and the train. This was my favorite picture from the train.

After a well earned nap, Kate was surprised by the UPS man delivering presents. The packing peanuts were undoubtedly her favorite part.

Daddy was coming home early, but it was still a VERY long wait for Kate. She kept peeking out the window asking when he would get home.

We went to Red Robbin, as requested by the birthday girl. She picked it so that she could be sung to.

After dinner we went home and had a blue Mary Poppins cake. When I asked Kate a couple days before what kind of Kate she wanted, I said, "I'm not sure I know how to make a Mary Poppins cake," to which she replied, "Just look on Pinterest. You'll find something." The girl knows me too well. Surprisingly, cake came from my own imagination, not Pinterest.

After cake, we had presents. Or was it before? I can't remember. James was patient for the most part, but did feel a little jaded. He ended up opening one while I was helping Kate in the bathroom. Oh well.

I asked Kate the same birthday questions I asked her last year. These were her answers this year.

1. What is your favorite color? Blue.

2. What is your favorite toy? My horse.

3. What is your favorite fruit? Cantaloupe.

4. What is your favorite tv show? Thomas.

5. What is your favorite movie? Tangled.

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Dresses.

7. What is your favorite animal? Elephants.

8. What is your favorite song? Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird.

9. What is your favorite book? Mary Poppins.

10. Who is your best friend? Logan.

11. What is your favorite snack? Teddy Grahams.

12. What is your favorite drink? Juice.

13. What is your favorite breakfast? Chocolate Chex.

14. What is your favorite lunch? Cheese crackers.

15. What is your favorite dinner? Noodles.

16. What is your favorite game? Candy Land

17. What is your favorite thing to play outside? Bike

18. What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

19. What do you sleep with at night? My toy elephant that I’m going to get at the zoo today.

 20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Zookeeper. 

Some things are different, some are the same. 

A few other facts about my 4 year old: 

1. She loves her brother. LOVES. They are best pals. They are constantly telling each other, "You're the nicest boy in the whole world." "You're the nicest girl in the whole world." They fight, of course, like cats and dogs, but always end up loving each other in the end.

2. She loves babies. She gets so excited when we babysit a younger kid because she loves to help take care of them. Sometimes she loves them a little too much, picking them up and giving them hugs, but it's all with good intentions.

3. She is good at trying new foods. It's usually only a couple of bites, but she will usually at least try something new.

4. She is constantly trying to analyze the world. At the zoo, she saw a sign with a cheetah (at least I think it was a cheetah) chasing a baby rhino. She asked me what it said. I told her that it said that cheetahs try to catch baby rhinos to eat them but they're mommys or daddys try to chase the cheetahs away so that they are safe. She quietly nodded. A few minutes later she looked at me and said, "Mom, how do the cheetahs get out of their cage to come over here?" I hadn't thought to explain this was something that happens in the wild, not the zoo. I love how she quietly thinks through things.

5. She is very helpful around the house. She likes to vacuum, unload the dishwasher, and load the wash machine and dryer. She also likes to wipe down everything, the bathroom mirrors, the table, and the car.

6. She loves reading books. ALL the time.

7. She is a wonderful girl and I am so happy she came into our life 4 lovely years ago.