Four

Dear Taylor,

You are four years old! I am starting to understand what all parents mean when they say time flies. Four seems so old to me. You are no longer a baby or a toddler. You are a little girl with a BIG personality. You say things on daily basis that both amaze me and horrify me.

At age four, you are smart. Scary smart. I have learned to be very careful with what I say around you because you will not let me forget anything. You like to take things I say to you and turn them around. If I say, "Taylor, if you don't brush your teeth then I can't read you a bedtime story, " you will say, in turn, "Mommy, I will not brush my teeth unless you promise to read me a bedtime story." We negotiate ALL DAY long. We have had some awful fights. It amazes me that you, my little 31-pound four-year old, can reduce me to tears. I am forced to remind you on a regular basis that I am the mommy; I get to make the rules. This does not go over well with you. You LOVE to boss me (and your family) around.

You are a great sister to your little brothers. It warms my heart on a daily basis to watch you and Matty interact. When you want, you are incredibly sweet and nurturing. Matthew looks up to you so much and loves to mimic you. Some times, you enjoy exercising power and take advantage of your impressionable little bro. Mommy does not like refereeing and prefers that you and Matty stay friends. As a result, you guys have gotten away with jumping on beds and running through the house while screaming just because I am happy to see you getting along. I am very grateful when you help me with Brayden. Most often, you enjoy helping me by getting a burp cloth, a diaper, or a paci for your baby brother. I don't know what I do without you, my little errand runner.

During parent/teacher conferences at your preschool, your teacher described you as a leader. To hear that you possess this characteristic at such a young age is great. I want nothing more than for you to stand up for what you believe in and direct your own path in life rather than follow in someone else's footsteps. Of course, there is a fine line between being a leader and being bossy. I pray you become/remain the former, not the latter.

You are getting better and better with your letters. You spell your name very well. You are constantly asking me how to spell words, and you love to write in your notebooks. In fact, you have notebooks all over the house. I am constantly picking up notebooks and slivers of paper with your letters printed on them. Many times you will write combinations of letters and then ask me what you've spelled (the answer? Nothing!).

You are extremely conversational. I cannot get you to be quiet! From the minute you wake up in the morning until I finally convince you to close your eyes at night, you talk my ear off. You love to ask questions, tell stories, make up stories, ask more questions, make up new languages, sing songs taht make no sense, and gab gab gab.

You are also very imaginative. For about a year now, you've been talking about your "sisters." You tell me that you have 18 sisters, and they are teeny tiny people. Most times that you play by yourself, you are playing with your sisters. A few days ago, you made up a Cinderella game that was absolutely painful to play. You, of course, were Cinderella, and I had to be the mean step-mother. Every other character in the game was make-believe. Basically, you bossed me around for several hours while we built up to your wedding to Prince Charming. I ran out of steam before the wedding ever occurred and "paused" the game. You also enjoy playing Mommy/Baby: You pretend you are the Mommy and I get to be the Baby. I've also overheard you playing this game with some of your friends. I know all the imaginative play is very common for little girls your age. It is pretty fun to listen to your mind working and wonder how in the world you come up with such bizarre stories.

Your stuff is everywhere. Every.Where. You love to pack purses, little suitcases, backpacks, and gift bags with random junk and carry them from one room to another. I am constantly picking up after you. I'll open a princess purse, for example, and find chap stick, a My Little Pony, a ribbon, rocks, a flashcard, stickers, a marker, shards of paper, and other little goodies. I'm sure this sounds cute, but there are days when you move so much junk around that I am overwhelmed by the "stuff" covering our house. Just when I've about had it, I'll find something that makes me smile instead of fume (like a piece of paper with "Ali" written on it and stuffed in my shoe).

As I mentioned earlier, you weigh 31 pounds. You are still a peanut. You are a decent eater - you love fruit, dairy, and some veggies (broccoli), but I'd say your favorite food group is salt. You could eat pretzels, fish crackers, saltines, or French fries all day, every day.

My least favorite time of the day with you is bedtime. You are incredibly difficult to put to bed. No matter how many boundaries we set, no matter how often we repeat the same bedtime routine, you always find a way to challenge your daddy and me. Whether you decide you need to put your babies to bed, or beg for "just one more book," or ask us to clip your nails, or request that we put lotion on your bottom (???), or ask for ice cubes in your sippy cup because your water is "soggy," you are absolutely exhausting. Your daddy and I have had many, many conversations about the difficult bedtime routine. Many nights you whine, cry, or scream when we say goodnight and leave your room. We hate ending the day with you this way. I have to tell myself on a nightly basis that "self-soothing is a life skill." I hope by the time you are five-years old (hopefully 4.1 years), these nightly struggles are a thing of the past.

My most favorite time of the day with you is right after your quiet-time in the afternoon. Typically, you finish your quiet time while your brothers are still napping. During this time, I can tell how much your cherish one-on-one time with me. You will talk my ear off, snuggle on the couch with me and watch a show, and give me unsolicited kisses and hugs. Sometimes you'll even compliment me on my outfit, jewelry, or hair. I love it when we can be girly together. You also love it when we bake, clean, or work on art projects during this time.

I asked you a series of questions last year when you turned three. I asked the same questions this year. Not much has changed. :)

What is your favorite color? Pink and purple
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mermaid
What is your favorite food? Tomato soup (with lots of fish crackers) and grilled cheese
Who is your best friend? Lauren from preschool, Ella from the neighborhood, Hailey from church
What is your favorite movie? Tangled

Taylor Michelle, you keep me on my toes. Thank you for four years of laughter, tears, hugs, kisses, frustration, and amazement as I've watched you grow. You have taught me more in four years than I learned in 18 years of school. I am so grateful that God gave you to me - I am forever changed - in the best way possible. Please do not ever lose your sparkle (to quote your new princess book). I love you beyond all measure of space and time. MUAH!

Love,
Mommy