Four Years Old

Little Kaylee,
You are four years old today. My first real memories are from when I was four and for some reason I have always held being 4 near and dear to my heart. Because all of my four year old memories seem so carefree and so full of joy I feel so excited for you to embark on the next year. As excited as I am for you to experience being four years old I am finding it hard to sum up who you are as a three year old in one little blog post!

You have decided that you are wise beyond your years and that unfortunately my 32 years on this Earth did not provide me with the same depth of knowledge you have obtained in your short 4 years. You ask a lot of questions about the world, but you often disagree with my answers. After disagreeing with me you are sure to back up your facts that are pointless to dispute.

Kaylee: Are there blue carrots?
Me: No. There are yellow, red, orange, purple, and white carrots, but there are no blue carrots.
Kaylee: Yes, there are! When I was living in China, blue carrots were everyone's favorite. You just don't have them here.

You can be so delusional that you once argued that daddy didn't know his own mother's name. You claimed that "back when you were a teenager, your abula told you here real name and daddy was wrong.

Clearly, your confidence is not lacking.

You still love anything creative. You draw, color, create for large portions of the day. A few months ago you found my adult coloring book and now it is officially yours. Another creative outlet you seem to enjoy is helping me cook or bake. Whenever I enter the kitchen you are quick to grab your little chair and pull up next to me at the counter. For the first time, your assistance in the kitchen is actually helpful. For breakfast, you know how to get the eggs out of the fridge, crack them, whisk them and then put the bread in the toaster all by yourself. Sure, sometimes our eggs have a little boost of calcium and some crunch for texture from those eggshells that found their way into the pan. Baking still makes a giant mess as your aim with flour and sugar seems to be a little off. You do know how to level off the measuring cups which always makes me smile! You are becoming a Foodie like your father and like to talk about "textures" (which you use to mean flavors) whenever we make something new. "This has a lemony texture and is a little bit sweet"

You have decided, once again, that sleep is pointless. You often assure me as I tuck you into bed that you will not sleep under any circumstances. Many mornings you insist that you were laying in bed the entire night wide awake. The few times I try to tell you I checked on you and you looked as if you were sleeping you assure me that you were in fact not sleeping, but rather just staying very still. Although you apparently haven't slept in months you do find your way to our bed in the mornings. Most weekday mornings I am at the gym, but I come home to find you snuggled up to your daddy sound asleep... err laying very still. There is nothing more precious than seeing the two people I love most in this world snuggled together.

As you get older I find it harder and harder to sum up your likes and dislikes, your personality, and your current stages in one little post. You are affectionate and love to snuggle, you are in tune to other's emotions especially mine. As you get older our bond changes, but it seems to grow stronger with time. You talk all day long and surprise me with the vocabulary you pick up. You have come out of your shell so much the past few months. You are no longer shy or unsure around people you don't know. You are gaining confidence in your Spanish as well.  You are stubborn and independent. You are beautiful inside and out.

I love you in a way that I could never put into words! Happy birthday,
Mom