Abigail Turns 4!

Oh, my precious Abigail. What can I say about this little girl? I believe Shakespeare wrote "though she be but small, she is fierce." I believe that may describe our little firecracker. As the third born Abigail seems to always crave attention, negative or otherwise. She can be stubborn and often quite persistent when she wants something. She is usually my shadow around the house-- loves to watch me cook, or just sit next to me, and she still sometimes cries when I leave her in the nursery or at preschool (although I know she is loving going to our little public preschool this year, and her teacher is amazing at getting her involved in activities so she won't be upset as I leave).

Up until about 3 or 4 weeks ago, she still wanted me to rock her to sleep in her bed at night, and she still likes to snuggle when she's tired. She does sleep more than all her brothers and sister, and often falls asleep on the couch in the afternoon, although she gave up a formal nap time awhile ago. She is finally starting to learn some preschool things, just beginning to recognize some letters and numbers. She still doesn't know all the colors or shapes-- or at least doesn't claim to. Usually if she learns something, it has to be her own idea.She still doesn't pronounce a lot of words correctly, but her vocabulary is greatly increasing every day and she continues to amaze me when she tells stories in complete sentences or re-tells me something she did during the day. She hates to be told to do anything. She longs to be included in whatever Leah or Andrew are playing, but often plays by her own rules.

She is extremely shy when it comes to new situations and will cower behind my leg until she's comfortable. She won't even speak to people if they say something to her. Still, she can be adventurous and is not afraid to try new things as long as I'm there with her. She is really good at athletic things, like climbing and kicking and running. We tried dance class and she was just too shy to get out onto the dance floor, although she loves to dance at home, and is quite funny with the dances she can make up. This silly little girl tries my patience nearly every day and frustrates me usually more than any other kid, but she is also so sweet and funny and I can't imagine what it would be like around here without her!

We had a little 4-year-old birthday party for Abi on Saturday at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Her only request for her birthday was a Dora cake. We weren't sure exactly how to execute that, so we found a Dora plate, cut her out & put a popsicle stick on her and stuck her in the cake. Voila! A Dora Cake. She really doesn't even watch Dora that much at home, and she's not even really one of her favorites, but that's what she got for her party, and she liked it.

She was being a little shy as we sang the Birthday song to her. But she certainly wasn't shy about opening her gifts. She tore into them one after another.  She showed excitement over every one of them.

Yes, she asked for a Whoopie Cushion. This kid loves potty humor.

We had such a good time with family and friends celebrating our soon-to-be four-year-old, and I think she will remember it for awhile!