My First Baby

My little girl turned four yesterday! She was ecstatic from the moment she woke up. "I'm four! I'm really four! Oh, it IS my birthday!" When she got down stairs and saw two balloons on the floor, she screamed. Then she declared it the "best birthday EVER!" Then she saw the pink princess table decorations and was rendered speechless. (God blessed me with an easy to please child, since I have zero creativity when it comes to decorating and throwing parties.) At church she told everyone that it was her birthday, and was all smiles when the primary sang to her. She even got to say the prayer and read the scripture at the microphone. Her day was just getting better and better. After church, we had a family party for her, and just basked in the attention. Her unrelenting excitement melted my heart. Since Gwen has two little siblings to compete with, I'm glad we were able to make her feel so special on her birthday. 

Here are some recent Gwen Facts:

She's incredibly bright. She reads now. There are very few words that she can't figure out. We read to her a lot, but she taught herself how to read. The downside - Logan and I can't spell out words to each other that we don't want Gwen to know. The upside - she can read! I don't feel so bad now that we can't send her to preschool. 

She's the friendliest kid I know. She greets every other kid she meets like they are her best friend. "I missed you! I love you so much!" She's a big hugger.

She's a great big sister. When Isaac cries, she is right there to sing to him. When she gets a special treat, she makes sure Phoebe gets one too. She can be so patient with them, too. She has such a big heart.

Her favorite reads are parenting magazines and she's been known to read the phone book. 

She loves to run and kick a soccer ball up and down the yard, and she's darn good at it! 

I can go on all day about my baby. She is beautiful and charming and funny. She is growing up so fast. Breaks my heart a little.

Gorgeous! I want to scoop her up right now and never let her go. Next year I'll be sending her off to school...  I don't think I'll be ready for that!