Ahhhh... 4.5 years old

Let's start with Miss A's thoughts on life at 4 1/2.

Favorite Show: Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony

Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly

Favorite Color: Lots of colors; all the colors except white

Favorite Game: Hide & seek, tag, monster, alligator, and the one Lilly has

Favorite Book: The Night Before Preschool

Favorite Toy: Froggy (new to her toy from our neighbor's garage sale)

Favorite Thing To Do: Watch cartoons, snuggle with Daddy, play with Mommy

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up: An artist

Having a four year old has been challenging for me so far. Granted, I was pregnant or had a newborn for these past six months, so my patience has been limited. Miss A and I are a lot alike, which also probably contributes to the challenges. Miss A is full of energy and opinions. She can be rather stubborn. She is still often the sweetest kid. She is a great big sister to Little J and now Baby C. Little J is her best friend (though she might not always admit it). They play together so well, at least most of the time. Baby C gets lots of hugs and kisses when we pick Miss A up from preschool. There's a bit of a sassy side that comes out sometimes too, that is not so nice to Little J. Or Mommy and Daddy.

I probably say this at every age she reaches, but 4 has seemed so much more grown up. While Miss A is still Daddy's girl, she is starting to get to the point where she chooses her friends over us. We're lucky to live on a block with lots of little girls to play with, and Miss A loves to run around with her friends. Watching her run around with the big kids makes her seem so much older. She also considers herself to be such a big kid now that she's in preschool. She is still pretty shy about going in to the room, but she seems to really enjoy going. Today she got to stay for Lunch Bunch, and she was so excited to eat lunch with her friends. Miss A also recently started her second season of soccer, and the difference a year has made (with very little practice at home) is amazing. She is much more focused, aggressive and skilled. So cool to see the development!

Oh, Miss A, we love you... all of your sweet, sassy self!