Abby is Four

Abby, you turned four on June 30th, 2011. You didn't want to take your glasses off for the picture with your tree. You bring so much joy to our lives, Abby. You are full of life and enthusiasm. You are a super smart girl. I'm convinced your memory is already better than your mommy's. You do such a good job at memorizing your scripture for church and AWANA Cubbies. You also go to BSF with grandma on Wednesdays and love that special time. You can read all three letter words and some sight words. By August, you could read books that are geared toward that. You can figure out adding and subtracting with manipulatives also. Writing your letters is developing nicely. This fall, We've often found paper after paper of letter patterns that repeat. You say they're just random. You are also starting to sound out words to write on your own. Coloring is also becoming a favorite pass time. Theatre might be in your future as you love to put on shows, dress up and are quite the dramatic young lady. We have to work on channeling that energy sometimes. Singing also comes readily. You really listen to words of songs and ask questions. You also love to help me cook or bake in the kitchen. This summer, you loved grabbing things from our garden to work on your own meal creations. Most of the time, it was a carrot, lettuce and herb salad. Your curly blond hair and shining blue eyes with long lashes mark your look right now. You are 3 foot 5 inches and 37 pounds. Dresses and skirts still tend to be a priority for you. You like to dress yourself and often come up with very interesting combinations of clothing. Food is fine for you. Often times, it's not as big of a priority because you'd rather be playing. You are not too picky, but have been going through a stage recently where you don't really want to try new things. When you do, you generally seem to like them. You definitely are a sweet girl rather than a savory. I like to call you my little cruise director because you always are full of a plan or ideas and try and orchestrate them around the house. Your imagination is going crazy right now, and you love to demonstrate that by making up scenarios and having Kenzie (mostly) play them out. You do love your sister and brother tremendously. Dressing up, playing with dolls (baby dolls and doll house dolls), coloring, reading books, doing puzzles, playing games, imagining, and playing in your kitchen are a few of your favorite activities. We've been trying to tame the hyper in you a bit because sometimes it turns into not being gentle with your siblings. You can ride your bike pretty well and LOVE to be in the water. You are quite the little fish in your life jacket. This fall has started swim lessons, and you advanced quickly to the next level and are beginning to do a lot on your own. You become frustrated when you can't do something right away because things seem to come fairly natural to you. You love being around family. TV time is a favorite. Your favorite shows right now inclue Word World, Super Why, Berenstein Bears, Bubble Guppies, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Strawberry Shortcake. We limit that time to one hour a day. You have no interest in napping anymore, but you still kind of need it. It's making you a bit crabby in the afternoon, but that is getting better and better also. Generally, you are good at obeying, but we have been working on a sassy attitude that has been appearing sometimes. You are an amazing kid and fun to take out because of your open smiles for others and your sweet nature. You are super helpful, and I love all of the life you bring to this family. You like adventure - wanting to go on every ride at the fair and the highest slide they would let you go on at the water parks. You always want us to drive fast, and your smile lights the world when you are doing something fun. Abby, we love you so much. You can't even imagine...way up to the moon and back; forever and always; no matter what.