Our Baby is 4!!

  I can't believe our youngest child is four! She still is very much the baby of our family, but it's becoming more and more apparent that she really isn't a baby anymore. One big sign is the fact that she starts school in two weeks. Okay, so it's really begindergarten, but she'll go for a couple of hours every day. Like the rest of her siblings who have gone, she will be writing her name independantly, tying her own shoes, and recognizing and writing numbers and letters throughout the next nine months. It just doesn't seem possible. My brain isn't able to comprehend this chapter of our lives yet. I'm sure as soon as it does, we'll be moving into the high school and college chapters. I am  so not ready for that one! I wish I could just keep our family right how it is. I love that we do everything together and enjoy it. It's not forced. Well, there are days I wish for a straight jacket or two, but that just proves we're normal, right?

Anyway, Elise turned 4 on Tuesday. She requested chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. I think there was a storm the night before, because her breakfast in bed was in my bed! I'm still finding cookie crumbs every night as i fall asleep...

(No, we don't have a headboard for our bed - we gave our bedroom set away to someone who needed it when we moved out here, and it just has not been at the top of our list to replace. And yes, Elise wore her bathing suit to bed, haha.)

Anyhoo...

Robert had to work, but the kids & I went to the free movie, 'How to Train Your Dragon.' It was a cute movie, and the birthday girl enjoyed it! After the movie, she got to open her first present...

She loves all things girly and princess!!

We came home to pick up Daddy to go have her birthday dinner, but first, I wanted to try and get some birthday photos. It didn't work out too well since we were attacked by mosquitos. Notice all the bites on her poor face? It was insane! I just like her expression here...

 At her request, we went to the "Sucka-Donald's with the slide." The kids had fun eating and playing. Well, more playing than eating, but that's OK. What are birthdays for, if not to break the rules? :)

Since we were gone all day (and since I was caked out), Daddy took Elise into the grocery store to pick out a birthday cake. Of course, she chose a pretty rainbow cake!

Elise originally asked for a pink WALL-E cake, so I just took her little WALL-E figurine & stuck it on the cake. Worked for her!

Elise hasn't been thrilled with getting her 4 year portraits done (we found out later that it must have been at the start of her freak fever), so there's not really any smiles in these. Think I'll do some retakes soon. ;)

We all just adore our little dolly! She's got eyes that melt your heart (and believe me, that little girl knows how to work them! Which is probably why she's been our naughtiest child...), and such a sweetness about her, you can't help but fall in love with her! She was the biggest of big surprises, but we wouldn't trade her for anything!

I love celebrating my kids, but it's also kinda nice when our birthday season comes to an end. :)