Emmy = 3.5 Years Old

I guess it would seem a bit trite if I said my baby is now 42 months old.  Well I already said it, and she is quickly transforming into a beautiful little girl (rather than a beautiful little baby) right in front of my eyes. She is obsessed with the notion that she is going to be the Big Sister, and when she is asked to do stuff, she likes to ask, "Would a big sister do that?"  She is a bundle of energy, questions, and information.  I am astounded daily by the stuff that she comes up with.  She is also a master manipulator and she can conjure up real tears on a whim.  All this being said, she is the sweetest cuddle bunny you will ever meet, and she has a sympathetic soul.  She can tell if someone is having a rough day, and she will go out of her way to give them love and attention until they feel better.  My heart was lost the day I met you Emmy Barnes, and I don't see myself regaining any ground any time soon.  I still love you more than most. :)

Here are a few photos that April took for us over Thanksgiving Weekend.

I love how sweet your little smile is here.






The sweetness has turned to mischief here.



You are definitely Daddy's Little Girl right now.  Even though he will eventually put his foot down, for the most part, he is yours to command...and you ask for it all: horsey rides, races around the house, push-ups with you as the weights, extra books at bedtime, and even dress-up a time or two.







When you are feeling super sweet, you like to tell me that I am your best friend (you always remind me that Abby and Aunt B, Nana, or Rah-Rah are your best friends too).  The two of us are a perfect duo stopped only by the fact that we are both really stubborn and want our own way.  Usually I win out, but I would be lying if I said you haven't turned on the charm with me and won me over against my better judgement before.  There's just something about those pretty blue eyes coupled with a sweet smile that seems to be your ticket to whatever you want.





We are a terrific trio that we soon turn into the fantastic four, but for the next few months, we will savor these times with you as our only little baby.  While I know you will be the best big sister ever, it still makes me a little sad that you aren't going to actually be the baby anymore.   You've had a good run though kid, and four years is more than most kids could ask for.



At three-and-a-half you are:

She likes: Watching movies or Netflix on the iPad, playing dress up, having fashion parades in her dress up creations, tea parties with Nana, playing dolls, Minne & Mickey, making cookies and cinnamon rolls with Mommy, coloring, reading BOB's books, wearing her hair in braids, the colors pink and purple, looking at photo albums, singing and putting on concerts with her microphone, playing at the playground, eating at Mr. Gatti's with Abby, going fishing with Daddy, sleeping in her new big girl room, watching old Disney VHS tapes in her room, talking to the baby and rubbing Mommy's stomach, GYMNASTICS, and spending the night with Nana or at Aunt B's 'partment.

She dislikes: Being told no, waking up in the morning before she wants to, having someone correct her behavior (she will run away, hide, and cry), having to eat things for dinner that she doesn't want, having to go to sleep in the dark, taking a bath without all her toys, having to ride in the cart at the store (although I still make her), having to come home with Mommy and Daddy after church, sitting in time-out, going to bed before she is ready, wearing clothes that aren't "her taste," and generally not getting her way.

She eats: Grilled cheese, carrots, chicken, milk, donuts, piglets, toast, biscuits, cereal, and french fries are her favorites.  I can pretty much make her eat anything if I sit down with her and feed her myself.  Some nights if we are having something like soup or roast, I have to do this or she won't try any of it.  She loves to drink hot chocolate and grape slushies from Sonic.

She says: She can (and will) hold an extended conversation.  Her language skills are one of her strongest skills, and she says words sometimes that completely astound me.  It's like she just knows stuff sometimes and we don't know where she gets these things.  She can sing her ABCs perfectly.  She can identify all of the letters by sight, but there are a couple (J, M, & N) that she misses sometimes.  She can count, but she purposefully mixes up her numbers to get attention.  She says her prayers in a sophisticated manner, and she remembers all of the illnesses that people at church have and makes sure that she prays for each one.  Her current favorite song to sing in the car is "Shake It Off" by T-Swift.  The Frozen songs are still a household favorite during karaoke time.