Sunshine Defined:

My wittle baby is FOUR. I cannot fathom where the time has gone. She seems so grown up. When she was first born I would tell her that she was so awesome all the time and I still do. I thought that she was just the most awesome thing that could ever exist. We would spend so much time just looking at her. We were completely fascinated by everything that she could and couldn't do. We use to laugh at how she had no control over her hands. We would be so impressed with each smile, yawn, and new thing she mastered. It has been the best four years watching her, playing with her, and loving her.

Sunshine is so bright and continues to love learning and is curious to understand everything. We still have stacks of books on her bed. She of course has known her letters for some time now but is getting better about figuring out their sounds. She can write all the capital letters and probably most of the lower case. Lately she has been making lists (to do lists, shopping lists, packing lists, etc. etc.) She doesn't actually write out the words correctly but she writes letters and sometimes just squiggly lines across the page like she is writing cursive fast. (I think she sees me write and can't always distinguish my letters so she thinks that is how she is suppose to do it too.) She just picked her first chapter book, I didn't encourage this, but at the library she picked a toned down version of little house on the prairie and we read it together. She also likes to find rhyming words with her dad and is always saying things like "jump and bump rhyme". She is good with numbers. I think that she just has kind of sense of how they work, although she can't count perfectly to 20 yet.

We have been trying to teach her that she has to practice new things so that she can become good at them. She has been practicing riding her bike and her dance moves (she just started dance class which I will do another post about later). She also is slowing down on her coloring so that she can be more detail conscience. She also keeps practicing her articles of faith and knows the first five perfectly. Sometimes though she will tell me that can't do something until she is five because she doesn't want to work at it.

She is very helpful and likes to do "her" jobs. Her absolute favorite job is spraying glass cleaner on our sliding glass door and wiping it down. Spray bottles are always fun, right. She is also very good at folding laundry and now tries to teach her cousin and sister to do it too. She clears the table after meals and likes to clean the big tub. I am always asking her to fetch this or that and she mostly jumps up to help. Her daddy is always telling her to be happy and helpful and she usually is.

For the most part she is very sweet and full of love. She is also reserved and takes awhile to open up and feel comfortable with people and new places. She is trying to be brave in new situations. She tries to teach her sister important things and sometimes gets bossy.  She likes to bring me "presents" and she does it in such a sweet way. She will always say she loves us and today she even called her dad at work to tell him that she missed him and couldn't wait for him to come home so she could hug and kiss him.

Like her mom she is not the most coordinated but she is always active, and likes doing exercises even lunges across the house.  She watches while we exercise and is always telling me to watch her while she shows me a new move she has picked up. The other day we were in Walmart and we were skipping up and down the aisles and leaping and laughing together. (Side Note: This ten year old in the aisle then asked his mom "did you ever do that with me? Let's skip mom!" It was so cute even though it was probably his way of making fun of us.)

Now she is really becoming so independent. She loves to make her own sandwiches for lunch and she will just go to the cupboard and fridge and get out whatever she wants throughout the day. In fact during Duckie's nap while I am doing my own thing (like taking a nap myself ) she is completely self directed and only occasionally needs something. Right now she is teaching Duckie how to drink out of a real cup "like a big girl." I am so excited that she can do her car seat buckle all my herself now.On the other hand she still wants me to help her do things that I know she can do, like getting dressed. I think she is torn between trying to be a big girl and wanting the attention of being babied. I have to ask her a lot whether she wants to do it herself or if she wants help. She gets upset if I start doing something that she wants to do herself.

She organizes. She likes to order stuff and put things a certain way. If Duckie or somebody messes with that she gets very upset. Actually I think that she is a bit of a drama queen and is overly emotional sometimes. I am always telling her to relax. Sunshine isn't always wound tight though, sometimes she is so silly. We all are just laughing.

Sunshine loves to sing. She will always be making up songs too. It is so funny. She will ask me to sing the song about the ladybug and I will say I don't know one about a ladybug and then she will say I do and she will proceed to sing about a ladybug completely out of her head. Although she sings all the time at home, she doesn't learn the primary songs in church because she is not concentrating enough. We have to practice at home. She refused to sing the mother's day song during sacrament meeting because she is just too nervous to go up on the stand but she sings it to me all day. I love it.

When we do hair I always have to tell a dragon story to Sunshine. She insists. She likes routine. For example, her bedtime routine now is as follows: family scripture and prayer, pajamas, brush teeth, potty, read 1 chapter of Charlotte's Web, read another simpler book, read a section of The Book of Mormon (illustrated version), personal prayer, get tucked in, and then a song or two. It is very demanding and sometimes I just don't want to do it. But then I remember that these few minutes together is what gives so much of the rest of the day meaning. And of course we get to chat about things during that time. She will not let her dad do most of this routine but sometimes she will ask for another song from him after I am finally done.

Random: I told her to get her backpack and pick a few things to take on a trip a couple months ago. After she was done I said well show what you chose. Of all things she could have packed she choose a barbie leg. Not the whole barbie mind you, just a leg. I laughed and laughed about that. What did she think she would do with that leg. Maybe she just picked the first things she saw. For somebody who can be a bit picky, she sure wasn't about her toy choices on that trip.

We have been telling her for awhile all the things she will do when she is four, you know anticipation is part of the fun. I guess that we did a superb job building up to it because after the birthday she had a revelation.

"I am still three," she said with a little sad in her voice.

 "No, you are four" we explained, "you already had your birthday."

"Well my feet are still small and I am just three."

I guess she thought that nothing had really changed like we had been saying.


Wow, I love this Sunshine girl. She is the best. All her wonder, personality, and charm fill my life with joy unspeakable. 

Survey results from the Sunshine kid herself:

Favorite Food: watermelon

Favorite Animal: zebra

Favorite Movie: Tillie's Dragon

Favorite Book: Big Chickens by Leslie Helakoski

Favorite Things to do: Paint, Play with Balloons

Favorite Song: Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam