"I'm Not Free... I'm A Big Gurl, I'm Four!"

Today you are four. You have been my baby for the past three years, but when your little sister was born a month ago you decided that you were going to grow up. You do things now that you could not do for yourself just 45 short days ago. Every morning you dress yourself. It may be the same outfit for 4 days, but I am not complaining. You deck yourself out in your signature color each day-PINK! You make sure everything is color coordinated... pink shirt, pink shorts, pink underpants, pink bow, pink flip flops. You have a great sense of style~just yesterday you decorated your pink flip flops with Barbie stickers... very chic.

You can scooter so fast on your Dora The Horror Scooter now. Last summer you just inched along and this morning when I looked out the window I saw you racing down the sidewalk with your leg kicked back high in the air as if to say "Look out world! I am awake and I am a professional scooterer!"

Your wear your hair in that wild style that I love so much... the uncombed curls looks. It never bothers you to be so free, and you just simply take your little hand and pull your curls behind your ear 4000 times a day. You love to have your hair french braided though and when I am done you look in the mirror and say "I am Sooo beautiful!" You are right-you are always so beautiful!

You love to have little girls over to play tea party or doll house with, but I think you are most comfortable out in the yard with the boys in the neighborhood. This is because your big brother is your favorite person in the entire world-I know this, I have come to terms with this and I am fine with it. He will protect you throughout life-God gave him to you. You do love to pester him though-like when he is deep in thought while playing his Game Cube, you will taunt him with things like "Aaaaaaaaaronnnnnnn, I am going to touch your bioooooooooonicalllllllllllllllllls." To which he will yell at you and you will yell back. I know you get upset when he insists that he cannot be your boyfriend, but if you find someone in life YEARS AND YEARS down the road that is just like him... than you will be blessed. He loves you so very much.


Your older sister fell in love with you the moment you were born. She is a mini-mom to you and I know you get frustrated when she tells you what to do, but I am so proud of you when you actually listen to her. You love the great games she thinks up for you to do, like the "timed clean-up" that is a fun one! Your older sister will always guide you through life because she will know what you are going through-and she is younger and cooler than me. You look just like her, and you already want to be like her because you will say things to me like "When I am old like Hopey can I go to a party?" Yes, when you are old like Hopey you can go to a party baby.

Emma Rose, I love to watch you with your baby sister. I love the way you lay beside her and tell her you are her big sister. I love the way you can make her laugh and coo. I love the way you are gentle and sweet with her. She is going to look to you for a lot of things in this life and I am thankful God has given you to her.

Your Daddy gets his heart's full of kisses from you and I know the favorite part of his day is when he walks in the door after work and you are standing there waiting for him (you and the dog). It does crack me up how you complain about his wet kisses and insist that he kiss you on the cheek. You always prefer Daddy giving you a bath than me because he does not use soap-he just lets you play in the water like a pool and then gets you out.

Emma-you are the most wonderful four-year old in the world. You make me laugh with your songs like "Today I am going to ballet and then to MACDONNNNALSSSS and then I am going to playyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy in my sandboxxxxxxxxxxx until the bugs come out and if I see an ant I will come innnnnnnnnside." I bet you are a song writer one day. Maybe you will be a dancer because you LOVE to dance. Even if a commercial comes on with a catchy jingle you are up and dancing... feeling the music. You also tell me great stories! You can turn a trip to the gas station into an epic novel-I love that about you. You also say the most precious prayers each night at dinner. We usually get the days rundown in your prayer like "Thank you God for Daddy who is home from work and had to park his truck in the street because Aaron left his bike in the driveway thank you God for Hopey, who let me color with her today in the family room, thank you God for Aaron who got in trouble because he went down the street and he couldn't hear mom yell for him and she thought someone snatched him and so he got in trouble and then he played baseball, but they lost. Thank you God for Mary Claire, Sophie, Coco... and Mommy. Amen." I don't know why I always get billing after the dog and guinea pig.

Happy Birthday little one. You are so precious to us all~