Look Who's Four!

 Well, can you believe it? Look who's four!  She was delighted by this development.  Remember when Julia turned two and she started out smiling when we sang to her but cried toward the end?  Well, that was definitely gone at four and Julia was ecstatic at all of the attention being on her.  David was our photographer and took all of the photos in this post.  I think he got a great one when we sang "Happy Birthday, Dear Julia!" and she threw her hands over her head in glee (see second photo above.)  The four candle that looks a little worn had been rattling around in my drawer for about 20 months since David's birthday, and I believe it was used on the cakes of all three kids at this age.  I was a little bit nostalgic when I finally threw it away but excited to be in the age we are in with the kids when they are learning to read, ride bikes, going to school and loving learning about the world.

The dress Julia is wearing is one of her two birthday dresses that Grandma Francie chose for Julia from one of our favorite stores in Park Ridge, Camp Willow.  It is fun to see Grandma Francie and Julia share a love of dresses.  This one has been worn to church, to school and all around town already.  The blue fingernail polish was picked up by Papa specially for Julia from Walgreen's when Julia was invited to a princess birthday party and just HAD to have blue fingernails to match the blue Elsa the princess dress she had borrowed for the party.

The things I want to remember about Julia at age four include the way she loves to color and draw and will sit at the table for an hour at a time, her adoration for her best friend and excitement at seeing her each day at school, the way she marches into her preschool classroom without looking back to wave good-bye as she is so excited to start her day, the way she throws her arms in the air and shakes her head when she is feeling silly, her love of all animals, especially the cats, her independent (if slightly sassy at times) personality, the way her eyes light up when her brothers pay attention to her or use one of her ideas, the way she holds my hand and still wants to be picked up and cuddled when she is tired or not feeling well.