Addy is Almost 5!

Miss Adelyne will be five {FIVE!!} in just a few days. Typically I look forward to new stages with the kids and I don't tend to get too emotional or sad at birthdays but this one seems a bigger deal. I'm finding myself making mental notes of all her tendencies and jotting down the cute things she says.

Our conversation at lunch the other day was sweet and encouraging to my heart:

Mom I made up a song, it's called follow Christ

Do you know what it means to follow Christ?

It means to obey

Right and it means we believe he's the son of God and he died for our sins and because of that we get to go to heaven 

Hey! When we go to heaven we will get to see Lola

That's right

I can't wait for that day

"Follow Christ," as mentioned above, is one of two Addy Originals so far. Her other song is called "Jesus Died on the Cross," and although it is basically the same phrase over and over, it has a catchy little tune that gets stuck in your head.

Mom, take a picture of me next to this flower

Besides making up songs, my favorite thing about Addy at this age is that she loves to make cards for people. From thank you cards to get well soon cards, she is always finding someone who she thinks should get a card in the mail or hand delivered and I love how she seals the envelopes with a sticker or piece of washi tape, much like her momma. 

Addy has always been a fan of the snow and in February, she and her Dad took ski lessons for the first time. She enjoyed it and we are all excited to be able to ski as a family soon.

Addy is a great helper with her brothers and also likes to help out in the kitchen and is getting more and more responsibilities around the house. She's especially great at switching the laundry loads and putting clothes away. 

In January, Addy started Pre-K. As the newcomer to the class, she is learning how to be brave and make new friends. We've spent a lot of time over the past couple of months planning and deciding on where she will go to Kindergarten in the fall and although it's hard to believe our sweet little girl is that old, we are getting excited for this new phase.

What a joy it has been to watch Addy bloom and grow this past year. We are so thankful for our silly and sweet little lady.

Changes

Over the past four and a half years of mommy hood, I have gotten used to changes and transitions. The first year of having a baby is full of transitions; transition from three naps to two, up all night to (hopefully) sleeping through the night. They begin on a diet of breast milk or formula and then you introduce solid food and your routine is totally different. Once you get used to doing something one way, their needs change. Things are constantly changing and I'd like to think that I've done a pretty good job of rolling with it over the years. 

We have a pretty big change on the horizon and to me it's bigger and harder to process than adding another kiddo to the mix. My sweet little Addy Grace will be going to Kindgarten in the fall. She is thrilled but her momma is an emotional mess about it and thinking that maybe I'm really not that great with change. 

I've known it was coming for four years now and I've actually been excited about it. I mean, can't you just picture her in her "1st Day of Kindergarten" photo? She's going to be the cutest little student. She's so excited and I'm excited for her. But I'm also a little sad and I can't really tell you why.

Perhaps those silly hormones are still to blame (I gave birth less than three months ago after all) or maybe its events that have taken place over the past couple of months. Whatever it is, this momma is having a hard time. 

The most stressful part about Addy going to Kindergarten is that Matt and I have to make a decision about where she will go. Praise the Lord that we have several really great choices. Whether we choose classical, a family school, a private or public school, I am sure she will do just fine. But making that decision is really really hard! It's probably our biggest decision to make as parents yet and I kind of wish we had another four years to just put it off.

But alas, all children must grow up sometime and Addy must go to school. And eventually she will be followed by Remi and then Britton and my heart might just break a little each time. Thankfully these changes come in phases and not all at once.

Praise the Lord that He is sovereign and He is trustworthy with the lives of my children. And I will continue to learn to trust Him more and more. 

Adelyne is 4 and a Half Years Old!

Today is Addy Grace's half birthday.

Im a weird mom and don't usually feel emotional or sad at birthdays, but on half birthdays I feel all the emotions. Tomorrow she will be closer to five than four. And five brings us closer to kindergarten and middle school and driving on her own and before we know it, she will be getting married and having babies of her own. Someone hold me.

But in all seriousness, do any of you other mommas feel like more changes come around their half birthday? Maybe I notice them more because Im not busy planning a party and shopping for birthday gifts.

Anyways….

This little lady can get dressed all on her own and for the most part does a pretty good job at putting her outfits together. We've made a deal that she can pick out her clothes on the days we don't go to church and on the other days I try really hard to let her have some creative freedom and only give a few guidelines to make sure everything fits and is decent. 

We recently upgraded to a van to accommodate our growing family and during that process Addy became obsessed. She loves to make vans out of all our kid chairs and uses pillows for the doors. Her and Remi go on several trips with all their "kids" and pack their van out with snacks and blankets and anything else their kids might need. 

Addy doesn't have an imaginary friend but there is an imaginary dog named Olive that goes with us almost everywhere and sometimes even takes the form of one of her stuffed animals. 

At four and half, she's definitely out grown her afternoon nap but can sometimes be found napping during quiet time, taking a little snooze on the couch while I make dinner or even dozing during church. 

She's shy and reserved like her momma around most people, but when you put her around family and good friends she can be pretty silly and goofy like her dad. She's actually turning into quite the little chatterbox and we often have to remind her of the appropriate times to talk and when to be quiet. 

Addy loves to wear high heels and princess crowns around the house but has also developed an interest in snakes and other amphibians. 

She continues to be a wonderful little momma to her babies and often imitates our friends that have little ones by "feeding" her dolls under blankets. We already know she will (and is) going to be a great big sister and we're excited to see her love on another little sibling soon.

She's challenging us in new and frustrating ways but continues to warm our hearts as she learns new things and loves on her family. She's probably the best person to have around on your birthday since she doesn't let a "Happy Birthday" go unsaid and will enjoy each birthday activity just as much as you do if not more. 

We are so thankful for our sweet little Addy Grace and can't wait to see what the next 6 months and years have in store for her.

Adelyne is 4 Years Old!

Miss Adelyne turned four years last week. 

We spent almost all of last weekend celebrating our sweet little lady. You can read about that here.

Every year I create photo books for the kiddos after their birthday, with memories of the past year and I've included a page of "stats" in each one. For the past couple of years, Addy has been old enough to answer some of the questions herself. Here are this year's stats, Addy's answers are in italics.

AGE: 4

HEIGHT: She measured 39 inches at Target today

FAVORITE FOOD: Carrots

FAVORITE SHOW: Cartoons - the one on netflix with Mater 

She also likes to watch Mr. Peabody and Sherman almost.every.single.day.

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

I don't know why she said purple after I had just thrown her a red birthday party. Her favorite color is red.

BEST FRIEND: "Carter! Are you going to ask me who my favorite cousin is now? Its Cooper!"

FAVORITE TOY: Baby

FAVORITE GAME: The Matching Game

FAVORITE PLACE TO GO: The dollar store

FAVORITE THING TO SLEEP WITH: Baby cow

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Cow

FAVORITE SNACK: Graham Crackers

WHAT SHE WANTS TO BE WHEN SHE GROWS UP: Teacher

She also told me she would like to be a mom.

And as much fun as these stats are, I don't think they give us an accurate description of Addy Grace at age four, so here are a few more fun facts:

She asks for a bandaid everyday, sometimes more than once a day. 

She asks what else she can do to help around the house.

She loves to play the damsel in distress role. 

She likes to take pictures on my phone to send to people.

She says "cutted" and "hurted" and "felled."

Her brother out toughs her on almost everything, except when it comes to playing in the snow, she's a champ.

She knows all the words to Hark the Herald Angels Sing and sings it everyday.

And she can't wait to be pregnant.

First pair of clip on ear rings from Granmarie and Gramps

Making cupcakes for her party.

Addy got a pedal bike for her birthday and her Dad had to get one too, now they can ride together.

She made herself a computer and desk.

Happy Birthday sweet Addy Grace!

Addy's 4th Birthday Weekend

Our beautiful Adelyne turned four years old last Monday. 

The weekend before her birthday was a busy one, celebrating with grandparents and cousins and friends. Her Gran and Papa took her out for a Birthday dinner on Saturday and when we asked her where she wanted to go, Addy said "Can you give me some options?" In the end she settled on the Tomato Cafe.

The birthday celebrations continued on Sunday night when we had the rest of the family over for cake and ice cream.

 

We ended her birthday weekend on Monday morning (her actual birthday) with a Tutu and Top Hats Party! It was a little chaotic, but Addy loved it, if you can't tell by the huge smile on her face. 

Tutus for the girls and top hats for the boy.

Addy's favorite color is red, so almost everything about the party was red, including the cupcakes which were red velvet with a homemade buttercream icing.

What a blessing for Addy to have such sweet and silly friends to share life with.