We Have A Four Year Old!

On Saturday our girl turned four!  She slept in until 8 (yay!) and on her way down the hall to our room said "I can't believe it's my birthday!"  When she appeared by our bed she made us look at how tall she was and then how long her arms and legs had gotten - as if miraculously overnight she'd grown a mile.  :)

This year has been a big one for my sweet L.  This was the year she officially went from toddler to kid.  She stopped playing independently, next to friends, and started playing with friends.  And boy, did she make friends!  She used to count our friends as her own, until we moved into a neighborhood with kids galore and she found out what real friends are.  And now she can't get enough. 

She laughed and played and became even more obsessed with Frozen.  She was obsessed with dress up and pretending, and has some legit acting chops.  She learned how to spell and write her name, started drawing self-portraits, and became even more independent than ever. 

Man, they're not kidding about that 3 year mark being hard.  There was a heck of a lot of defiance around here, and at times it's hard to keep in mind the beauty that goes along with raising high spirited, strong-willed little girls.  There's a great responsibility in channeling that energy in the right direction, and it can be exhausting.  But it's also my favorite thing in the world.  I tell her every day that God made her, He made her perfect, and He made her just for us.  The fact that I was chosen to raise this beautiful, outgoing, loving, friendly, caring, heart-of-gold, strong-willed girl just totally blows me away.  I will never be more thankful or proud to be her mama.

Love you, little Lyla!  Now stop growing!  :)

Here are some of my favorite photos from this last year.

- K