Our Fantastic Four Year Old

What can I say about this amazing 4-year old girly that hasn't already been summed up in the title of this post?  How about:  I am one lucky Mama!

It is always very easy to celebrate Addison's birth every year.  She is SUCH a good girly and always such a good helper to me.  I'm so grateful Heavenly Father sent her to our family first.  I don't know what I'd do, or how I'd survive, without her help and assistance.  Especially now as I'm less and less mobile with this pregnancy and worrying about how I'm going to handle it all when this next little girly arrives.  One of the things that brings me such peace of mind is knowing how helpful and willing Addison is on a day-to-day basis.

And she has SOOOO many other great qualities besides just being a happy helper.  She absolutely LOVES her cuddles and snuggles.  And we love giving them to her.  She takes after her Mommy in this area ;).  She's very talkative and always has a great imagination and loves to tell me stories about "her kids" which always seem to be doing exactly what we are doing on that particular day.  She plays well by herself and with her brother.  She's great at just hanging out and coloring or helping herself to a snack while Mommy & Jonas grab a quick nap during the afternoons.  And speaking of coloring, she is VERY good at it.  She can color for hours on end and I'm always amazed at her skills.  Especially how she chooses such bright and vivid colors.  

She loves her Mommy & Daddy very much and always tells us we are her "favoritest Mommy/Daddy ever!!"  She is always giving us kisses and being thoughtful and running to grab something when we can't get to it.  

She loves her brother too.  And he just adores her.  I love when they get into a wrestling/tickling match and giggle and chase each other around the house.  They usually play so well together it's so fun to watch as they get more into that age.  Jonas loves to give her hugs and love on her.  He's even started saying her name "Ahhssooonnn" and it's adorable.  I always chuckle when Addison is showing me some neat trick and quickly Jonas is in the background doing the exact same thing she's doing.  Whether it's jumping, dancing, or doing a tricky toe pointing in the air pose.  He watches her so closely and I can't think of a better example for him to have than Addison.  I fully believe she will be such a great big sister and set such a good example to that little guy and her other siblings.  

Everyone that meets Addison immediately falls in love with her.  She is just SUCH a sweetie.  She's very kind and patient and loves to learn.  She loves to play with barbies, dolls, and My Little Pony and Hello Kitty toys.  Sometimes I think she's older than she is since she's able to do so much to help me out.  I have to keep reminding myself to let her be a 4 year old sometimes!  We love our Addison and are so grateful she chose our family to be a part of.  We can't imagine it any other way.  She's a perfect fit.

Now, lets talk about what we did to celebrate our fantastic four-year old!  First, the day began with us getting ready for our lunch date with Dad.  Addison got to enjoy a morning free of contributions (chores) since it was her special day.  She even got to pick where we ate lunch.  I gave her lots of options but of course she chose "Chick-o-lay".  

Once we met Daddy there the fun really began.  He was so sweet and surprised her with 4 pink roses for her birthday.  He's such a thoughtful Daddy and she was beaming from ear to ear.

We enjoyed our lunch and even got some good play time in on the play place.  We had to send Daddy back to work while we went home for nap-time but it wasn't long before we were partying again that evening.

Addison's meal of choice was none other than:  Steak, strawberries, french fries, lemonade, and biscuits.  She knows how to pick a good meal!  We all enjoyed it actually and had some full bellies by the time she was ready to open her presents.  I'm guessing most of her birthday was caught on video camera since I can't seem to find pictures of her opening presents.  Needless to say, she did!  And she got everythign she wanted and then some.  A barbie, some cooking bowls, measuring cups, and cookie mixes from Daddy (she wants to be a chef when she grows up), a Hello Kitty backpack that she can color on, and a Doc McStuffins doll she can play with.  I'm sure there was more but I can't remember it.  She was very grateful and even very gracious in sharing with Jonas when it was time to play with her new toys.  

Addison showing off her birthday dinner.  She was so excited I don't think she ate much.  Luckily, the rest of us had no problem scarfing ours down.  She knows how to pick the yummy food!

We are sooooo grateful for our Addison and the personality she brings into our home.  It's hard to think that 4 years ago John and I became parents for the first time ever thanks to her.  We couldn't have picked a better first child and are grateful everyday for the girl she is becoming.  She is growing up so fast!  Part of me is sad to see her grow up but the other part of me loves to see the girl she is becoming.  Happy Birthday Addison!!