4 years

My sweet Leah Rose turned 4 this past month. This has been a big year for my girl.

Here are some highlights:

Leah got to go to the beach in May for family vacation. She had been once before but she got to spend a week playing in the sand and in the pool in port Aransas.

In July, Leah became a big sister. It was rocky at first, but she helps take such good care of her brother.

Also in July, Leah began taking dance lessons at my old dance school. Mimi took her to class, while Kyle and I got time together. She decided after July that she didn't want to do it anymore. Then, in November, she changed her mind. In December, she began a weekly ballet and tap class. Her favorite part is seeing her "best friend," Ellison, and also looking at herself in the mirror. I have to remind her to watch the teacher instead. Her first recital is in June. It's going to be precious!

At the end of August, Leah became potty trained. We had tried a few times, but she was what the doctor called "potty training resistant." I knew she could do it, but she just didn't want to lose the convenience of diapers. Well, on promotion Sunday at church, she went to her new Sunday School class for the first time. That day, she came home and told us she wanted to wear big girl panties, and she never looked back. Thank you, peer pressure!!

Leah is an enthusiastic fan of Netflix. She has started watching many different cartoons on "Red," as she calls it. These cartoons teach her all kinds of funny phrases. We have also had to ban certain cartoons... hmm hmm Barbie for teaching her some sassy phrases. (Come on, Mom!)

She sings in the children's choir at church. Nana takes her on Wednesday nights to eat dinner and then to choir. Then she spends the night. Her first performance was in November. She was too cute. She may or may not have pulled her dress up in front of the entire audience. Ah, memories.

Her favorite stuffed animals are Lola (her Build-a-Bear), Lucifer (named after the cat in Cinderella), Moo Moo, Tigger, Tigey, Cupcake, Peep, Hello Kitty, etc. the list goes on and on and on and on...

In the fall, Leah dropped her nap. We started by telling her she could take a nap or stay up and go to bed early. She usually picked go to bed early. After a while, it just worked out better. She now goes to bed at 7:00.

Our bedtime routine is pj time, clean up, a show, two books, family hug, one song, and then lights out!

She can count to 100, and is very interested in letters and sounds. She knows the primary sounds the letters make and she is learning the initial sound of words. "Momma? What's the first letter in music?"

Watching and listening to her play hide and seek with Justin is hilarious. She tells him to go hide and then she asks me where he is hiding. She doesn't look very hard. The best part though is when she hides. She goes to her spot and then Justin will say, "Ready or not, here I come! Where is Leah?" She giggles so loudly and yells, "I'm in the ____ room!" She hasn't quite figured it out, but it sure is cute.

Leah dresses herself every morning before she comes out of her room. She has a very good eye for outfits and her own personal style. She feels the window to see if it's cold or hot, and *usually* dresses appropriately. 

We can't wait to see what this year brings! Happy birthday, Leah Rose!