At 4 years old...

**I am going trough all of my drafts and just posting the heck out of stuff even though it may not be finished so I can print my blog book.  This post cracked me up since Blakely is now almost 5!**


She loves to laugh and to make us laugh.  She is constantly trying to tickle or tackle Lonnie when he isn't prepared.  She makes up words and songs all the time to make me laugh because I don't know what she means.  Then she tells me what it means and laughs so hard.  

She is obsessed with gymnastics.  She flips and flops all over the house and asks me all the time when it will be Tuesday.  Her new class is really good and she is learning more and more things each time we go.  Right now she is trying to learn how to hold a handstand without someone spotting her.  She is also learning how to do a back handspring after her round off.  She has so much momentum after her running round off that I don't think it will take her too long to just go ahead and flip on over!  Once she learns to jump up after it she will get it.  She is in a class with 6-7 year olds for one hour a week.  Each girl has different skills but they are good at catering to each child individually.  The owner has asked me a couple of times if I would put Blakely on the competition team.  I asked what that was and she said it was practice 2 days a week for 3 hours each day and a little travel to gymnastics meets.  I couldn't help but laugh!  The child is four.  I would like for her to still like gymnastics!  No way she would pay attention to ANYTHING for that long!  Not to mention I have 2 infants.  Not happening.  

She is having a little bit of separation anxiety for the last month or so.  She doesn't want to leave me.  I know it all comes down to the babies are taking up so much of my time right now and this is her way of dealing with it/acting out.  It is heartbreaking.  I took her to school one morning and all of the sudden she wouldn't get out of the car and started crying.  She had NEVER cried when I dropped her off.  Not once.  I was so confused.  It took me a good 30 minutes to finally get her out and for me to leave her there.  She was screaming.  I talked to her teacher and the director and they all said that she was fine after I left.  After much discussion with them and with Lonnie (because I wanted to make sure nothing else was going on) we figured out that she just wants to stay home with me.  At first she wouldn't say that to me.  She would just cry.  Then one night we were talking and she told me that.  It hurt.  Benton and Emery take up so much of my time now.  Much more than when they were sleepy newborns.  I have started trying to spend more one on one time with just her and that seems to be helping.  It wasn't just school either.  She didn't want me to leave her at home with anyone, she didn't want to go to my mom's house (which is crazy because she LOVES going there) and she didn't want to go with Juanet.  It was a rough month or so but I think we are past it now.  I took her to school Wednesday and she walked right on in without a single tear.  Maybe she just needed to turn four?  ;)

She eats really well.  We are lucky to not have a super picky eater.  I am sure out of my three I will have one but it is definitely not her.  She has a sweet tooth and asks for treats more than I would like but we try to keep it to a minimum.  Some of her favorite things are cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, cottage cheese, bananas, plums, apples with peanut butter, any type of pasta, macaroni and cheese, eggs any way, bacon, ranch on anything, yogurt with granola, oatmeal, and anything Ms. Brenda brings her to eat!  

She is a good sleeper.  She is not a good "going to sleeper".  Ha!  Over the last 6 months, and maybe even longer than that since the babies are almost 6 months old and we had issues before then, she learned how to stall going to bed.  Most of it was our fault.  When I went on bed rest Lonnie had to start putting her to bed at night.  We felt bad for her because I couldn't play with her during the day so he would spend a lot of time in her room with her.  Well then he started trying to shorten it but she wanted like an hour of playing and reading and it just all went downhill from there.  I'm sure everyone with a 3 year old has dealt with this to some extent.  I need water.  I need to go potty.  I need another hug.  I want my nightlight on.  I want my closet light off.  I want my door closed.  I want my door open.  BLAH BLAH BLAH.  Lots of tears and lots of threats.  Lately though we seem to have gotten a better routine down.  I think routine is what she needed most.  And consequences.  Instead of just going down to her room and getting to do whatever she wanted we read a certain amount of books and then that is it.  If she needs something else then she can get it/do it.  At first she would be up 15 times for ridiculous things so she had to lose privileges.  Now she just gets up to turn whatever light she wants on/off and to potty.  She still sort of argues that she doesn't want to go to bed but once we leave her room she is usually asleep within 10-15 minutes.  We start bedtime around 730 (brush teeth, get in pajamas, potty, read books) and hope to have her asleep but 8-815.  

She still naps most days.  Probably 5 out of 7 days a week.  At school she always naps but at home she sometimes fights it.  She is starting to realize that she feels better after a nap so she sometimes asks for one.  That has just started in the last 2 weeks or so.  

She loves her brother and sister and has started being able to make them laugh.  She plays peek a boo and it cracks them up.  She likes to hold them but will straight up toss them to the side when she is over it.  Ha!  I have to be sort of close by or have a cushy landing spot for them!  

She wears mainly 5T but some 4T stuff will fit if it runs large or if it is a dress she can wear leggings under.  She can wear a regular 5 also and really needs that size in pants for the length.  Her shoe size is an 11 or 12 depending on the brand and, yes, she still loves shoes.  Her cousin Syble came her about 20 new dresses a few weeks ago and she loves them with her whole heart.  She changes in and out of them frequently and tells everyone that they used to be Syble's dresses.

She is really good at entertaining herself but she has to be pushed to do so.  If she had her way she would have me on the floor playing with her at all times.  I've really had to teach her to go play by herself with all her stuff.  After some prodding she will.  Sometimes she will go to her room by herself and play for long periods of time but typically she asks me to play first and if I can't then she will go play in the play room or her room.

random things she like...
ice cream
bowling
all her peeps
getting a new peep
doing handstands in the front yard
"organizing" my bathroom drawers
playing with shaving cream in the bath
lemonade

Some things she dislikes...
getting her hair brushed
putting her hair up
taking a nap even though she needs it
showers...I am really trying to push the shower instead of bath because it is so much faster.  
cleaning up her room
tomatoes
being told no...haha!
sitting still for a picture


Blakely at 4 years old...


How old are you?  4
Favorite color? pink and purple
Favorite toy? all my music toys
Favorite thing to play? with my Minnie Mouse
Favorite thing to do outside? go to the playground
Favorite animal? elephant.  and a lion!
Favorite TV show? Mickey Mouse and PAW Patrol
Favorite movie? Ariel
Favorite song? Let It Go
Favorite book? kitty cat book
Favorite game? PAW Patrol game
Favorite restaurant? KJ's
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast? peanut butter toast and oatmeal
Favorite lunch? peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Favorite dinner? chicken soup
Favorite snack? carrots
Favorite drink? lemonade
Favorite treat? tootsie rolls
Favorite flavor of ice cream? strawberry
Who is your best friend? Rosalie
Favorite place to go? go to Juanet's
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite sport? baseball
Favorite pair of shoes? the ones Hannah got for me
Favorite thing to do with Mommy? stay home and paint
Favorite thing to do with Daddy? jump on him and tackle him
What makes you happy? staying home with Mommy
What are your really good at? cartwheels
What do you wish for?  I wish to get a pedicure next week on a girl's day
What makes you sad? when I don't stay home with Mommy
What is your favorite memory? when the babies came out of your tummy I was so happy 
Dislikes? tomatoes
What do you want to be when you grow up? a doctor

She made me add this question!  
Who is your favorite princess?  Ariel