that four year old life

birthdays have a way of making me want to take a "snap shot" of my kids' current appearance, preferences, and personalities. it's crazy to think azalea was two only a couple years ago and a lot of her "two year old self" has already faded a bit in my mind. i love going back and reading about and remembering all the things she did in the past. so, here is a glimpse of my girl at 4:

{4 year well check up}

weight: 35 lbs (44%)

height: 40 inches (46%)

her percentages have really leveled off. for years she was tall and super light weight, now she's pretty average :) 

azalea's well check up was last friday. she did a great job, even with the vaccines she had to receive. a couple funny/cute quotes from the appointment: "mama, what's the doctor's name?" me: "dr. irvin, with an i" her: "why does she only have one eye?" and "where did the nurser go?" she gave funny answers to the doctor's questions and fully cooperated with the exam. when i told her the nurse was going to come back and give her a couple shots, she said "is it going to hurt?" and i said "just for a minute, then it will be over." and she said "but i don't want to do it." poor girl. she cried when they did it, but recovered quickly after some snuggles from mama. i was so proud of her and can tell she is growing up. it's bittersweet! 

she had a rough couple days after her shots with 102 fever. much better than any of those diseases though! 

after the appointment, we went to ben & jerry's for a little treat (she only wanted plain chocolate ice cream - which is so her!) and played at the park by lake calhoun. 

{appearance}

hair: still blonde, but it's been darkening over the years. her hair is medium length right now and we'll probably get another hair cut in the next couple months. it's still curly as ever, but we're managing it better with braids (especially at night) to keep the matting/knots away :)

eyes: baby blues! i'm the odd one out in our family with brown eyes.

clothes: mostly in size 4 now, with a few size 5 things thrown in. size 9 shoe. she loves picking out her own clothes most days. i've learned to "let it go" and not care if she wants to wear colors/patterns that totally clash, or the same outfit 3x per week.

{daily routine}

sleep: night is about 8 or 8:30pm to 6:30 or 7am. she likes us to lay with her at night and we do because she is growing up so fast, and has always been a good sleeper. she still takes a nap every day for 2+ hours. for a while i was a little afraid she was going to drop it, but she's been consistent again lately. mama thanks you :) and yes, we realize how lucky we are that she still naps! 

getting ready: always breakfast first thing when she gets up! she is pretty independent with going to the bathroom (but sometimes it's still a big battle to get her to go), she loves brushing her teeth, is able to mostly dress herself and put on socks, shoes, etc. but often demands help. she gets to watch some shows once she is ready for the day. 

breakfast: usually yogurt with toast or frozen waffles

lunch: favorites are mac n cheese, grilled cheese, quesadillas, apple sauce, bananas, strawberries, deli turkey 

dinner: loves pesto pasta, pancakes, tacos, pizza, peas. is pretty good about eating a few bites of any veggies. usually gets a little treat after dinner if she eats well. 

snacks: crackers and cheese, dry cereal, etc 

drink: pretty much exclusively drinks water. loves chocolate milk, but not so much white. doesn't like juice. i hate to admit it, but she likes my iced coffees and usually demands a couple sips.  

i'm realizing what a good eater she has been/is compared to her brother. haha. 

{likes}

coloring, play dough, board games (candy land, matching, picture bingo, etc), tv: team oomi zoomi, olivia, caillou. lots of imaginary play/repeating lines from her shows in detail, books: curious george, the little mermaid, madeline. movies: little mermaid, princess and the frog, frozen. loves dressing up in princess dresses, playing chase with ashford, going to the park, going to school, going to culver's, talking/making noise, telling me what your "favorite" and "not my favorite" is. 

{dislikes}

being told to do things she doesn't want to do and vice versa, going to the bathroom, doing things herself (we hear a lot of "i cannnn't. you do it!")

{school}

still going to the park board preschool by our house 2 mornings/week from 9:30-12. it's been a great experience. one of her friends just joined her friday class, so she's been excited about that. working on writing her name, but she has a ways to go. has started drawing faces. did well at her kindergarten screening, so i have no worries about her starting kindergarten in fall 2016. 

{azalea says...}

these go way back, but i want to get them recorded on here:

leading up to ashford's birthday "but he doesn't want to have a birthday!"

she always asks to put on my lip balm, then after i put some on her, she says "ughhhhh discuzzies!"

"i don't want to have a belly button anymore"

"i'm gonna put my apron on so we can bake green onions"

every time we count down the days til florida, she says "mama, it's not "x" it's 28!!" (which is the day of the month we are leaving).

"mama, the snow is like butter"

"that's fantastic!"

us: "azalea, what is your middle name?"

azalea" "grandma dorothy"

"mama are you wearing your morning bra?"

me: "azalea, why do you like ursula (the sea witch from the little mermaid) so much?"

azalea: "she's mean!....and she wears a black bra."

so far 4 has been much easier than 3. i can tell azalea is learning to manage her emotions better these days. tantrums are few and far between (but crying & whining isn't). haha! it's encouraging to see her maturing, but with that comes a whole lot more negotiating. oh lord. i'm sure it's only the beginning :)