Happy Fourth Birthday to Our Olivia Cate!

My Dear Girl,

Today you are four!  But you’re basically four going on fourteen. 

At four, you are much the same as you were at three.  Your leadership skills have only strengthened and you almost always have a pack of girls (and boys) following you around on the playground. 

You are perhaps the jolliest little gal I’ve ever met, and you are always smiling, laughing, and being silly.  You are always happily smacking people on the arm or the back to get them to join in with your excitement, and you let out random whoops and hollers sometimes for no reason at all.  We lovingly refer to you as our drunk college girl because, well, a lot of the time that’s what you look like. 

You never. stop. making. noise.  Like, ever.  You are constantly talking, singing, and making noise.  Even when you’re chewing your food at mealtime you are humming.  It seriously never ends, and I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing some yellow and red lights in the fall when you start at your new school because you just always have something to say and I highly doubt you’re going to be able to keep your mouth shut all day in class. 

You are still obsessed with princesses and this past year has been the year of Moana.  You, of course, still love Anna and Elsa and Belle and the whole gang, but your love for Moana was probably stronger than your love for any other princess this past year. 

However, this past year, your love has grown exponentially for a new character, and she happens to not be a princess… she’s a super hero!  You are completely and utterly OBSESSED with PJ Masks and Owlette is your new favorite character.  You received an Owlette costume for Christmas this past year and I think you wear that more often than anything now. 

You love to dress up, and when we’re at home you are always in some kind of costume… I think you have about 20 different dress-up outfits now. 

Being naked still trumps all, though.  You would run around naked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week if we would let you. 

This past year has been the year that your attention span has finally stretched out long enough to sit down and watch entire shows and movies, but you still wouldn’t sit there all day like your brother would if we would let him. 

Your favorites right now are PJ Masks (as I already discussed) and sometimes Masha’s Spooky Stories… but mostly PJ Masks.  Did I already mention that?  ;o)

You are now wearing 5T shirts but you can still fit into most 4Ts and you are mostly wearing 4T pants, but you can also still squeeze into 3Ts if they’re stretchy.  You refuse to wear jeans most of the time, and you just want to live in leggings… a girl after my own heart.

You are still the pickiest eater on the planet and you rarely sit and eat an entire meal… unless it’s peanut butter and jelly, of course.  And it has to be the “pocket peanut and jellies” AKA Smuckers Uncrustables that we keep in the freezer.  You would eat those for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if we would let you.  Well, as long as Mexican cheese dip wasn’t around.  You LOVE some Mexican food and you love the cheese dip so much you eat it by itself.  Who needs chips?! 

We moved Jacob to a full-size bed about a year ago and just recently we rearranged his room which prompted you to start asking when you can have your big girl full-size bed.  I’m not quite ready for that, but since you are I guess we probably need to look into it.  Sigh.  Where does the time go?

Although, I’m not even sure why you’re even asking for a new bed, because you STILL end up in ours every. single. night.  And I secretly never ever want it to end.  <3

You adore animals and we are contstantly saying that you are going to be a veterinarian.  The first time you met Uncle Zachy and Aunt Cheryl’s 100 pound Doberman, you walked straight up to him, gave him a big ol’ bear hug, and immediately started talking to him in a high sing-sing loving voice.  You weren’t afraid at all. 

You don’t listen to a flipping word we say. Ever.  You always do what you want and it can be soooo frustrating at times.

You are still soooo clumsy, girl!  I keep thinking that you’re going to outgrow it one of these days, but I’m beginning to think that might not ever happen.  My daily wish of wrapping you up in bubble wrap is still going strong.  And I swear, I’m the worst helicopter parent when you’re on the playground because I’m so afraid you’re going to fall off of something.  And knocking over drinks!  Lawd have mercy, you knock your drink over at literally almost every meal.  It’s insane.  We recently went back to putting your drinks in cups with lids because you just can’t handle regular cups. 

In addition to being clumsy, you still put everything in your mouth!  It’s like living with a teething eight month old!  I’ve never seen anything like it!  You completely defy the “Ages 3+ choking hazard” labels on all of the toys because you still haven’t outgrown this weird habit!

You are also one of the most decisive, yet indecisive people I have ever met.  You always know what you want, yet you always say the thing that you don’t want first.  We know to wait about 30 seconds because you always change your mind.  Me: “Olivia, would you like a hot dog or peanut butter and jelly for lunch?”  You: “Ummmm HOT DOGS!”  Wait for it… “NO, I WANT PEANUT AND JELLY!” 

Every.  Single.  Time.  

You are a piece of work, girl, and I mean that in the very best of ways!  You have stolen our hearts and we love you fiercely.  Just as you love us as well.  I say this every year, and I’m probably going to continue until I stop writing these letters, but our lives would be utterly boring without you, my girl!  You are definitely the fun one of the bunch!  

We love you so SO much.

Happy, happy birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Birthday Letter - Age 2

Birthday Letter - Age 3