Elise is 4!!!! 4/13/06

It is so hard to believe that this little girl is 4 already!!!! Elise is still a little spit-fire, but she is also the sweetest thing! I have learned to embrace her strong personality and know that she will always be able to hold her own. She is so intelligent and is so intuitive about things that most four year olds aren't. She can read people's emotions and always tries to make them happy or comfortable (this does not always apply to Mallory, especially when they are fighting over a toy).

We celebrated her birthday with a special breakfast, a trip to Toys R Us, a hike at Eastwood Park, and cupcakes of course.

Things that I love about Elise at this age:

1. How she will call me in from another room and when I get there she will say, "I just wanted to say I love you".

2. That when she has a really hard decision to make, such as not really wanting to share a favorite toy, she usually "does the right thing".

3. Her infatuation with animals- she helped me cat sit for a neighbor and it made her day! She told Brian that she can't wait until he goes to Heaven so she can get a cat (without realizing that it was not really a nice thing to say). It was so funny!

4. That she gets a little freaked out if you don't say a prayer before you eat.

5. The way she hugs and pats Mallory, even when Mal is a pesky sister

6. How she gets so so so tired at night and just plays with her hair and rambles as I tell her a story about the waves crashing on the beach to get her to relax (her request).

7. She loves hearing the story of her birth, and asks me to add in a part where Scooby Doo and Mysteries Inc come to visit her in the hospital and Freddie Jones holds her (weird, huh).

8. Her awesome negotiation skills. I think she will be a lawyer, but she says she will be a firefighter.

9. Her endless energy and ravenous appetite

10. That grin!!!!