3 1/2 Years!

Annaliese turned 3 1/2 on Monday...it's hard to believe! There are so many words that come to mind when I think about how she is growing into her own little person. Enthusiastic. Dramatic. Fun. Stubborn. Caring. Adorable.  She can make me laugh and want to pull my hair out all at the same time!

A little bit about life as a 3 1/2 yr old:

Sleeping: Bedtime is between 7-7:30 pm. Lately, Annaliese has been doing a really good job and has been staying in bed, only getting up if she needs to use the bathroom. The bedtime routine includes a bath, teeth brushing, a fluoride fluoride tablet, and a bedtime story (usually a Bible Story or other devotional.) Then we pray together, Haleigh goes in her crib and either Kyle or I cuddle with Annaliese for a short time. She likes to have her back rubbed in a very specific way and still sleeps with Cat, Penguin, and her blanket. She also still sucks her thumb when she's sleeping or tired.
  Annaliese is supposed to stay in her room until 7:30 when she has a special clock that turns green, indicating that it is time to get up. However, she usually comes into our room at least once before that to use the bathroom. And she rarely goes back to sleep so I think she is up for good somewhere around 6:30 most days.
  Naps are an ever-changing thing. About two days/week she takes a good nap, usually in her tent in the playroom. Sometimes we attempt a 'quiet time' where she is supposed to stay in the playroom and play quietly for a little while and that usually goes ok; other days she is happy and we are too busy doing things to think about a nap!

Eating: Annaliese will eat just about anything on any given day; She is ready for breakfast the moment she gets up and has gotten pretty good about getting herself cereal or oatmeal. If the milk is empty enough, she will pour milk in her cereal as well!

Eating Mac N Cheese...a post grocery shopping weekly tradition

Clothes: Most of her clothes are 3T; She still wears some 2T pants and although she has several drawers full of clothes, she typically wears the same things over and over. (Fuchsia corduroy pants and Princess Anna socks)

Activities: Annaliese loves cutting paper, riding her bike, watching Daniel Tiger, eating chocolate chips, doing puzzles and reading stories. Every day she wakes up and asks what day it is followed by 'And what do we do on (whatever day it is)?' She likes to go places, especially to see her cousin Elias, to play at a park or to go to church. She is also into see how far she can jump off the couch and 'stretching.'

 Watering strawberries...she didn't like the flip flops I had her put on. She wanted to wear her rain boots but couldn't make the rain boots work with her jeans. 

I came out of my room to find her relaxing on the couch...she had Daniel Tiger on and snacks all set up!

This morning I asked Annaliese a few of her favorite things and this is what she said:

Favorite princess: Anna

Favorite color: Pink

Favorite food: Noodles

Favorite Book: the Ariel book at Grandmas house

Favorite toy: reading Bible stories on her purple Kindle

A few other memorable things that are going on right now: She loves to point out whether or not people are wearing short sleeves or long sleeves; She is starting to learn her alphabet and can easily identify and write the letters that are important to her (A for Annaliese, B for Brodie, E for Elias and H for Haleigh are the most common!) Her counting has also significantly improved over the last little while! Kyle and I have definitely talked about how we are glad she will be going to school in the fall and then someone else can figure out how to teach her...because as smart as she is, she doesn't always show it!)

She's picked up a few phrases that she uses at different times like "Shut the front door" and "Oh my goodness" both said with dramatic flair. She will also frequently ask, "how's your day?"  Her vocabulary is expanding rapidly and it's amazing how much she absorbs, even when we don't think she is listening.

While I find this stage rather exhausting, I am also loving it! Annaliese's imagination is expanding and it is becoming possible to do more and more things with her. For the most part, she is also a pretty good big sister, although she has been known to just push Haleigh over for no good reason or  take things that she doesn't want Haleigh to be playing with away from her. But she is also protective of her, likes to help feed her and wants to be close to her!