Happy Birthday, Julia!

My sweet, sweet girl turned 4 today! I just can't believe it. I remember finding out I was pregnant with Julia, going through the pregnancy, the delivery, the first few weeks at home like it was yesterday. I can play much of it back in my mind without a bit of video or photos to remind me of that special time in our life. So much has happened in our lives since Julia joined us and I know that I am a better person for knowing her. She teaches me so much about life, love and compassion for others on a daily basis. There is so much depth to this little girl of ours that I often find myself saying that she is an old soul. She is wise beyond her years and I find myself often forgetting just how young she really is - just 4 today! How can someone so young have had such a huge influence in my life?

Julia, you had a wonderful day today! You've been looking forward to your birthday since the summer and are so happy that it finally came! The thing you looked forward to the most was having your cousins spend the night at our house - TWO days, just as your requested! You had so much fun playing with Mary and Elizabeth and were happy to have everyone else join us in the fun for your party at home with the grandparents and with your friends at Joann Fabrics. You selected all the paper products for your birthday and, although you were leaning towards Hello Kitty again just like last year, you decided on a princess theme. We decorated a foam picture frame, played pin the tail on the donkey, frosted and sprinkled cupcakes and had a great time helping you make today special.

This year we saw you grow up so much! You started pre-school and became much more outgoing. You still love to swing and are so happy we now have a swing set in our yard and prefer to be pushed instead of working to swing on your own. You love playing "school" at home and are a fantastic teacher to Emma and all your dolls. Flash cards, books, dolls with blankets, and coloring/crafts are your favorite things to play with, but this year you also fell in love with Candyland and have become quite good at it along with learning how to be a gracious loser. You know how to write your name along with how to spell and write Mommy, Daddy, Emma, Finn, and puppy. You are so curious about the world and love to go on our outings to the orchard, museums, library, park and pretty much anyplace else we go. Cats are your most recent favorite animal. You love to dance and sing with music. You have a collection of CDs that you rotate in the CD player and dance all around the house and tease Daddy with some of your dance moves. Your favorite song is Just Dance by Lady Gaga and you also like quite a few of Pink's songs. When in the car you often request I play certain songs on my iPod and it's usually the songs from Signing Times and then Lady Gaga when I say it's time to switch to Mommy's music. You still watch Barney but have recently moved onto Caillou as your favorite show along with Signing Times and the Leap Frog series of videos. You frequently skip your afternoon nap to spend some alone time with Mommy or Daddy while Emma naps. I'm amazed at how much you remember - you often bring up stuff that happened more than 6 months ago and ask me if I remember when such and such happened. You have a huge heart and love your sister so much. We are so lucky to have you as a daughter. We love you so much, Julia Margaret, and are excited that you had a wonderful year and look forward to seeing you grow more this year.