Four years of Grace

September 6, 2019

Dear Grace,

How the time has flown by – you are already fabulously FOUR years old! And I could not be more

1st day of preschool with best friend, Isaac

delighted to have you as my very own 4-year-old daughter. You are sweet, smart, imaginative, clever, kind, brave, self-aware, assertive, coy, creative, loving, and fun. I just can’t get enough of you.

You love to learn. This week you started PreK at a new school, and even though you were both excited and a bit apprehensive, you bravely went into class and immediately got swept away by some new friends and almost forgot to say goodbye! You loved all the activities and when I picked you up and squeezed me so hard and just never wanted to let go. You love to read books. On your birthday we went to the Museum of Play (your favorite!) and with all those toys and dress ups and things to climb and explore… you kept finding books for me to read. You would probably sit and listen to a book, even one with few pictures, for an hour, if I had the stamina. And then you would take the book and read it to yourself. When you watch a movie, you immediately want to reenact the whole thing, with of course costume and props. We recently watched Sound of Music for the First time, and you loved it, and had us pick out enough dolls to be the children, and build a boat for them to fall out of, and a car to take us to the festival, and we went to the stairs to act out the wedding, and… it was impressive how much of the movie you remembered after one viewing! You’ve been singing the songs ever since.  This is my favorite movie, so I am of course over the moon.

Acting our Elsa

You have recently gotten very into art. Especially after spending some time this summer with your very artistic cousin Laika, you are always on the lookout for what could become a project, or what could fulfill some missing part of a project in process. You are not especially good yet at art, but you sure love it, and draw pictures like crazy. They often are pictures of you and Isaac playing together.

Wedding dress

You are a performer. You live for playing dress-up, especially princesses or wedding. In fact, for your 4^th birthday party, it was your idea to invite all your friends, put out all your dress-ups, and play dress-up with your friends. It was a blast! Dede made you a wedding dress for your birthday, and so you act out a different wedding each day, sometimes singing the song from Sound of Music, sometimes clarifying, “I’m not Maria right now, so don’t sing the song.” You often make Isaac play wedding with you, which he does because he likes the part after where you get to dance together. When you aren’t playing wedding, you are playing princess. May May gave you some pretty sweet princess clothes for your birthday, so you are all suited up. You love so much when dresses go all the way down to your feet, and thanks to your grandmas, you now have multiple to choose from. You also love ballet, and fancy yourself to be quite a good ballerina. You are taking a class at the Rec Center called Fairytale Ballet, and it’s pretty

The day we both chopped our hair (your idea!)

much all the best things at once. You also love the Nutcracker.

You are brave. Though as you grow older, you become more aware of the dangers of the world and

the threat of “mean guys,” when you set your mind to something, you do it. We went swimming a bit this summer in a parishioner’s pool, and by the end of our first swim, you were jumping off the diving board. When we first arrived the second time, you went straight to the diving board and jumped in, and by the end, you were swimming across the pool without your floats. This remains your proudest achievement, as you continue to practice going underwater in the tub any chance you get!

You are smart – as Miss Kerri at daycare says, “too smart for her own good.” You remember the craziest stuff, like details about events that have long ago left our own memories, and particular toys at places you have been only once, or something someone said a long time ago, or details about something we did over a year ago, when you barely had the capacity for maintaining memories! We have to be careful around you – you never forget anything!

You are a BOSS. You are quite sure of how things should be, and tell everyone so, and are exasperated if they don't go like you very clearly said they should. You order Isaac around, which he thinks is just fine, and we think is hilarious. We'll see how that pans out as he gets stronger and more opinionated! For now, you are a classic older/younger sibling duo, and Isaac adores you so much that he is just fine with that.

As a newly 4-year-old, you are starting to grow deeper in your wisdom, awareness, and emotional capacity. This shows in your pushing of your limits, as you’ve realized you don’t, actually, have to do everything grown-ups say. We have done our best to continue helping you name your Big Feelings, and make clear boundaries, but well, you are four, and you find ways around them. You’re so darn cute, though, so you can get away with a lot! ;)

For posterity:

Pastor Grace, on our first day at "new church" (St. Paul's)

Favorite color: “all the colors” (but especially pink, red, and purple)

Favorite movie: Cinderella, Sound of Music

Favorite item in the world: Pink Lady

Favorite game: dress-up

Best friends: Isaac, Vivienne, Charlotte, whomever you saw most recently

Favorite foods: strawberries, waffles (with PB, syrup and honey), spaghetti

Things you wear: dresses, ballerina clothes
Favorite TV shows: Paw Patrol, Creative Galaxy

When you grow up: you want to be a mommy, and a pastor. You believe you already are these things.

I love you so much, my loving, bright, sweet little pie!

Love,

Your Mama