Birthday Girl

As I mentioned earlier, Aly turned 4 on Tuesday. I know that every parent says this at every birthday for every kid, but I cannot believe that our baby is 4. Three still sounded young and toddler-ish to me, but 4 is...a kid. A full-blown kid! And she is that. She is so into accessories and clothes. (check out the Wal-mart headband she got from a friend that has adorned her head each day since she opened it up on Sunday!) I'm waiting in fear for her to utter the words, "Hannah Montana" or "High School Musical". Yikes!
She is such a sweet girl, and we are thankful for her each and every day. Here's a quick list of just a few of the things we love about our Aly Bug:

1. She is in love with Chad. Not just a little, but unbelievably. She refers to him as her "prince".

2. She rarely goes by Aly. Her usual favorite names to call herself are Rose, Lace, Laura, Butterfly, or Lily.

3. She has started singing prayers at night. These consist of made-up words, made-up tunes, and hand motions.

4. She has an unbelievable memory. When she put on 'the birthday dress' on Tuesday, she said, "when I wore this last year, I had a runny nose."

5. She loves to sit and 'read' books to Caroline (accurately, at that!)

6. She has a tender, tender heart. Disciplining only has to consist of looking at her sternly and she is in tears!

7. She loves to cuddle. And beyond that, she loves to cuddle on the couch, preferably with Chad, watching either football or Tiger Woods.

8. She is so absolutely neat. Unlike her sister, she hates being sticky, dirty, wet, or otherwise "messy".

9. She has an unbelievable imagination and lives in another world a good majority of the day. Luckily, she invites Caroline into it!

10. She is the best big sister, and loves Caroline completely. She watches out for her, misses her when she's gone, and says, "I love talking to Caro at night in my bed."

Waiting to open presents

"Happy birthday, Aly-Boo!"

Annual breakfast at Panera

Birthday snack at school

Birthday celebration at school