Four

We continued our "year of lame birthday celebrations" in 2013 when Kaitlynn turned 4 last month. Since Kaitlynn was able to celebrate her birthday with her preschool classmates in May, I didn't feel as guilty as I should have for not making a big deal out of her special day.

The birthday girl with some of her birthday jewels.

On Kaitlynn's actual birthday, we celebrated with some birthday donuts before VBS. Then she took a big box of donut holes to share with her VBS class.

Enjoying birthday donuts before VBS.

After VBS, we drove across town to see Dr. Pope for Kaitlynn's 4-year checkup. I felt bad about taking her on her actual birthday (because as everyone knows, age 4 is a big year for shots!) but it was the only time we could find before August. Kaitlynn wasn't thrilled about the shots, but she was so brave. She likes to remind me now that she won't have to do that again until she's 11! And as for her stats, Kaitlynn weighed 41.8 pounds (90th percentile) and was 40.25 inches tall (70th percentile).

Later that night, Kevin joined us and we had a combined birthday dinner for he and Kaitlynn at Rainforest Cafe. These two will forever be special birthday buddies!

After dinner, Kaitlynn had a few small presents to open. She tore through them so quickly!!

I don't know about other Moms, but I have been COUNTING THE DAYS for this 4th birthday. Age 3 was HARD for us. It was tough with Connor, too, but with Kaitlynn it was almost brutal. The whining, mood swings, defiance, and tantrums were almost too much to bear. Don't get me wrong, Kaitlynn can be SUCH a sweet and loving child. But if she doesn't get her way....WATCH OUT!!

So Kaitlynn and I have been talking about age 4 for a long time. I would tell her that I was so excited for her 4th birthday because I just KNEW she was going to act like such a big girl now. And since we are changing schools this fall, I've been reminding Kaitlynn that her new school expects "big girl behavior" and that her 3-year-old behavior needed to stop. Maybe that has helped a bit, plus we've finally gotten a little more settled after such a crazy spring. In any case, I can definitely see improvements in Kaitlynn's behavior. She has been whining a lot less (or she is sometimes able to stop after a gentle reminder) and seems better able to control her moods. Sometimes when she is on the verge of a tantrum, I remind her that she's 4 now and she needs to act like a big girl instead of a 3-year-old. Occasionally, she'll remember that she's 4 and she'll immediately stop whining and start talking in a clear voice. Amazing!

Kaitlynn makes us smile SO much. She just couldn't be anymore girly than she is, with her love of dress-up, tea parties, makeup, and jewelry. She has to carry a purse when she leaves the house, and it's packed with all her essentials (cell phone, lipstick, and pretend snacks, of course). Lately my parents have started calling her "Little Lauri" because well, she is SO much like her Mommy. Some of the stories my parents love to tell about me as an independent, strong-willed little girl are being re-enacted all these years later by Kaitlynn. Even though I may not find it so funny, my parents sure get a kick out of it! Ha!

Our little princess -- with an attitude! Ha!