Four years

Four

Yes our 2nd child (or middle child---though I don't at all like that description because it sounds so negative) is officially 4 years old! And she has been for the past month! So 2 days ago I was officially a  month overdue in writing this post! I'm amazed at how fast the last four years have flown by with her. 

Here is our girl getting ready to go home from the hospital! 

8 months old! A very spunky girl indeed!

This girl is so full of life and zeal.....definitely never a dull moment with her! From constant singing at the top of her lungs the moment she awakes in the morning, to major outbursts of emotions and drama at the siting of an insect/loud noise, etc. She does add so much energy and excitement to our family for sure.

1st birthday---wow how much our family has changed and grown since then! 2 months later (well, a little less than 2 months later) we added Mary Etta to our family--so crazy how fast we changed!

I think one of my favorites---loving every bite of that cupcake at her party!! She still says "she's hungry" after most meals---which really just means she wants some sugar!

 Just recently she had her "testing" for her new preschool she will attend in the fall---she is going to be going to the same school Reed will go to for kindergarten. We had thought we'd just use the same preschool that we used for him but it ended up becoming a very possible option to send them to the same place---which will be so worth it for convenience---and her teacher will be a good friend of ours, so we couldn't be more pleased with this decision! But at her testing the headmistress commented "she is such a delightful child." That pretty much sums her up! She loves life, and definitely soaks up any one-on-one attention she can get! I know this is probably a middle child characteristic unfortunately.

2 years old---again probably another all time favorite photo!

Last year turning 3----just so excited; as this describes her most days!

I wanted to capture where we are at 4 years old...........so thought I would list 4 special things about our "Emmie" (yes I often call her Emery-Claire most of the time; but in our house she is often referred to as Emmie too!).............

1) Loves Life! This child is so full of life and just excited about it most of the time! She constantly expresses her zeal and passion throughout the day in all she does!

2) Has such a sweet heart, and we pray it's being softened daily by the Holy Spirit. She will belt out a version of "joy to the world" or "Jesus loves me" day and night; inside, outside, etc. We've found her multiple times on an outdoor toybox singing at the top of her lungs and calling out our 90something neighbor's name. So maybe a future gifted evangelist like her Daddy!

Definitely our girly girl!

3) Truly loves and craves one-on-one attention! Sometimes it seems like she needs it much more than the other 2, so not sure if this is just her personality or because she quickly grew into the big sister role when she was just a baby herself at mere 14 months. I know this was all God's plan for our family so I can't worry about how our quick change affected her---because at the same time her and her sister adore  each other and play so well together most of the time!

4) She is a blessing and more loved than she really knows! Even though her little personality can often be trying & exhausting we still are ever so thankful for this girl and that she is apart of our family! Since Casey came from a family of mostly boys and really only 1 girl from his dad's side I was so sure that we would just have boys as did his brother. So when we found out we were having her and then to find out she was a girl----I was beyond elated! We are so blessed and thankful that the Lord chose this sweet girl to be our second child, and how much He uses her in our lives as well! Happy 4th birthday Emery-Claire, we love you so much more than you know!!