March 21, 2015
Dear Sarah,
I think that a quote your favorite movie, Frozen, best sums up how I feel about this birthday. That quote is, "Wait! What?!" And I mean it! How in the world did this happen?! Last year at this time you were in day care - now you're in preschool! In the past year you've learned to play soccer, swim, and dance. You can write your name. You know your address (mostly). You're fearless at the playground, and you exhibit strong leadership characteristics in any crowd (which is to say, you take charge!). Most importantly, you've become a big sister this year, and I couldn't be prouder of how you've managed this tremendous change! You are sweet and loving to Kate, and you are helpful and patient (most of the time) with me and Daddy. You continue to amaze me with your ability to care for others, and the obvious bond between you and Kate is something that I will always be a little envious of!
A few things haven't changed in the past year, though. You still love Paw Patrol and Frozen. Grace is still your closest friend. Ellie is still your very favorite possession, and you have to have her near you at all times. Whenever you are stressed or sad, you "wiggle" her tail by rubbing it between your pointer and middle fingers. You still love books and songs, and we still fight every night about how many you should get before you have to go to sleep.
One thing that has changed, though, is the fact that YOU now tell stories. You tell long, detailed stories about your "old grandma and grandpa" and your "old mom and dad" who live in your imaginary town of Chinese Creek. Most of the time, these stories start with you saying, "Have you heard the story of my old grandma?" And then you tell us all about the time she took you in a submarine (you really like the song "Yellow Submarine") or some other equally impossible but incredibly imaginative scenario. You also frequently make up your own songs and jokes. Here are some of your current favorite jokes:
You: Knock, knock.
Willing Participant: Who's there?
You: Snake.
Willing Participant: Snake who?
You: Blueberry snake! (Then you laugh and laugh...)
You: Do you know how geese play soccer?
Willing Participant: No.
You: They wear your soccer shoes! (You really crack yourself up!)
Your imagination is astounding to me, and you LOVE imaginary play right now. You spend hours playing with your dolls or with your Paw Patrol action figures. Sometimes they have big adventures. Sometimes they are coping with every day problems like hurt feet or hungry tummies. Most frequently, though, someone has an accident and they require urgent medical care in the form of a bandage. See, in your world, band aids (which you call bandages) fix everything. And you need them. Lots and lots of them. All the time. For every single tiny little bump or scratch. I think if you actually required a band aid because you were bleeding you wouldn't know what to do!
A few things haven't changed in the past year, though. You still love Paw Patrol and Frozen. Grace is still your closest friend. Ellie is still your very favorite possession, and you have to have her near you at all times. Whenever you are stressed or sad, you "wiggle" her tail by rubbing it between your pointer and middle fingers. You still love books and songs, and we still fight every night about how many you should get before you have to go to sleep.
One thing that has changed, though, is the fact that YOU now tell stories. You tell long, detailed stories about your "old grandma and grandpa" and your "old mom and dad" who live in your imaginary town of Chinese Creek. Most of the time, these stories start with you saying, "Have you heard the story of my old grandma?" And then you tell us all about the time she took you in a submarine (you really like the song "Yellow Submarine") or some other equally impossible but incredibly imaginative scenario. You also frequently make up your own songs and jokes. Here are some of your current favorite jokes:
You: Knock, knock.
Willing Participant: Who's there?
You: Snake.
Willing Participant: Snake who?
You: Blueberry snake! (Then you laugh and laugh...)
You: Do you know how geese play soccer?
Willing Participant: No.
You: They wear your soccer shoes! (You really crack yourself up!)
Your imagination is astounding to me, and you LOVE imaginary play right now. You spend hours playing with your dolls or with your Paw Patrol action figures. Sometimes they have big adventures. Sometimes they are coping with every day problems like hurt feet or hungry tummies. Most frequently, though, someone has an accident and they require urgent medical care in the form of a bandage. See, in your world, band aids (which you call bandages) fix everything. And you need them. Lots and lots of them. All the time. For every single tiny little bump or scratch. I think if you actually required a band aid because you were bleeding you wouldn't know what to do!
Your vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds, and you are losing that baby-like quality of speaking. You do still say a few things funny - my favorites are "chocolate bon-doo" instead of chocolate fondue (mentioned, of course, in a song from Frozen) and the way you say "sure" like you've been raised in inner-city Boston. I also love that when you are teasing someone or telling tales, you say, "I joked him!"
We now have deep conversations about important things. You want to know why there are lines down the middle of the road and what every sign we pass says. You asked about the cemetery as we drove past the other day and I explained that when people die, they are buried there. You wanted to know if I would die, and I told you that everything and everyone eventually dies, but that I hope I live a long, long time so I can see you grow and learn. You were quiet for a minute, then you asked if God dies, too. I said no, and you asked why not. I didn't have a good answer, so I just said that He's God, and He gets to do things that people don't get to do. You just nodded your head and said, "Oh! Like Curious George!" (At the end of each episode of Curious George, they say, "George is a monkey, and he can do things you can't do." You, apparently, have generalized this.)
You love to run. Each day, we stop to get the mail at the mailbox on our way home. As soon as I stop the car, you grab the garage door opener and run home, delighting in beating the car in a race. You ask almost daily if we can go on a "run walk." This involves the two of us running for 2-3 driveways, then walking so you can pick up sticks and rocks to add to your ever-growing collection. You aren't particularly fast or coordinated (you tend to fall a lot while running!), but you sure do enjoy it!
I am so amazed by how grown up you are, my love. But I am equally pleased that you still want to cuddle and hold my hand. I love that each night at bedtime you demand a hug and a kiss and an Eskimo kiss and a fist bump (which is really just you pretending that your fist is a crocodile and my fist is a turtle and then they talk and play until I shut it down and try to make you go to sleep). You wear enormous shoes (size 11 1/2!), but my shoes and Daddy's shoes still look huge on you when you walk around in them. You can pour your own milk and make your own cereal, but you still want me to pick a snack for you after school each day. You can say the alphabet forward and backward (seriously - where did you pick up THAT skill?!), you can count to 40, and you can read a few sight words (can, a, the, girl, and boy). You are growing up so fast, Sassafras, and I can't wait to have more conversations with you as you learn about friendships and empathy or how birds build nests and why we should be concerned about the environment. But know that I treasure each moment of your journey. I still sit in your room at night and just listen to you breathe. I still feel my soul soar each time I hear you laugh. I still consider you my baby, Sarah Jane, and I still love you with all my heart.
Happy 4th Birthday, Sarah!
Love,
Mommy
You love to run. Each day, we stop to get the mail at the mailbox on our way home. As soon as I stop the car, you grab the garage door opener and run home, delighting in beating the car in a race. You ask almost daily if we can go on a "run walk." This involves the two of us running for 2-3 driveways, then walking so you can pick up sticks and rocks to add to your ever-growing collection. You aren't particularly fast or coordinated (you tend to fall a lot while running!), but you sure do enjoy it!
I am so amazed by how grown up you are, my love. But I am equally pleased that you still want to cuddle and hold my hand. I love that each night at bedtime you demand a hug and a kiss and an Eskimo kiss and a fist bump (which is really just you pretending that your fist is a crocodile and my fist is a turtle and then they talk and play until I shut it down and try to make you go to sleep). You wear enormous shoes (size 11 1/2!), but my shoes and Daddy's shoes still look huge on you when you walk around in them. You can pour your own milk and make your own cereal, but you still want me to pick a snack for you after school each day. You can say the alphabet forward and backward (seriously - where did you pick up THAT skill?!), you can count to 40, and you can read a few sight words (can, a, the, girl, and boy). You are growing up so fast, Sassafras, and I can't wait to have more conversations with you as you learn about friendships and empathy or how birds build nests and why we should be concerned about the environment. But know that I treasure each moment of your journey. I still sit in your room at night and just listen to you breathe. I still feel my soul soar each time I hear you laugh. I still consider you my baby, Sarah Jane, and I still love you with all my heart.
Happy 4th Birthday, Sarah!
Love,
Mommy
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