Hailey: 4 years

Hailey is 4. FOUR. It just seems ridiculous, how can that be? But it is. And then she will be 5 and then 6 and then 7... Hailey loves to remind us of this. She is already looking forward to her next birthday, because then she will be 5 and she will get to go to kindergarten. Poor girl doesn't understand that she will still have to wait nearly a year after that before she gets to go to kindergarten. The woes of a fall birthday.

We also hear all kinds of talk from her about what she can do now that she is four. Four year olds love  (blank). Four year olds can (blank). And then she tells us all about the things three year olds can't do. And all about the fabulous things she can do when she is five and six, and 16. Really, just a day or two ago she told me that when she is 16 she will go to the gym to exercise (or x-ray as she calls it). If only growing older was that exciting as an adult.  

This girl is a bundle of fun. She loves to be silly. She loves to run and jump and make silly faces. Her latest trick is to do spin jumps from the couch to the monster sac. She actually gets some pretty good rotation! 

Hailey loves to read, read, read. She is always looking for someone to sit down so she can quickly grab and book and plop down next to them, shoving the book in their hands before they even realize what is happening. We go to the library just about every week to change out our selection of books so reading books is an enjoyable experience for everyone, Mom and Dad (and Papa and Rara) included.

Besides reading, Hailey loves to play games. If she isn't wanting to read books, she is wanting to play a game. I think this is fun, I'm always down for game playing. Our current favorites are Sequence for Kids and The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game.

Hailey hasn't ever been very interested in drawing and coloring. She would do it, but wouldn't focus on it for very long. A couple scribbles and she's done. Until she hit 4. For her it seemed to be a magical turning point where she began spending a good amount of time coloring a picture, selecting specific colors for specific details of the picture, and the beginning of drawing actual images with meaning. Hailey's first family portrait:

Notice how Hailey's hair is so long, like Rapunzel's? I also love how small Keira is and how much bigger Hailey is.

Hailey loves preschool. Everyday she asks me what tomorrow is and what we're doing. She's always excited when it's a preschool day. She has made new friends, learned fun songs, and can recite the pledge of allegience, days of the week, and the months of the year. It's been a fun social experience for her.

It appears that Hailey has her first boyfriend. As much as I don't want to admit it, it seems to be true. Hailey and her friend Carter are nearly inseparable at preschool. Complete with hand holding and hugs. I've been told they have to be separated because they're too close. I often get requests from Hailey to play at Carter's house and or have him at ours. Their latest request has been for a sleepover. What are we in for when she is a teenager? 

Thank goodness she is 4. For now...