Jane is 4

Our Jane turned 4 on Saturday. She was so excited for her birthday and had been anticipating her big day for many weeks. Over the past few days she has been telling everyone that she had a birthday and that she is 4. They had a birthday crown for her to decorate at school on Monday and she was over the moon!

Jane has grown so much over the past year. She has learned to ride a bike, slide down the fire pole at the park, buckle her own seat belt and get dressed by herself. She has always been very independent and I know this trait will serve her well in life. Jane also is very social and loves to make new friends. When we go to the park or are in a new situation, Jane is able to make friends easily. Last month she had her first kiss from a little boy. They were saying goodbye, exchanging hugs and then BAM a kiss or two on the lips. I don't think I am ready for that just yet. If Jane had it her way, she would have a playmate by her side for most of the day. We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood that is surrounded by kids. Luckily for Jane, two of her favorite girlfriends live on our street.

Jane is really enjoying preschool this year and especially loves her teacher Ms. Liz. I thought that four days of preschool each week may be a little much, but Jane loves school. She is learning all sorts of new things and has especially enjoyed exploring the garden. Although she has her favorite foods and doesn't like to venture far from these favorites, Jane will eat broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and corn. They will be making salad at school this week and I am eager to see if she will try it. She is learning that sometimes new foods taste really good.

Jane also enjoys going to church. She has LOVED primary and was so excited when she was the Star of the Week in early September. She loves the primary songs, activities and lessons that are taught. I am always amazed at what she retains and feel so fortunate that she has two fabulous teachers.

Jane is our little artist. She loves to create and enjoys coloring, painting, drawing with chalk, and decorating with stickers. She also likes to display her creations and uses PLENTY of scotch tape to stick them to the wall. I often have to sift through her art projects and decide what needs to be recycled. She can write most of her letters and is now displaying "NO" or "ON" signs around the house to keep Cate out of her way. It's pretty comical.

Jane has a big imagination and really enjoys pretend play. She plans tea parties, puts on dance shows, packs her bags for trips to South Carolina, plays doggies and decorates the house for various parties. Her favorite activity is playing baby and mother, which I kind of loathe. I play baby and mother all day, so it's not something I really like to "play" but I can be convinced to play some of the time. Luckily she has friends that are more enthusiastic about this game and are willing to play along.

Jane is our sweet girl and is a good big sister to Cate and Lizzie. She also enjoys playing with other young children and is a good friend to those that are younger than she is. It can be challenging for her to play with her almost 2 year old sister but she tries her best. I love walking into a room to find Jane playing with Cate or singing to Lizzie while laying by her side gazing into her eyes and singing to her.

Jane we love you so much and look forward to sharing another great year with you. Your spunk and excitement for life are contagious and we are so grateful to have you in our family.

Here are a few pictures from Jane's big day. We started off by opening presents. You have to love the pajama shot of the whole family.

After we opened presents, we had a breakfast of homemade waffles. Jane requested the waffles AND whip cream. We aim to please.

Later that afternoon, we headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Jane enjoyed seeing the different animals but the carousel was the highlight for her. There is is wearing her new pink dress from Grandma. She has worn it 3 days in a row and would have worn it again today if it wasn't dirty. 

A picture of the Chicago skyline with Grandma and Grandpa just before dinner. 

We seem to have more success with the silly pictures these days.

After dinner we made our way to Molly's cupcakes, where the girls enjoyed cake batter cupcakes, complete with blue frosting. Happy 4th Birthday Jane Bear!