I wish I remember what it was like being a 4 year old girl. When I look at my daughter, I think it must have been pretty great. Mike and I always chuckle because she is in her own world. She is in Graceland. She prances around the house with her hands on her hips for no reason that I can see other than it is fun for her. When I'm having a typical conversation with her she is literally jumping around in circles, flapping her hands at her sides, with a huge grin on her face. When music comes on, she shakes her little tush and then glances up at me to see if I'm enjoying her (which I am!). She will repeat the same one or two words over and over again as she's trying to formulate her ideas and get the words out. She talks with her hands like a preacher or a politician and with her intense faces tries to communicate how important it is that she plant the apple seed so that we can have an apple tree grow in our yard. She picks leaves on our walks and gently places them into bowls that she fills with water so that a flower can grow.
I can't get enough of this girl. She asks God for the rain to stop so
that we don't get wet (and when she has done this it has always stopped
within a few minutes). When something falls to the floor and it doesn't break
she declares, "Thank you God for keeping that safe!" When we go for
bike rides she pedals her short legs all while singing her heart out,
as we pass every house around the block. When you ask how old she is now, she
says fur. I never knew the word four could sound so cute. She
notices all sorts of details. When we pulled into the garage today she noticed
that one of our flowers was closing up (probably because it's so cold
outside). She reminds me to water my herbs and then pulls a little off to
"have a little snack." She has so much spirit and emotion
wrapped up in her 4 year old body.As each one of my children get older, I see myself enjoying and valuing their uniqueness more each day. The older they get, the more their personality develops. I love different things about each of my kids. And one of the many things that I love about my fur year old is that she can go to Graceland and be completely satisfied and content. She is oblivious to what is going on around her but she's completely present in her world. Like I said, what a wonderful place to be! I hear all the time that this time goes by so fast. So I'm looking for the little things that make Grace who she is. She makes me smile all throughout the day because of what she says or does. I'm waiting for the day when she invites me to take a trip to Graceland. I think I will say yes!
