.anna turns four.

As I tucked my three year old into bed last night, she held up one little finger in front of her face. One finger left, having worked her way down from all ten...and then some. "One more sleep till I turn four?" she asked. I confirmed that yes, indeed, she would wake up the next morning a full fledged four year old. She squealed and declared her love for me, as she often does when things are going her way. I just read over Anna's birthday post from last year, and am once again struck by how quickly twelve months fly by, and how much those months contain. This has been a wonderful year with Anna. Although she still has a flaming stubborn streak; she is finally starting to grow out of that "terrible two/three" stage! It's so fun having conversations with her as her understanding and comprehension grow, yet she maintains a bit of her baby-ish lisp and logic :) Though she's the smallest member of the family, she quite often sets the tone for the mood of the household. If she's in good spirits, she has us all laughing...if not, look out. Anna's favourite thing is playing with her sisters...hands down. When they are away at school, she asks at least a dozen times as day, when they will be back so she can play with them. When the girls are home, but occupied with more "grown-up" activities, she asks how long until they will play with her again. She is ready for either a) another sibling or b) school. Option a) is NOT an option, and so we countdown the 10 months until she starts kindergarten. I know already how bittersweet this will be. I look forward to all the free time I will have to edit without interruption and go on spontaneous lunch dates with Steve or girlfriends. But, it aches my heart to know that when I write this post next year, she will be spending 5 out of 7 days a week, not with me. My baby.
Anna Grace - You are a gift of the greatest kind! I had no idea how much I needed you...my 3rd little girl. You have a fire in you, and I pray that you don't lose it, but that you allow it to spur you forward when things are hard, to ground you when things appear uncertain, and that you would love the Lord, your family, friends and those around you with this beautiful, burning love. I love you lambchop.