Happy FOURTH Birthday, Whitney!!!

(Warning: I am not apologizing for the extreme number of pictures in this post.  They all NEED to be here :) It was a great year!)
Carry on....

So I feel like this was last month:

http://katbass.blogspot.com/2009/04/whitney-faith-is-home.html

May 2012

And this was last week:

http://katbass.blogspot.com/2010/04/some-more-saturday-party-pics.html

June 2012

And really, this was just last Saturday, right?

http://katbass.blogspot.com/2011/04/happy-2nd-birthday-whitney.html

July 2012

and this?

http://katbass.blogspot.com/2011/04/whitneys-party-day.html

August 2012

And, admittedly, this is a little blurry in my memory bank, but it was only, like, two days ago, no??

http://katbass.blogspot.com/2012/05/whitneys-3rd-birthday.html

September 2012

And now...here we are....happily skipping into her FOURTH birthday.

Sigh.

I cant complain. Looking back through those blog posts from previous birthdays, I am reminded of just how blessed we have been through the years. It really does just keep getting better and better!

Whitney is such a HAPPY girl.  She is friendly and smiley and truly sees the good in everything.  Sure, she is moody and has divattude nailed down when she wants to, but in general, she is the most well-behaved kid I know. And Im totally not biased :)

October 2012

Whitney wears 4t, 5t, and even some 6/6x clothes now.  She wears a 9 or 10 shoe and sandal, and can put shoes on and take them off on her own.  She can undress herself as long as the shirt isnt snug, and she dresses herself nicely as long as I lay the clothes out on her bed.

Whitney absolutely LOVES her teachers, Ms. Lori and Ms. Maria. LOVES.  They are so great with all the students, but I love that they really genuinely LOVE the kids and KNOW Whitney's personality inside and out.  She loves to sit in Ms. Lori's lap during chapel, and hug her legs on the field trip :)

November 2012

Whitney still naps most days, and even acknowledges when she needs a nap.  When she comes home from school on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, she gets to watch one TV show and then she heads right into her room and takes a nap.  She rarely protests and frequently sleeps for two or three hours.  On non-school days, I often allow her to skip her nap as long as she's behaving, being nice, talking nicely, etc.


But if she misses a nap too many days in a row, we definitely see it in her behavior and the way she treats others. On those days, she usually ends in a teary sob, "I fink I should have taken a nap today!!"

December 2012

 I dont plan our days around her naps the way I do for Grady since she is older, and my mom frequently reminds me that *I* didnt nap after I was one year old, and *most kids her age* dont nap anymore.  But it works for us and for Whitney.  When she skips naps, it shows. She's four and SHE recognizes the difference. Our kids wont always need naps, but until its obvious that she doesnt need the rest, Im loving the nap time as much as Whitney. :)

January 2013

Whitney loves to be outside, at parks or Disney or the beach (wow, does she LOVE the beach!?) or on our porch, but she has very little desire to ride a bike or use her scooter or any other outdoor equipment.  I keep thinking this will be the summer she learns how to ride her bike or scooter, but she's just not that into it.  She would rather pick flowers or pretend to be in Neverland or draw with chalk or blow bubbles.  Im sorta okay with that since I fear her brother will be the one with all the scrapes, bumps, bruises, and stitches in my near future!

Whitney is learning how to sound out words and write all her letters! She is so excited about learning these skills, and frequently asks us "What does this say? And this say? And this say?" as she points to cereal boxes or street signs or DVD cases or books.  She gets soooo proud of herself when she sounds out a word and races to show us when she writes letters correctly.  She has learned how to use scissors and peel stickers off a page and her fine motor skills are all age appropriate.  Not ahead, and not behind.

February 2013

Whitney has the BEST imagination of any kid Ive ever met. And her memory blows me away.  She can remember who gave her every single stuffed animal, game, or toy in the house.  She remembers things we say only one time and can recall the info months later.  She remembered that we ate pulled pork from the crockpot at the beach last July after we took family pictures on the beach.  With all the events and excitement in the last year, I cant believe she remembers the tiniest details like that.

She still mispronounces some words and sounds, but I am not correcting her because its cute and not a big deal. :) She asks, "Can I please have my window out?" when she wants her window down in the car. And she STILL says "heart beep" instead of "heart beat"....and I will never correct her :)  A current favorite is "farkle". As in, "Look! This dress has farkles on it!" and "Ohh, the stars are soooo farkley!" I dont ever want her to say "sparkle". :)

March 2013

Whitney is the BEST big sister I could ever imagine.  She really loves being a big sister and is so patient with us as we tend to the things her brother requires, and so patient with Grady as he climbs over her, steals her toys, and drools on her blankie.  She makes him laugh harder than anyone else on the planet, and he thinks she is the best person in the universe.  This arrangement works out nicely for both of them :)

Whitney loves stuffed animals more than any other toy or game right now.  She frequently has ten or twelve "guys" crowding the bed, and cries when her behavior threatens to see those stuffies tucked away in her toy box for the night.  She isnt into dolls or specific princesses, though her dress-up drawers still get quite a workout as she wears Snow White or Merida quite often.

April 2013

Happy Birthday, Whitterbug! We love you to the moon and back and around the block!