Hadley is 4!!!

Well...little Miss Hadley you are actually almost 4 1/2....sorry this one is so late, but once again I think that I was in denial that you--my baby---could possibly be 4...and then before I knew it life got a little crazy!  We decided to put our house up for sale....and sold it quick....thought we maybe homeless....but luckily found a new home, closed....and then had to say good bye to Great Grandpa....which was all just a little too much....   So without any further ado....here is my love letter to my sweet Hadley wishing you a Happy 4th Birthday!

For your 4th birthday you wanted to have a princess tea party....and I could not have been more thrilled!  So, we went into the local thrift store and I let you choose china plates and tea cups for each princess to use at the tea party.  The day of the party, we had dresses and shoes for each princess to choose from.  Then no princess would be complete with accessories, nail polish and lip gloss!!!  Once you were all dressed up, it was tea time!  We had a luncheon complete with "tea" (apple juice).  It was such a special party and you seemed to love every minute of it!!!  Of course the party ended with gifts and princess karaoke!

At 4 (4 1/2) you continue to amaze us each day.  Your vocabulary is exquisite....I am not sure if it is due to your love of Fancy Nancy Books (who uses vidid vocabulary words) or if it is due to the fact that you literally talk from the moment you wake up until you go to bed without stopping!   You are never at a loss for words....and the other day when you busted out the word "boobs" I almost died!  You have so much to say about everything....from what we are eating, to what we are doing,  what you are wearing, to what you are making......you are a riot!  You are witty, and so stinking cute.....you talk not only with your words, but with your big smile and happy eyes.
You have a love for art.  You can sit at the table all day long with white paper (you really do not like coloring sheets---you want WHITE paper) and markers and write notes...mostly mom and Hadley....and draw princesses and flowers.  You are quite the artist....and between you and Marshall we may have quite the art museum in our home.  You love playing kitchen and school too.....and you love playing with your babies----usually you are such a good mommy and will take them for walks and feed them....and other times, your tom-boy side kicks in and you toss the babies around and tell them to sleep all day :)
Even though you are a girly girl, who loves to wear lip gloss, curl your hair and wear a dress every single day...you can sure keep up with your brothers.  You get right out there with your tutu on and shoot nerf guns,  jab with light sabers and wear scary masks!   At 4, you could even ride a bike without training wheels!!!!  You are active, fast and want to be Miss Independent when it comes to some things....but much of the time when I am around, you are super glued to me!
You love eating ice, cheese, and fruit....and the moment your feet hit the floor, you are ready for cereal in a bowl and an episode of Barbie or Lego girls.  Currently you are really enjoying playing Barbies in your room...and you have already let us know that you would like a Barbie Dreamhouse for Christmas.....(and secretly I am soooooo excited!!!)  You took ballet and tap in the winter....and loved it!  So this summer, we signed you up for Hip Hop...so far you like it....but you want to wear dance shoes and a leotard...which isn't really hip-hop style....but I let you anyways!

You are quite the fish.  You love the water and requested a bikini....you took some swimming lessons and have made some great gains....and you rock your tiara googles.  At gymnastics, you did great with flips and the balance beam.  Even though you are a slender, littler 4 year old, you have some strong arms!!!  You can do the monkey bars....and flipping on the bars at the playground is one of your favorite park activities.
At preschool....you just wrapped up your first year of 5-full days....you went from being this shy tiny little girl, to talking Mrs. Koclanis's ear off all day and being one of the girls in charge :)  You are so smart...you can write your name...and pretend to read to us.
Each night at bed time, you want either daddy or I to lay with you until you fall asleep....even though sometimes I complain about this.....I really do cherish our quiet moments (although you are usually still talking).
You have a big heart....you can see love radiating from your smile.   You love to sing about Jesus....the cheers and songs that you sing about him make my heart happy.  I pray that your love of Jesus continues to grow and stay strong as you continue on your journey through life.  You love to whisper prayers into your prayer box each night and make up prayers to Jesus before falling asleep.  Even when we had to say our goodbyes to Great Grandpa you prayed and told us that he was in Heaven.  At the funeral you wanted to stand right next to his casket and kept saying he was sleeping in his crib.....I think your smile and love of Jesus helped us to stay strong and have faith in knowing we will see him again.
You are a true ray of sunshine Miss Haddie....you bring us such joy and I pray that you continue to be the a true light for all.  Happy Birthday Hadley!!!!  Love you, Mom