3 1/2 Years...

Well, it happened. My little girl is officially half way to her fourth birthday. Oh my. How ever did that happen? As always, she has been up to some funny and new things the past three months that I wanted to record before they slip my mind forever.

1. She made the big move (finally) from the crib to the big girl bed the last weekend in May. She never was one of those kids that climbed out of her crib and she absolutely loved sleeping in it, so I just didn't see the need to make the change early on; however, the time finally arrived this spring when she grew to the same length as her crib!
2. Lia has started to draw real pictures. She can draw pictures of stick people, trees, balloons, and even spiders. I think they are the cutest things and I love watching how carefully she works when she draws them.
3. She has started to say the most elaborate prayers that just crack Ron and me up. They are quite lengthy and she will thoroughly review the events of the day in addition to stating things she is grateful for. The funniest is when she says she is "thankful before" said item instead of "thankful for" said item.
4. Lia has discovered the concept of the imaginary friend and/or cousin. It is so funny because she always makes up these unique and creative names to go along with these imaginary buddies. Our absolute favorite name has just got to be "Choppy Long." Runner up has to be a tie between "Froccoli Bench" and "Vada Vida." In addition to stating their names and what they are doing together at the current moment, Lia typically will also included the imaginary friend's age. So thorough.
5. Lia has discovered that she can hug me while she is lying down in bed if she quickly wraps her arms around my neck and pull me down while I am bending down to kiss her. I just love it and will normally let her hug me in that awkward position for as long as she wants or until my back begins to break.
6. Lia has become fascinated with a few things lately--some good and some not so good. The list includes the time of the day, the age of a person, and private parts. Yep, that's right. I'm not too thrilled about the last one, but it comes up on a daily basis.
7. Our little one has really and truly fallen in love with cereal. Since I refuse to raise a child who only eats cold cereal for breakfast, it has mainly become a daily snack in between one, two, or all three of our meals. Oh well. At least, I know that she is getting her fair share of calcium from milk every day.
8. In the last few weeks, Lia has gone question-asking-happy! Wowzer. It's becoming a full-time job answering all of her questions. I try to be patient all day long and answer the barrage of questions, but I will admit that by night, I am ready for a break.
9. Lia has really become quite a little helper lately. She is usually eager to help out with anything she is asked to do from carrying an item from one place to another or helping stir something in the kitchen. She is really become a big girl.
10. She just discovered how to click her tongue last week and began doing it over and over again. In fact, it was such a distraction for her one day that she was unable to fall asleep during nap time.
11. Although Lia loved the water Summer 2009 when she was 1 1/2 years old, she wanted nothing to do with it last summer. However, I am happy to report that she rediscovered this love this summer at Priest Lake and enjoyed jumping off the deep end of the dock to Ron and "swimming" in the shallow area by the beach.
12. Lia has successfully been potty trained for the past five months...with #1, but the little stinker still wants nothing to do with #2! Ugh. It just kills me as she totally knows what she is doing, but refuses to take care of her business in the potty. Lucky me. Hopefully, we'll have this taken care of by the time she heads off to college in 15 years.
13. After watching Simba's mother licking him in the Lion King movie, Lia has taken to licking Ron and me instead of kissing us. We constantly remind her that she is not a lion, a dog, a cat, or a wolf, but this doesn't seem to bother her one bit. Good times.
14. Lia has definitely hit the peak of her "clinginess." Unless Ron is home, where I am, Lia can be found. Even if I quietly sneak upstairs while she is watching a movie on TV, she can be found looking for me in a matter of minutes. Although I would love some extra space from time to time, she truly is my closest and most loyal fan at the current moment.
15. Lia has developed a habit of setting up "picnics" throughout the main floor of our house. She will pick up random pots, pans, plates, and cups from her toy kitchen, fill them with various plastic food items AND water, and place them on a towel on our floor. It is a very cute, girly habit of hers; however, tripping over a potful of water while trying to navigate your way to the front door isn't always the cutest. :-)

Lia is the absolute joy of my life. She is still such a pleasant, happy, obedient, intelligent, and well-behaved little girl who really skipped over the terrible toddler years. I truly enjoy having her be my sidekick wherever I go and can't imagine my life without her. I'm so grateful that she is my daughter!