Has anyone seen the Zootopia preview with the sloths that laugh uncomfortably slow? That's how I feel about the speed of which I have been posting. Haaaa........haaaaa.......haaaaa (as slow as humanly possible). Since Eloise turns five in less than a week I must summarize her fourth year in a non-sloth fashion. It might make more sense to write about Eloise at the end of being four to capture what being four was actually like.
The year prior, Eloise was often heard saying "it's hard to be three." That's when we realized the importance of upping the ante on our speaking in "code." There was never a more true statement though & I think of it fondly now as she is growing & changing everyday. It was definitely easier to be four & I know that five is the magic number. We cannot believe that it's been FIVE years since she was welcomed into our arms. She brings much delight to our souls...
Eloise is by far the most caring person in our home & we have much to learn from her concern for others. She shares anything & everything with the most joyful heart even if it is her entire cookie or most prized possession. She has larger than life facial expressions when she is telling you something & it is hard not to giggle when you are the listener. You might think she gets ready for her day by standing in complete darkness & reaching into her drawer to grab clothing including socks that don't match & that you might not wear with tennis shoes. She brushes her hair parting it perfectly imperfect then dons her camouflage Bass Pro hat & she's ready to go. She could not be any more adorable with her dimples & sweet smile.
Eloise & I differ greatly in the area of creativity. I love to "create" but I really REALLY like directions. The old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" holds true for this girl. She could be given a box of junk & turn it into a tower with a zipline & a house for her animals. Half way through the year I was making every attempt to involve her in even 20 minutes of our school time. She had no interest & once I gave it some thought & was reminded by others that encouraging her to create is absolutely one of the most important parts of her development at this age & really any age. So, when Char & I would sit down to do our afternoon lessons I would "assign" Lolo to make something with whatever I handed her. She never ceases to impress me.
My parents bought her a Goldie Blox set which is a STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) toy that is specifically for little ladies. There are instructions to make specific designs such as a catapult or a spinning playground toy. She has made use of those but is usually making her own design. AWESOME toy especially for Eloise.
Once we hit the halfway mark through the year she became interested & was participating in the handwriting portion of our day. She learned how to write her name & in all seriousness has probably written it a thousand times. This picture was in the early days of practice. She can write it almost the same way I can now. She is a lefty & can also write it backward perfectly. So interesting but that's our girl!
She finds the best places to work....
I love when the drawing takes off & turns from scribbles to family portraits....
Eloise finds great value in a good night's sleep. Sadly there are only a few of those in the Nest right now. Sometimes she's stretched out in my bed as the sun comes up.
We are never sure where we might find her. Sometimes she's in Charlotte's bed, on the floor with a pallet, halfway under the bed....who knows? That's been the case forever though. This was the child that was found sleeping in a baby bathtub she dragged into her room when she was about two. She appreciates a snuggly bed bubby..
She also likes to have Bella nearby or sets up stuffed animals around her before she goes to sleep. We almost had a heart attack when we walked past her room this night....
Some things we don't want to forget about this cutie...
- always wanting to help in the kitchen & if I tell her it would be most helpful if she could set the table, she tells me that she does not want to help anymore. She also hates to touch dirty silverware.
- claims to make the best mashed potatoes adding butter, sour cream, salt & milk without any measuring. She makes sure to watch each persons face as they eat & ask if they think she is the best potato maker.
- often reminds me that she is a great problem solver & she is
- when we play the rhyming game she changes the first letter to "H" EVERY time usually making nonsense words & it's hilarious
- favorite food is salmon & she could eat a whole pound in one sitting...we have to cut her off
- she will try ANY food you put in front of her & likes about 95 % of it
- wants to be a fire chief when she grows up
- extremely interested in bugs & has put her bug-sucker & observation container to good use
- will wander around in the backyard or at the park looking for little creatures, digging for treasures or collecting 100 roly-polys
- loves dancing in the kitchen to a good rockin' song & plays the best air guitar I've ever seen
- when I was pregnant with Arlo or when I am carrying him around she goes out of her way to make sure I don't have to lean over or tries her very hardest to lift me off the ground. She insists on carrying a ridiculous amount of grocery sacks from the car to the kitchen & surprises me every time since she is VERY strong...
Sweet talkin' over the past year...
- "segrets" for secrets
- "booty trap" for booby trap
- "botatoes" for potatoes & tomatoes
- "snickie doodies" for snickerdoodles
- "clippord" for Clifford
- "kitty cat nap" for cat nap
- "mometer" for thermometer
- "cavva-cake" for patty-cake
- when Owen & Anson are acting like maniacs she has said "I'm sorry I wild them up" instead of riled them up
- at the doctor one visit I had told her that they might ask her some questions. She was staring at the picture of a human skeleton, looked at me & whispered "am I going to have to tell her all those bones?"
- one morning she said "I didn't sleep last night. Well, I may have slept for a little bit then I stared at Charlotte all night while she slept"....creepy!
- when she talks to Arlo in the morning she says in her baby voice "did you have a milk party all night long with your milk mama last night?" She also stares at me while I'm feeding Arlo contemplating how that all works. Her latest thought was "so you drink milk & it goes to your breast right?" Soooo close ; )
- forever she would say "the last day" for anything in the future
- she went through a stage where she would randomly put her hands up in the air & proclaim things like "I love God more than my family!" or "Jesus is God!"
- anything we would say as a compliment to her such as "you are so strong" or "you are funny" she would say "but God is the strongest or funniest" or insert your own adjective.
- a preface to the story- there is a movie we like about a horse called Spirit. We had a conversation one afternoon that went like this. Eloise- My teeth are pretty but God's teeth are the most beautifulist right mommy?" Me- Well God doesn't have teeth because he is a spirit & doesn't have a body like us. Eloise- So you're saying God's a horse? We need to watch that movie again.
- I have overheard her on more than one occasion teaching the boys how to pray & reminding them that it is just talking to God
We know that the Lord is causing her heart & mind to consider his greatness. It comes across in simple phrases like "Jesus is God" or in conversations from the backseat about what sin is & that Jesus came to save sinners. We continue to pray that he would change her heart in his time & allow us to shepherd her well.
All that to say, she's sweet & spicy wrapped up into one utterly loveable almost five year old.
