Goodbye my 3 year old...Hello 4

Last Day of Being 3 ............................First Day of Being 4

It is a day of goodbye and hellos.

• Goodbye my manic outburst 3 year old...hello my calm, controlled child.


• Goodbye my bottle drinking 3 year old...hello my big cup milk drinking child. (how embarassing to admit...but the stubborn child will not drink milk any other way)


• Goodbye hopefully to pull ups...hello more cash in my pocket.


• Goodbye big bulky car seat for a 2-3 year old..hello less bulky booster for a big girl.


• Goodbye to daily ponytails pulled friggin so tight it would make you brain hurt...hello girl willing to try all the cute hairstyles out there.


• Goodbye my fiesty but fun 3 year old...Hello to my fiesty but fun 4 year old.

But these things I don't want to ever say goodbye to...

I pray you keep your bright sunny dispostion each morning as you bounce in my room. (before any other youngster is awake) ..smiling ear to ear...chatting unstopably about something...and begging me to get up and enjoy the day with you (or really just Dora).

I hope you keep your obession for all things in order...I walk by the same set of Christmas trees on the window sill and find you have straightened them in perfect descending order. Or organize my stack of decorative boxes so that they all face front...none of the randomness to anyting. Can a 3 year old already have OCD.

I hope are always as tender and caring to your baby sister as you are right now. Never a cry or whimper that you aren't springing to your feet to see what it wrong. Now I could live without your need to always help her...even when it is to reach the sugar shaker while peering ontop of a stool..only to topple over spilling the sugar and baby all over the floor.

I pray you will always be my Smiley Riley. Happy Birthday my sweetie!