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Today is your last day of being three, something you’ve been counting down to for weeks, if not the entire year!

You learned and grew a lot this year, including working on your sporting abilities,

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…but really realizing that it was much more fun to just sit and have girl time.

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Your need-for-organization-and-categorization (which you came by quite naturally) developed even more intensely..

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…along with your technology skills.  I’m sure you won’t need me to blog for you for too many more birthdays..

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And although I’m pretty sure you only bled once this entire year,

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You did manage to get yourself into a few more binds than usual.

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Your unrealistic expectations of snow being a regular treat weren’t helped by snow at the beginning,

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AND at the end of the year.

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You worked on your imagination,

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Enjoyed getting to play an Angel TWICE,

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But, of course, dreamed of becoming a Tinker Fairy above all other roles.

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You learned to wink,

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about the joys of being pampered at the salon,

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to love heights like your Mommy,

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how to dye Easter Eggs (and get less messy than your Mommy),

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and developed an intense passion for frozen yogurt,

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all while also intensifying your extreme DISLIKE for all things Bubblegum.

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You continued your love for the beach,

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For your friend AJ,

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And for football with Daddy.

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And, of course, you found out you were no longer going to be an only child – an announcement that made you a bit queasy.

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But luckily, you recovered, and were thrilled to announce to the world that you were getting a little brother.

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…And had even more fun painting,

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and decorating his room.

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By the time Noah arrived, you couldn’t wait to try out your big sister role!

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…except for the holding him part.  You would have much rather skipped that.

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You worked on your aloof-modeling expressions,

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And were definitely willing to make a fashion statement, even if that statement was a bit… panties-on-the-head-Lady-Gaga-like.

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It’s been an absolutely amazing year, and I have loved watching you grow and mature:

JanuaryJanuary


February
February

MarchMarch

AprilApril

MayMay

JuneJune

JulyJuly

AugustAugust

SeptemberSeptember

OctoberOctober

NovemberNovember

DecemberDecember

Happy Birthday, Ali !!!

33 thoughts on “Four.

  1. Happy Birthday (tomorrow) Ali! This was a great post – brought tears to my eyes! So bittersweet to see your kiddos get older :) You have some great shots showing her personality!

  2. It is out last day of being three also! It is exciting (for her) and sad (for me). She told me she won’t turn five so there is hope! Happy Birthday Ali!

  3. Happy Birthday!!!! 4 is a “fun” age to say the least! We received an email from chuck-e-cheese wishing madyson a happy 1/2 birthday….i cried all day! 5 more months and we are 5. =( Happy Birthday again! Hope you get to enjoy some frozen yogurt!

  4. I really love this idea! I really enjoyed reading this. Your daughter is so beautiful. And congratulations on the new one! Very, very sweet family.

  5. Great pictures! I love how expressive her face is. Hard to believe she is four already! I wish they wouldn’t grow quite so fast. :'(

    So how is Ali liking being a big sister, other than the not holding part? I was surprised at how much differently I felt about K when I had S. It was like she grew up overnight. I wasn’t prepared for that. And all the little things she did that were cute before all the sudden got really annoying, which in turn made me feel terribly guilty. It was not a fun cycle. We eventually figured it out but it was rough going for those first few weeks with the new baby.

    Anyway, Happy Birthday Ali! Hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!

  6. Love this! The pictures are all beautiful!!

    (But then, how could they not be with such a precious little model to capture :-)

    Also, I never realized before that your oldest baby has the exact SAME birthday as my littlest baby.

  7. How adorable, it’s crazy how much more “grown up” she looks since the beginning of last year! You have a doll there! It will be fun celebrating those birthdays so close together with Christmas in between :)

  8. Happy Birthday, Ali! I hope you enjoy your party tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed watching you grow into a beautiful four year old. Looking forward to seeing what you do this year. :)

  9. Thanks for the tears, again. This is one beautiful post in the life of one amazing little girl. I hope her birthday and extra Christmas were wonderful to her. She will love the bike, you know how cautious she is about new things.

  10. Happy Birthday Ali! I hope your celebrations continue all week!

    Great post Rach! Love all your pictures. It is amazing how much they change and grow in just a few short months. Enjoy them :)

  11. It’s so great to have all these milestones & fun moments right at your fingertips to look over at the end of the year, great post & happy birthday Ali!

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