In August, our sweet Esther turned four! Where has the time gone? I feel like we just celebrated her second birthday and here she is turning four, such a big girl!
Esther remains our shy and sensitive one. You don't always get smiles with Esther, but when you do, they are worth the wait! The same goes with words... she might not say much, but when she does, you better be listening because you are in for a treat. Over the summer, she began using "big" words like "surely" and "certainly"... "We are surely going to..." and "I certainly don't think..." ...and at times she mixes up the correct order of words, which just makes it even cuter! When she's telling you something "really important," her eyes light up and she scrunches her face in the cutest/quirkiest way and speaks almost in a whisper. Also this summer, Esther developed a habit, if you will, of making a squeaky sound, for lack of a better description, with her mouth/lips and when making the sound, she raises one corner of her top lip...I can't do it to save my life. We call it her mousey song and though she's better about it now, for awhile she would be doing it and not even realize it. We would have to remind her that her mouse was not allowed at the table during a meal and to put Mousey away during a conversation. Thankfully, it's not all we hear from her anymore. :)
As a four-year-old, Esther seems to be eating more and trying more foods-yay! She's still very particular and our pickiest eater, but she has made great strides and even likes spinach, of all things, now.
Esther is also really into doing her own hair, pulling it back, putting it in ponytails, etc. She's actually pretty good at it and though sometimes I really want to fix it or do it over, I try to restrain myself because she is so proud that she's done it herself.
Turning 4 means she's starting school (more on that soon!) and she has been so excited about this so that she can be just like her big sister. She loves doing whatever Arden does and they continue to be best buds. She also loves playing with Chloe and getting right in her face.
The morning of Esther's birthday, we met up with friends at the beach to celebrate. Thanks to all those who were able to join us-we had a blast!
the birthday girl
part of the party goers in their shades...
even baby Titus got in on the fun!
Not being an extrovert, the whole time we sang "Happy Birthday" to her, she just looked like she wanted to disappear into the sand, poor thing! Thankfully, once the attention was off of her and onto the cupcakes, she perked back up.
some pics of our friends that were able to join us for the morning...
We finally got a boogie board to try out with the girls...
I didn't get a picture, but I do want to remember that before most of the guests got to the beach, Arden wiped out on the board and lost a tooth! I think that's # 8 or 9, I've sort of lost count, but it was a loose one already thankfully. Anyway, there was a lot of blood and crying and drama, but she ended up being ok. And although she vowed not to get back on the board, she has tried it again the last couple of times we've been at the beach.
Here's Esther catching a wave...
Happy girl with her Daddy
The afternoon of Esther's birthday, she and I got to have a mommy/daughter shopping date. It was a really sweet time to have with her, reminding me of how quiet she really is and how very different she and Arden are. We went school shoe shopping and after 5 stores (not kidding!) of not finding her size, we decided on a pair of very sparkly, very girly, light up mary jane tennis shoes. (not what i had envisioned buying when we left the house!) She had been really sweet and patient through the whole process, but also very quiet. When we got back into the car with her new shoes, she looked at me and said in the most sweetest, gentle, and tiny voice..."I really like my new shoes, Mommy," with a big smile on her face and her hands folded in her lap. THIS made me melt. I love, love this little four-year-old!
We all love you bunches, Esther! Happy Birthday!
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