Cecilia, Age 4

Last night Cecilia asked me, "Mom?  When I wake up in the morning will I still look like a regular 3-year-old, even though I'm 4?"  This morning she assured me that yes, she does still just look like a regular 3-year-old.

At the ripe old age of 4, Cecilia...

Still asks me why she's not allowed to marry her brother (picture from about a year ago - look how much she's grown!!!), but has "settled" on a longtime friend who she would like to marry because "He makes REALLY cool Lego creations."

Adores any and all clothing I upcycle for her from old women's clothes...  No matter how atrocious!

Is always wowing us with her amazing dance moves.

Is beautiful.  So, so beautiful.

Is infectiously joyful - she knows exactly how to make us laugh when we're in the middle of reprimanding her...  And she knows when I'm about to snap and just bursts out with, "Mom?  I love you!"

Has the BEST laugh.

Is an amazing big sister - she adores her younger siblings (and "mothers" John Paul a little too much for her own good) and hates it that she doesn't *actually* get to be in charge of them.  She's incredibly helpful, usually of her own volition - I don't even have to ask, she's always choosing new outfits for Peter or fetching diapers, or helping Mary Claire to the bathroom, or getting Elizabeth in and out of her crib.  I don't want to give her too much responsibility, but she really craves it and begs for it!  Thankfully her new baby doll satisfies some of that maternal need.

Can also be so serious - I think she desperately wants to be a mystic, and is sometimes overly dramatic about the fact that SHE hasn't seen any Marian apparitions (those CCC movies - the St. Bernadette one and the Fatima one - convinced her that she should expect Mary to appear to her one of these days).  She's always telling me about Heaven, and asking questions too.  Just yesterday she spouted off, "Mom, will we eat in heaven? WHAT will we eat in heaven? Mom, does heaven have a floor? Where will we SLEEP in heaven? Mom, can I take flowers to heaven? Mom, can skeletons walk?"

John Paul researches questions like this in his books, but Cecilia...  Well, she just HAS to ask everything right as it comes into her head!

She's wonderful.  I hope YOU have a Cecilia someday - I can't even express how sweet and joyful and adorable she is.  To be honest, one reason we thought the timing for Peter would work out so well was that we were expecting at least one of the twins to be like Cecilia, in terms of independence and temperament.  

Well, we were VERY wrong (spitfires, both of them, and naughtiness that I thought I would never see!), which goes to show you that kids are different (DUH) and you can never predict what they'll be like in 9 months (DUH again), but that heck, it's worth taking chances because Peter's pretty awesome so far!

She's really grown up in this past year - she was so accommodating all the time that I was worried she'd be a pushover for the rest of her life...  But no, she has VERY strong opinions, she just knows how to be diplomatic enough to get her way without drama most of the time (gee, wonder where she gets that...).  It's hilarious to see her using the exact same tactics with Mary Claire and Elizabeth that I do with them, right down to calling them Honey and gently convincing them that they really want to give her the toy they're playing with.  Her temper does show every once in a while, and it is TREMENDOUS.  Generally because of something John Paul has done...  Best frenemies, those two.

I sat down with her last month to do the survey I've *tried* to do with the other kids on their birthdays (and John Paul's and the twins' are sitting in draft form because I haven't finished those posts...):

1. What is your favorite color?  Pink and purple and all the colors of the rainbow.
2. What is your favorite toy?  Bitty Baby!
3. What is your favorite fruit?  Grape!
4. What is your favorite television show?  Veggie Tales!
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  What? Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
6. What is your favorite outfit?  This one!  (Striped dress with pink t-shirt over it)
7. What is your favorite game?  Stratego? (I doubt it)
8. What is your favorite snack?  Crackers, cheerios, and cheese stick, and banana chips.
9. What is your favorite animal?  Zzzzz...  Dogs!  
10. What is your favorite song?  Immaculate Mary!
11. What is your favorite book?  Princess Gabby Girl!
12. Who is your best friend?  Katherine (a much older girl at our old church who she only sees when my sister visits and takes her to Mass there)
13. What is your favorite cereal?  Cheerios and milk.  Mom, Audrey helped me put the tray back when I was done cleaning up the table!  Cuz it was a little hard.
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Play on the swing set.
15. What is your favorite drink?  Milk.
16. What is your favorite holiday?  What's a holiday?  A special day like Christmas, or Easter, or Halloween, or Thanksgiving...  Halloween!
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Floofy dog.
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Cheerios and milk!
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Pizza! (She took my suggestion of bacon and eggs, thankfully!)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A nun who works in a hospital. (Despite the fact that she's SO maternal to all the other kids and plays with baby dolls 24/7.  And wants to get married...  Good thing vocations aren't set in stone at the age of 4!)

I wish I had a good picture of her in her birthday glory - I swear I took some this morning but they got erased from the card somehow :(  Here's a blurry instagram shot if you want it:



Edit:  Andrew got a picture!  Here it is:

I made her and her bitty baby matching tutus (tying tulle onto elastic - so easy!), made her the purple cape I promised her months ago (cut the shape of a cape out of fleece and tied it...), and made her a birthday crown that she designed herself (purple and pink).  Oh, and gave her the new hooded towel she picked out (um yes, that was her birthday present...).  I also ordered her clip-on earrings from this etsy shop that should be here soon and she's going to DIE of excitement when she gets to wear them, considering she's been making "earrings" out of hair clips and elastics for at least a year!

Dying for more about Cecilia to waste time?  Here's her 3-year post, her 2-year-post, and her 1-year-post.  Oh, and her birth story, if you're into that sort of thing...

Happy Birthday Cecilia!  We love you!