Really 3 1/2 already?

I update each month on Cohen since kids change so much in the first year. But then I thought about Sevea and how much she has changed and the amazing little girl she has become. She is constantly changing or learning but just not in such dramatic ways but still amazing none the less. To think back even 6 months ago and realize how much more she has learned or how her personality has changed is so fun. But it is all very scary in a way too, she is growing up and nothing I do will make her stay my little girl forever. Maybe in my heart but not in real life. What better way to try to hold onto my little girl with an update of who she is now.

Sevea is in love with her softy clothes and comfy pants. And honestly Troy and I think she looks so cute in clothes like this. They are hand me downs but just something about a sweatshirt and some gray soft capris makes her look grown up yet looks so comfortable with just being a kid.

And did you see that purse. It is absolutely her favorite toy. She often has it from the time she wakes up till bedtime. She'd sleep with it if we let her. She is in love with Dora and gets excited about anything Dora. But the real great thing about the purse is it encourages her hoarding problem! She will try to stuff just about anything and everything she can into the purse.

 She is such a silly girl. She loves to make you laugh and totally gets humor. She will often say things or do things just to make you laugh. She has a silly voice which is what we would probably call her man voice. Instead of her girly tone it ends up being a deeper one and she thinks anything she says in this voice should be considered funny. She also thinks when we tell her to stop whining that she should laugh. We're still working on her getting the real concept of whining. Not only does she has a silly voice but she has a silly walk as well. She spreads her legs apart in a straddle position and then walks. It is pretty cute and she loves to see your silly walk as well. Speaking of something funny, is there just one day that kids wake up and learn things stink? This seemed to be the case with Sevea. No getting away with releasing a little gas in our house unless you want Sevea to point it out to you!

Of course any 3 1/2 year old has to have a little attitude. Thankfully she doesn't have much but this is definitely something she has developed in the past 6 months. But we like to remember that with attitude comes her expressing her independence. She has definitely decided that she can do much more on her own. My motto with the kids is that if you try you might be able to do it. She has certainly been more likely to follow this motto lately. She would often get frustrated almost before she even started but lately she is taking more time to figure it out and try. It is so great to congratulate her when she succeeds. The not so good part of her attitude mostly just consists of whining. This is our biggest issue but come to think of it she is getting better on that front as well. We've had a couple times of back talking but in general she does well at following the rules. In part I think some attitude issues come from having daycare in her home. The rules change a little between daycare and home life and so we have to remember that it can be confusing to her.

Besides Dora she loves to play with dolls. It is fun to watch her imagination at work. I am reminded of how much she is learning when I watch her play. She also LOVES to read stories. But the new fun thing is how she is creating her own stories. Often at bedtime after we read a book she will now tell us a story. It's usually a mix of a bunch of stories she has heard. Her memory amazes us daily. So many times she will bring up something we didn't even know she knew or something that she experienced so long ago. But she remembers the little details. It is times like this that remind us she is learning and we need to value those times just as much as the ABC's and 123's. Which we are working on :)

We feel so blessed to have this little girl in our lives. She brings so much joy and love into our hearts. And as much as sometimes we wish we could make time stand still, we can't. So instead we'll savor all the little things and be thankful for each and every day with her.