Elise at 4

Oh, my Lady Baby.

If any of our kids are going to send us straight to the looney bin, it will be you. Single-handedly. Between the constant disasters (antibacterial ointment all over the bathroom...or toothpaste...or my eyeshadow...) and the unfiltered defiance of requests both big and small, you are a tiny chaos tornado.

You love making Aaron scream. It's your favorite form of entertainment. It also requires very little effort on your part, which is basically win-win! If Aaron isn't available, you'll take pestering Elijah instead. You like to hold on to the feet of his pajamas when he's trying to crawl away. Or you'll just lay on top of him. Poor kid.

We'll ask you to help around the house: "No thank you." Why not? "Because I don't want to." What do you even say to that?! We send you to your room fairly frequently, but after the initial screaming you just happily play dolls or Little Critters.

You change your clothes 40,000 times every day. You prefer to be in swimsuits or your Madonna dress up dress/shirt. I had to hide them all winter so you wouldn't try to wear them when it was 30 degrees outside.

You ask me every day to "play Barbies with me!" That's almost literally the last thing I want to do, but I do it because I feel guilty that you get neglected while the others do schoolwork.

All your teachers at church and co-op tell me how sweet and obedient you are. Sometimes I think homeschooling may not be the best option for you. You are a social creature and tend to create your own entertainment (usually in the form of chaos) when you're not being entertained.

You tell me every day that you love me and ask me several times each day if I still love you. And I do. So, so much. You are my little gremlin and I adore you. You took all of Catherine's independence and raised it x100. You will do great things one day (provided we all make it through your teenage years alive).

I love your snuggles. I love how you will bring me book after book after book to read to you. I love how you sneak out of bed because you're a "big one" now. I love how your shorts all look like booty shorts because they ride up over your muscle-y thighs. I love your adorable little bob haircut. I love that you're always starving in the morning when you wake up (or right before dinner is ready--you're currently demanding Nutella from me despite the fact that we'll be eating dinner in 30 minutes. In fact, I'm 90% sure you've actually gotten the Nutella and a spoon... After checking, turns out it was Nutella and a knife, which you were sneaking out of the kitchen under your nightgown. Yep.)

We love you so much, little kitten. Nutella stealing and all.


Elise's Four-Year-Old Birthday Interview:

How old are you? "I don't know (but she could show me four fingers)."

1. What's your favorite color? "Pink."

2. What is your favorite food? "Watermelon (she claims she remembers it from the beach last summer)."

3. Who is your best friend? "Luke, because he plays with me."

4. What's your favorite movie? "Frozen 2."

5. What's your favorite toy? "Frozen 2...the singing thing...the Anna who sings (Anna Barbie, who actually doesn't sing, but okay)."

6. What's your favorite game to play? "Sorry. No, actually I want to play the Frozen 2 game (matching)."

7. What's your favorite game to play on electronics? "Rudy (Yumiloo)."

8. What's your favorite snack? "Marshmallows & pretzels (it's actually Nutella wraps)."

9. What's your favorite animal? "A zebra."

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? "A artist."

11. What's your favorite song? "The Frozen 2 song. Into the Unknown."

12. What's your favorite Primary song? "Sunbeams."

13. What's your favorite book? "Frozen 2. (After I protested that we don't have a Frozen 2 book) No, Elsa."

14. What's your favorite school subject? "Um, color."