Happy Birthday, Chloe!

I can't believe Chloe is already four years old.  Time has flown by, on the one hand.  On the other, I can't really remember life without her.  She has been such a blessing to me, and a constant source of conviction.  She is one of the sweetest children I have ever known, full of concern for everyone around her, and with a lovely attitude that remains unblemished by bitterness and cynicism. 

Chloe loves to learn, and spends many hours at her desk doing her "schoolwork", a preschool workbook with sheets on phonics, counting, handwriting, rhyming, patterns, early math, etc.  She is going to be very ready when Kindergarten finally rolls around!

She is really into opposites, and loves to play the wonderful game of calling everyone and everything the opposite name (ie calling me "Daddy" and Patrick "Mommy").  A single game can last for hours or even days.  It's terribly fun.  Emphasis on TERRIBLE.

Chloe has decided that she will NOT be athletic.  She constantly tells Eli "When you grow up, Buddy, you are going to play (insert every sport), and I am going to watch and yell, YAY ELI!!" She did recently tell Patrick that she might play badmitton when she grows up.  I guess we shall see.

She has quite the eye for Strawberry Shortcake, Dora, and Princesses, finding them any and everywhere no matter how miniscule they are.  She announces over and over again in a loud voice when she finds them. ("Dora, Mommy! Dora!  Look! It's Dora! Do-Ra!")

Chloe adores her family.  Every extended member.  She cries for days every time we have to part ways with a grandparent or aunt or cousin or even an honorary uncle.

She rides her bike with training wheels rather well as long as you appear to be holding on.  The second she even suspects that you may have possibly even loosened your grip, she throws her arms toward you and bails off, leaving the bike to careen down the cul-de-sac and crash into the neighbor's curb.

She asks lots of doctrinally interesting (read: difficult) questions, and talks a lot about going to Heaven and living with Jesus.  She can't wait to get there.

She still has some anxiety when I leave her, but I think she is testing me more than anything.  I've caught many stray smirks and smiles as the tears have rolled down when she thought I was not looking.

She makes up songs about everything.  Constantly.  Some are really amusing.  Occasionally they are even kinda good.  Mostly they're just weird. Today's song was: Tree! Tree! Tree! Tree! Tree fall down.  It falls down on the sign and on the road. Trees fall down all the time. Trees fall down on the strawberry. Trees. Fall. Down. 

Followed by, "OK Eli, now you sing it!"

E: "Don't know how."

C: "I'll teach you again.  Listen this time, OK?"

E: "K" 

Chloe repeats song with surprisingly little variation. 

C: "Now it's your turn, E"

E: "Don't know how!"

C: "Yes you do, E! Try!"

E: "K, Trees. Tree. Tree. Tree fall down on Strawberry Shortcake."

C: "NO! NO! Trees not supposed to fall on Strawberry Shortcake! That's not how the song goes!"

She loves to teach Eli.  She teaches him puzzles, letters, colors, and about Jesus.

Strawberry Shortcake is her hero.