Annabel is 4!

Annabel turned four on February 21st. Here is a portrait of our girl at four:

Annabel is our lover. She loves to snuggle. Loves to kiss. Loves to love. Whenever Michiel and I hug or kiss, she has to get in the middle of it. She calls it a sandwich hug. 

She is not at all shy, and gives hugs to people she just met. It is a little heartbreaking to watch her offer hugs to her brother and see him reject them again and again.

Annabel is earnest about everything she does. She lives in moments of intense emotion--quick to cry, quick to laugh. She is determined, yet thoughtful and observant.

She loves to help with everything. Laundry, cooking, cleaning. And she's so articulate and capable that we sometimes forget how young she is and expect too much of her.

She's very social, and sometimes it's hard for her to play by herself. A common refrain when we are home together is, "But I want an adult to do it with me!"

She's turning out to be a little girly-girl, but she's keeping her spunk, so we're happy. She likes getting dirty, doesn't mind spiders, and loves to rough-house.

Annabel's favorite colors are pink, blue, gold, and silver. She loves dressing up and having "princess hair." That's when I put a bunch of little twisty buns in her hair at night, and she wakes up in the morning with curly hair. Often, she'll gaze at herself in the mirror and say, "I look beautiful."

Now that Annabel is in preschool, she's coming home with all sorts of new skills. She is so eager to read and write. Everywhere we go she sounds out words or picks up a pencil to write. Here's the shopping list she made for her birthday.*

The older she gets, the more I realize that Annabel is my girl. She loves to run and is almost as fast as her brother. I've been taking her to my drama and art classes, something Alexander never wanted to do. Annabel jumps right in. My little budding actor-artist! Here's a picture of the painting she did for her birthday. I came up with the Kandinsky idea, but she did all the painting.

Happy Birthday, Annabel!


*whipping cream, cupcakes, m&m's, frosting