The Nalley Family: Happy 4th Birthday, Brooklyn!!

If I had to try to summarize Brooklyn in just one word,

(and I can't remember I may have used it to describe her in a previous blog)

the word would be: INTENSE

When she's happy, she INTENSLY happy.

She is grinning ear to ear and can't sop smiling and giggling.

Things that make her really happy:

riding in someone else's car

birthday parties

(petting zoo birthday party)

(pirate birthday party)

large crowds of people

having company at our house

sleeping on the top bunk of her new bunk bed

And when she is upset,

she is INTENSLY upset!

Things that upset her?

#1 - a new food on her plate...major food phobia...brings her to extreme tears

Chandler

being short on sleep - this child NEEDS her rest

lack of perfection...certain things must be done EXACTLY right

And when she is concentrating,

She is concentrating INTENSLY!

She can't hear or see anything else going on around her.

Unless Chandler makes herself seen or heard by messing up Brooklyn's project...which is how Chandler got to be on the list of things that upset her =)

Because of this constant, INTENSITY, Brooklyn has always been and is still quite the sleeper.

She, for the most part, is thrilled to go to her bed and usually sleeps around 12-13 hours at night. If she naps, it is usually 2-3 hours and even if she doesn't fall asleep, she's happy to lay in her bed and sing and talk or lay quietly for 2-3 hours. It's INSANE, but I love this sweet quality about her!!

All of that may sound familiar, but one thing that has really changed over the past year is her hair!!

Have you noticed? It's curly now! Crazy!

Her favorites:

Color - pink

food - peanut butter and jelly

TV show - Little Einsteins

game - Candyland

activity - working puzzles (she's crazy good...works ones that are for ages 6 and up)

Accomplishments:

swings all by herself

knows all her letters and sounds

totally potty trained...even thru the night (haven't had an accident, day or night, since October)

can buckle herself in her car seatbelt and get herself out all by herself

can bathe herself (if you fill the tub), let water out, clean up tub toys and get herself dressed

does a great job of brushing her teeth all by herself

Things I think make her unique:

left-handed

plays by herself for hours

she's very quiet

when she wakes up, she sits quietly in bed until we come to get her...she's never gotten out of bed on her own although she's perfectly capable (I LOVE THIS!!)

her sleeping habits (as mentioned above)

her eating fears (as mentioned above)

completely fearless swimmer...loves big slides and diving boards

What I LOVE about her:

She's not greedy (never asks for anything when we are shopping...doesn't even see that as an option)

Doesn't understand concept of winning or losing...just happy to play

she NEVER gets bored

she can imitate noises and sounds perfectly

she's kind to everyone...there is no one that she "doesn't like"

her independence...never have any trouble dropping her off or leaving her with a new sitter

Last thing:

She's really into clothes...not in a materialistic way, but LOVES to dress up

She also loves to pick out her own bows and shoes that "match."

And nearly every night she wants to know what she is wearing the next day. She never argues or has a problem with it, it just gives her something to look forward to in the morning. She gets dressed almost the second her feet hit the floor. Funny girl!

Finally, she is super-excited about the new baby growing in my belly and coming to our family soon. She has turned into quite the good big sister and LOVES baby Chandler! Here are just a few pics I took of these sweet sisters last week at VBS: