The Nalley Family: Chandler Alexis is 4!!!

Our little Diva, Chandler Alexis, is 4 years old!!

Stats:

Height: 42 1/2 inches tall...94%

Weight: 36.8 lbs...55%

She has light brown, thick hair that grows so fast. She's had several trims where we cut off and inch or two at a time! She has the chubbiest little kissable cheeks and AMAZING blue eyes that often are commented on by strangers.

I think the 3 words I used to describe her even as baby were charming, chatty and cheeks...or maybe chillin'. Either way...I would use those exact words to describe her now.

She's quite charming! She will strike up a conversation with a complete stranger anywhere we go and you can just see her just captivating people and putting smiles on their faces!

She is super-chatty, uses complex sentences and has a huge vocabulary with lots of words that are surprising to hear 3-year-olds use! But the things that makes her speech the cutest are her expressiveness and her giant lisp! At some point, we should probably start to correct it, but right now, it totally melts my heart! Also, since her tonsil surgery, her voice is very high pitched!

Chandler is very mature for her age. She never throws fits and is super-cooperative. I guess the bonus of having a huge vocabulary is she can clearly communicate things she wants and fully understands the answers. She rarely gets angry and is SUCH a joy to be around

She's very affectionate...LOVES kisses, hugs and snuggling! Her heart is so amazing to me. It's like when she wakes up in the morning, the first thing on her mind is what she can do to make someone else in our family smile. She will give someone a hug, or her blanket or her favorite toy. She LOVES to share with others. It seriously blows my mind.

She is really good at playing with others, but is also content to play by herself for hours. She has an extra-ordinary imagination! She is also really good at making up stories and telling them to people..."Once upon a time....Happily Ever After." And usually, there is at least 1 humorous part in the story.

She's really smart, too. If she hears a new word once (whether or you are talking to her or she just overhears it), she's usually got it. She is learning to write the letters in her name and has just about got it. She writes the letters in the right order, but not always lined up next to each other like she should. She's known all of her letters and sounds since just before she turned 2.

She is a great helper. She can fold blankets, unloads the dishwasher, helps me pull grapes off the stem so I can wash them, tosses our salads, sets the table, etc. And usually does all of this with a happy heart or because she has asked to do it.

She loves to sleep in the car! She sleeps the least of any of our children, but for some reason, loves a good nap in the car. Many times she will ask, "Is it OK if I take a nap real quick?"

Her 2 best friends are Ellery and Samantha.

Her she loves to eat "healthy things." Her favorites right now are probably carrots (with ranch) and strawberries. And she LOVES to drink water!

She is the ultimate girly girl! She loves all things sparkly, to wear long, twirly dresses, have her nails painted and have her hair braided.

She is also an incredible patient! She loves going to the doctor! She loves having the doctor look in her ears, eyes, etc and isn't even afraid of getting shots. She will cry for just a minute after she's gotten them, but then is right back to her happy self. She also loves taking medicine, and of course, eating crackers and drinking sprite. She thinks that is the highest honor of all!! Of all my kids to need a tonsillectomy and ear tubes, she was the best one to get them. She's tough and brave!

I love this picture below...there are those eyes I was mentioning earlier, but usually are near closed when pictures are snapped!

And then 5 minutes later...

I promise I don't take a picture every time she sleeps in her carseat, but it does happen often! (And is really sweet!)

She LOVES to share! I mentioned it earlier, but it is really something special!! After dinner, she usually gets 1 cookie for dessert. Often, she will eat 3/4 of the cookie and then will go and give her last bite to Gibson "because he doesn't get dessert." I've never asked her to do this or encouraged it, but it's just the way her heart works! Sharing is what God has designed her precious little heart to do and it comes so naturally and effortlessly for her. It's a lot harder for me!!

And another thing that seems to come naturally for this child???

Posing!! I just asked for a smile and this is what I got!

Man, I love this girl!

And so does everyone else!

I mean seriously? Who could resist loving this?!?

As far as activities Chandler enjoys?

Swim

Dance

Tennis and Gymnastics

Activities that she's tried that she does NOT love?

Soccer!!! She doesn't really like to get dirty, sweaty or have to do really hard work!!

And I love that about her!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Chandler!!

I still sometimes pinch myself because I can't believe I've been lucky enough to have you as my child!

I know that God has given you your unusually amazing heart for an unusually amazing purpose and I feel like I see glimpses of that every day in your life! I look forward to seeing even more of it every day of your life!