Happy 4th Birthday Rylie!

Happy Birthday to our beautiful, smart, funny, strong-willed, independent little big girl!

The past year of your life has been a rough one for our family as a whole, but it has been filled with excitement watching you learn and grow. You have grown up so much in such a short time, and you have come into your own as a little person with your own thoughts, dreams and desires.

January/February 2011

You are such a beautiful girl! I look at you sometimes and honestly think you look like a doll with your soft, fair skin and bright blue eyes. It may very well be your doll-like appearance that causes people of all ages to be attracted to you. When you walk into a room, everyone notices.

March/April 2011

Unfortunately, this magnetic quality brings you some anxiety. You like your personal space to be just that, and you don’t like to be the center of attention. Unless it is my attention that you are the center of. You do much better with just one or two friends than in a large group, which is usually very overwhelming to you. People like you, though, and want to be around you, so hopefully this will be easier for you as you get older.

May/June 2011

When you were born, you immediately looked around the room like you were checking everyone out. You still do that, and you are always aware of what is going on. There is no chance of pulling something over on you. You are so smart in that way. We like to say you have “street smarts”. I believe you have “book smarts” too, but you don’t like to use them much. It is not easy to get you to sit down and pay attention and learn something, but once you do learn it, you know it. You are recognizing more and more letters as the weeks pass, and you are writing your name very well. You are always so proud when you learn something new, and you love to show us your accomplishments. We are very proud of you, and we make sure we let you know that on a regular basis.

July/August 2011

You have really tested us as parents this year, and I think you are starting to realize our limits and what we expect from you. You are learning how great life can be when you act right, which is much more fun than dealing with the consequences for bad behavior. You are generally a well-behaved child who respects authority and you don’t often question it, but you are encouraged to make your own decisions in situations that allow it.

September/October 2011

You have your own sense of style and we often find you in a pajama top with a skirt and leggings, none of which match. Your clothing choices often cause heated battles in the morning because you refuse to wear the clothes that I deem adorable. You only want to wear long sleeved dresses, or skirts with leggings or tights and a long sleeved shirt. This even applies on warm days. I sure hope your fashion sense changes before summer gets here!

November/December 2011

You can now do so much on your own that you couldn’t do a year ago. You dress yourself, brush your teeth, get food and drinks for you and Bryce, and go to the bathroom alone. We keep thinking that you don’t need us for much any longer, but you do. You still need hugs and kisses before bedtime. You still need someone to rescue you from the monsters in your dreams. You still need us to teach you about that big world out there. I hope you will always need us for something, because we will certainly always be there for you.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! We love you with all of our hearts and we hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy