Aggie's fourth birthday!

To Agnes on her fourth birthday
My hummingbird, my tornado, my whirlwind… sometimes I think you have so much energy it shoots out of your fingertips and makes your hair stand on end!

A glimpse of Aggie at age four- Yesterday you bounced out of bed at 6am ready to go and full of energy. You stayed in your pjs drinking chocolate milk and watching Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, and Super Why. (You can tell I was very tired that morning because you got to watch all three of your favorite shows!) During breakfast you wiggled, ate, wiggled, argued with Seth, wiggled some more, almost fell out of your chair, then finally finished eating. You got yourself dressed, made your bed, and brushed your teeth in about 30 seconds flat. You are always so eager to start the day and ready for absolutely anything! Yesterday was one of those all too common days that I didn’t quite get around to brushing your hair, so you ran around all day with the sides sticking out and up and what looks like a birds nest in the back. Nonetheless you spent most of the day feeling pretty in your dress up costumes. I love how you dress up like a princess and even a “wedding girl,” while all the time insisting that you are NEVER going to get married and NEVER going to have babies. Yesterday you were unusually creative at making adventures for yourself. You swung on a door and broke it off its hinges, broke a mini blind (actually your story was “Mommy, this was just laying on the floor and it broke!” as you handed me the pieces.) Then you saw Marcus sitting in the bathtub enjoying the warm water as it filled. ..when I turned my back for one second, you quietly turned the water to COLD and walked out of the room. As I write this you are feeding your baby doll “mommy milk” in the sandbox.

You and Lorraine are still very close sisters. You are so very much alike, yet so different! Your favorite things to do with Lorraine: stay up late and giggle with her (or drive her nuts while she is trying to sleep), play dress up, do crafts and paint. But Lorraine does not always understand your love for mess and adventure! Seth is more like you in that way. You and Seth sure do play hard together- some days creating joyful chaos together, some days turning the chaos against each other and doing nothing but fight. You love to tease everyone at all times (you get this from daddy.) Your favorite insults at the moment- “Seth is a poopy diaper!” and “Rainy is a piggy princess!” You and Daddy share a special sense of humor when it comes to harassing everyone else in the family!

You are still in love with your baby brother Marcus. You get such a kick out of his little developments, especially when they are clumsy or messy or loud. I remember you belly laughing when Marcus was trying to figure out how to use a sippy cup for the first time. And my heart completely melted when you said “Marcus is slobbering on my teddy bear blanket and it’s ok with me if he do-s that.”

You add randomness, chaos, adventure, and lots and lots of laughter to our family. You have a huge heart, even for your siblings, and enjoy any time you can share anything from a piece of candy to a party with others. You take life as it comes, and I imagine you often wonder “How can I make this more fun?” I cannot begin to imagine what God has in store for you as an adult. Perhaps you are one of those kids who really will grow up to be an astronaut or airplane pilot! As I watch you live each day you remind me to rejoice in the present, to take each day as a gift of God… a full glass of chocolate milk… drinking every last drop out of it, using the energy and sugar to have adventures all day, and finally collapsing into bed exhausted.

Happy fourth birthday Aggie Sue! We sure do love you!