Jael | 4 years old

Jael had her 4th birthday this month! We celebrated early with Papa and family, which was fun and overwhelming all at once. This week, for her actual birthday, we went as a family to get ice cream and cones and went to the park for the evening. Jael also got to turn her carseat around, which was a momentous occasion involving much giggling excitedly and narration on the way home.



We also began preschool this week. I am using kindergarten science and history texts complemented by library books, as well as the Bible story series and some math and writing workbooks. We're only doing about an hour every day, two days a week, but we'll increase that to four days once I finish school in November. Jael is very excited about school and loves to sit down and read with me. I'll be glad when I can dedicate more time to her.



Jael is a very independent minded little lady. She occupies herself very well and has a vivid imagination. She and Judah are playing together a little bit, but mostly frustrating each other (property ownership and sharing are confusing concepts) and Jael is learning not to use force when she wants something. It's a work in progress. She's also become a lot more defiant in the past few months, which I am afraid is a combination of stress and chaos in our house, but maybe developmental as well. I'm trying to figure out how to respond to that. She is very sweet, though, and watches out for her brother, too. The other day they disappeared while I was blow drying my hair and I almost panicked when I couldn't find them in the house until I looked outside and saw them trotting out to the barn where Daddy was, with Jael holding Judah's hand carefully and leading the way.




Highlights via Facebook:

August 8: I got my hair cut today. My stylist was out sick and I wasn't happy with the new stylist's cut. I asked Jael what she thought and she said very seriously and politely, "Mommy, it looks tewwible. I don't like it. Last time you got your hair cut at that place by Fwed Meyer, it did not look like this." ;D At least my hair grows fast, I guess!

August 25: Just caught Judah coloring all over the wall and informed him that coloring is ONLY for paper. Jael quickly reassured me that, "It's ok, Mommy, we have some poison that will get it off." Apparently my efforts to teach her that Goof Off is dangerous are working. ;D

August 28: Jael informed Jeff this morning that his face was dirty and he should wash it (he hadn't shaved yet), asked if she should wear long-sleeves because "it's 9 degrees cold this morning", and in keeping with what she's been hearing lately, tried to spell a secret to us so Judah wouldn't understand ("it's the e-m-j-s-r, Daddy"). I'm loving the grown-up conversation attempts. 

September 6: Jael just informed me that, "My dolly did something very bad and she is in prison. Now my room is a prison." This after she was battling Judah earlier in a duel of swords (wrapping paper tubes) and yelled for him to, "Fight! Fight in this WAR!!!!!" Maybe she won't be as much of a girly-girl as I thought... 

September 12: In celebration of Jael's 4th birthday yesterday, we switched her carseat forward-facing today. She wouldn't stop talking the whole way home. "Mommy! It looks all different! Why are we going this way? It feels like we are going into the ditch! Are we on a mountain? Are we going up? This feels funny! I'm backwards now! Are we going to the South Hill? I'm a big girl now. I hope my panties will still fit even though I'm big!" I was totally cracking up that the panties were such a priority!   

September 23: I wore my first pair of clip-on earrings today and Jael told Jeff, "Sometimes mommies put handles on their ears so they can open them up! And look inside! And they have mirrors on them!" (they were a bit square and shiny) 

October 7: Jael got to watch a lot more TV/Netflix than usual yesterday because she was throwing up all day, so this morning I explained that since she was getting better, we were only going to watch a little bit today. She thought about this and told me, "I'm glad I'm sick. I like being sick!"