EF Turns 3 Today!

I can't believe it.  The first 3 years of her life feel like a blur.  She is in that stage where she's changing all the time, amazing you at the things she knows, frustrating you at the things she can't seem to learn.  I've always found that the threes were much harder than the twos and as we've neared this birthday, it seems to be the case for this one too.  She is so independent - "I can do it all myself" is heard several times per day.  She is so smart - those Leapfrog DVD's have taught her letters and sounds too!  She is so imaginative- she loves pretending:  one second she's a dog, another she's a cat, another she's Laura(or Mary or Carrie) from Little House on the Prairie or Dora the Explorer, still another she is pretending that a horse is sleeping in bed with her.  She is so loving - when she's in the mood, she will give you (and anyone else she knows) more hugs than you could ever need, won't allow anyone to leave the house without receiving a hug or a kiss.  One of our favorite phases with her in the past few months have been this ongoing interaction:

EF:  Mom (or Dad), guess what?

Me:  What?

EF:  Gueeessss whaaat?(higher octave)

Me:  What?

EF:  Guuuuueeeeessss whhhaaaat?(still higher octave)

Me:  What?

EF:  Gggguueesss wwwwwhhhhaaatttt?(still higher)

Me:  What?

EF:  I love you!

Me:  I love you too, EF!

She loves to pray and is always the first to volunteer or demand to pray.  Here's what she typically says:  "Dear God, Thank you for this day.  Please help us to  have a good time.  Help the corn and the carrots to grow.  In Jesus Name. Amen"

She also has been cracking us up during devotion time.  She will raise her hand and no matter what the question will answer "Jesus died on the cross for our sins."  We always know when I call on her what she will say and it's so hard not to giggle, especially for her siblings.

I praise God that He saw fit to bless us with this precious child.  Our family would definitely not be complete without her.

-J