jade is four

this year, birthdays were awarded with a date: a date created especially for each birthday girl.  (parents got them too). Jade spent her birthday at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden, ate an entire burger herself and attempted to follow it with a large sprinkled waffle cone full of frozen yogurt. needless to say, mom and dad finished the majority of it, to be sure.

dear Jade,

when you are not on all fours acting as a puppy, horse or cat, you are a bright, flash of energy running and bouncing constantly (and wearing your dance leotard – every day): doing front flips onto the bed, watching movies while doing a headstand (yes, the whole time), yelling at Eliza to join you in whatever pretend land you have ventured off to, singing, dancing, commanding, and intermittently adding a “thank you mommy! i’m so glad you are here today!” as i hand you a piece of edible goodness. i’m glad i’m here today, too (smile).

the array of dramatic faces, voices and characters you can pull is enviable. the photos included here do not begin to show the possibilities you have discovered with your eyebrows and lips. but the photos do show the beauty, wisdom and witty little girl i have been discovering the past four years.

so as to avoid the exaggeration of hindsight, i will mention now that you can play a few pieces of music on the piano (mostly pieces using the pattern of the black keys up and down the piano) but i love watching you show interest in singing and playing. your ever-dramatic disposition and your obsession with numbers, patterns and shapes secretly feeds my hopes you’ll be a brilliant musician. but i trust you'll learn that i will hold you as brilliant in any and all circumstances. as long as you hold potential (which is forever, my dear) you will be a brilliant bud of intelligence.

you will have so many experiences in life alone or with others who join you along the way. 

for those i get to share with you now, i am eternally grateful.