the big 4

Miss Baby had her big day today. She woke up to balloons tied to her chair at the breakfast table. She ran around the house with them, sharing eagerly and willingly with all of us. The sharing was not optional, btw; I ate breakfast while holding onto mine. She had worn herself out so much that she had a little meltdown during children’s church, but lunch and a “nap” settled her enough that we could celebrate as we’d planned. We took her to Monkey Joe’s (Mookie Joes, as she puts it), which is essentially a large room with half-a-dozen bouncy houses/slides. This is the smartest business model ever; keep it clean, pay the electric bill for all those blowers, and rake in the cash. They jumped for nearly 2 hours, then we left for dinner. She was eager for burritos, but spent the entire time at the restaurant going to the bathroom. Not actually using it, just visiting. She’s got this whole Lady MacBeth thing going on. She watched Brazil beat Ivory Coast on Telemundo, which pleased her. (My rules are simple: Dodgers in baseball, Brazil in World Cup; everything else is up to you).
We came home for purple birthday cake, which pleased her tremendously, even though she didn’t eat much of it. She did try to eat the candle, though. Then: time for presents. We had Father’s day presents and birthday presents. Miss Baby was delighted with everything; she played happily with the dolls and furniture she got from her Mammaw and Pappaw, identifying with the baby and calling the older girl “Cousin Jessa.” She shared the coloring book he gave her with her brother, and went outside to hit baseballs with her tee-ball set.
She was exhausted by bedtime, and fussed at the kitten when he wouldn’t cuddle with her.
It’s hard being four, and by the end of the day, she was insisting that she was three.