Letter Month Forty-Eight

Dear Sarah Graves,

My goodness, four years have passed already.  It feels like just yesterday I was writing your first letter to you and I have to say that I am still so in awe and so in love with you that I can’t believe it. 

You have a very loving heart.  That is never more evident than when you are with your brother.  You squeal with delight to see him get up in the morning and you want to hug him as soon as you come in from school.  You speak kind words to him and encourage him so sweetly.  You are a kind big sister,   You find it frustrating, but never act out in anger to him.  I feel like that is very mature for a little girl.  

even now that he has gotten older and sometimes does unkind things to you like pull your hair and mess up your toys.

Your thoughts revolve a lot around yourself and your needs as I would expect them to at this age, but you are starting to see the world from others’ perspectives.  You are beginning to understand that sometimes I am tired or need you to help out and I think that shows huge shifts in your maturity. 

You are in love with princesses and ballet right now.  We often find you dressed up in a princess costume, sporting a tiara, wearing your tap shoes, and performing your favorite song.  You have very definite favorites when it comes to music.  Your top ones are “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, “Roar” by Katy Perry, and “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen.   You know the words, you dance, and you have moves to these songs. You may not be able to read yet, but you can find these songs on your iPad.  It is so much fun to crank it up and watch you enjoy yourself! 

You are working hard at learning to write and understand letters.  You recognize most all of the letters, you know what sound they make, and you can write some of them.  You are struggling to write your letters in the proper direction, but we hope that your interest in it will lead you to figure it all out.  You very proudly count to twenty and seem to understand quantities and recognize numbers of objects.  Your vocabulary is pretty large and grows daily.  You love to read books and this provides many opportunities to explain what new words mean.  You don’t hesitate to ask what something like delighted or fled means when we are reading.  I love that quality in you and hope it serves you well. 

You are very honest and at times very blunt.  I think part of that is being a little girl and part of it is who you are.  It often means that you say things we find funny, but we also know that you will have to soften your tone to avoid hurting other people.  You get very embarrassed, so it is sometimes a challenge to give you feedback that doesn’t make you feel bad.  When you get embarrassed, you tend to shut down and don’t want anything to do with whomever or whatever we were doing.  This makes being your mom a challenging job. 

This past year brought a lot of big emotions for you.  I have been working on ways to help you work through bad feelings, feel connected, and have limits.  One of the best things I have found is playfulness.  Doing things like pretending to be a bus driver on our way to school or drive the sleepy train to bed get lots of giggles going and seem to make those little tasks better for you.  You even bring me your ticket to punch so that you can get on board the sleepy train! 

Leaving you at school has often been a challenge, but we switched you to Ms. Sharon and Mr. Jason’s class in Preschool 4 and you seem to be doing quite well.  You enjoy being with your friends, Emmeline, Annabelle, London, and Jazzlyn.  You have lots of friends in class and seem to get along well with everyone, but these are the girls you speak of most often.  You are also friendly with the other parents because they all adore you and speak highly of you!  Giving you a hand kiss also helps you each day.  A hand kiss is a kiss on the palm of your hand that you grab hold of tight to have during the day when you need it.  One of these in each hand seems to be the little bit extra you need when it is time to say goodbye.  We also enjoy a lunch date just the two of us when I can get away.  It is a fun time with you and you seem to really appreciate the time together.  

You love taking tap and ballet and you also enjoy being in PlaybBall and Music Together.  Green has been your favorite color for quite a while, but pink seems to be taking over the favorite spot now.  Your favorite TV shows are Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Imagination Movers, but you are a TV junkie and will watch as much as we let you.  You really love your baby dolls and Kate is still a favorite, but you have also gotten into princess dolls and have recently acquired several of them that you adore.  Your favorite foods seem to fluctuate, but lately pasta, crispy bacon, and waffles are some of your top picks.  You love all things dessert and are willing to try most sweets! 

I really enjoy doing things with you and having the chance to see your imagination in action.  Watching you take care of your babies or play with your brother is a beautiful reflection of how we have treated you.  Seeing your kind and loving heart is very affirming that we have done something right.  I am very much looking forward to watching you grow and learn more.  I forever feel lucky to be your momma.

Love,

Momma