Let’s talk about Fay! Today is Fay’s 4th birthday! She has been declaring for about two months how she is “almost ready to be 4” because she is brave, or because she can climb the swing-set, or because she obeyed really well.  And now her day has come, and she truly is 4! And I would say that she is decidedly ready!

Fay is probably tired of me telling her this, because I do multiple times a day, but it is so true. Fay is my biggest helper! She is so willing to watch Portia for me if Carter is in need of attention. She LOVES helping in the kitchen, and will do just about any job I give her. She has recently started responding with a cheerful “Of course!” every time I ask her to run grab something for me or do another similar task. She is such a motherly big-sister to both Carter and Portia, and I honestly don’t know how I could handle my current situation if she wasn’t such a gem of a helper!

Fay has a very favorite toy–a little stuffed bear named Gary–who is her ultimate scapegoat. If she has just bullied Carter in some way, she will often respond with “Gary pushed Carter.” She also makes Gary cry a lot as well as say some pretty rude things to people, and then will accept absolutely no responsibility for what he has done. She just says, “Gary says he doesn’t like you.” or “Gary is just sad.” We have explained to her that she is the one who is in charge of Gary, and as such, she is responsible to make sure he acts nicely. I have even reminded her that Gary is actually mine, and that I have the power to make him disappear. She is working on some character reform for him.

 

Two weeks ago (on Carter’s birthday), Fay declared that she wanted to go swimming on her birthday. We told her that she could, and have been planning on it ever since. However, this week we have been through just about every sickness available (coughs, runny noses, fevers, ear infections, pink eye, and sleep deprivation) and therefore didn’t think it was a very good idea for the kids to be at a public pool.  So, we got an inflatable pool for the back yard.  Fay loved it and played in it for over an hour today, even though it wasn’t particularly warm. She told me that it was cooler to have a pool at home than to go to the public pool once. I agree.

The other day, the kids and I were talking about what we were going to be when we grow up. Fay told me that she wanted to be a ballerina and a fairy princess. I told her that she can be absolutely anything she wants to be, so long as she can be like Jesus while she does it. Then we talked about how one can be a ballerina and be like Jesus. It was a fun, and sweet conversation with my sweet little girl.

I don’t know what Fay will ultimately decide to be when she grows up; but I love the beautiful, helpful, fun, and perfectly unique girl that she is today, and I am forever grateful for the privilege I have to be her mother!