Ruby's 4th Birthday!

I can't believe Ruby is 4! She has been waiting for her birthday for a long time because she knew we were going to Disney. And she knew that Preschool started when she turned 4.

This girl has so much personality wrapped up in her little body! It just keeps getting better and better. Here's a little about 4 year old Ruby:

- she loves to play ponies, princesses, and dress up. She loves imaginative play and I often hear her say, "Let's pretend that..." She and Ella like to play "stories".

- she can write all her letters and is starting to sound out words. She listens in on Ella's homework and tries to do the same things.

- she is definitely an artist. She will sit and color or draw forever. Her pictures are very detailed too. Now that she's in school, she gets to do way more arts and crafts projects there, so she is thrilled! In fact, a couple weeks ago, her Primary teacher told me that Ruby got very upset with her for accidentally bumping her while she was coloring.

- she still says some words wrong, but I think it's so cute that I just can't correct it. Some favorites are:

Don't leave ABOUT me! (about = without)

I am big HAS Ella. (has= as)

I'm nice and comfTy. (comfty= comfy)

- she still has a temper! If she gets upset, it takes major work and time for her to calm down. She can't really be reasoned with.

- one thing that upsets her the most is when Daddy teases her (which makes him do it even more!!!!). If he inserts her name into a song, she goes nuts. She often says, "NO DADDY!!!" to him. I have to remind her not to get worked up by saying, "What does Daddy love to do?" and then she usually laughs and says, "Tease!" Then she won't believe a word he says. It's pretty funny actually.

- She is so brave in some regards, like picking up bugs, getting dirty, and talking to anyone, but also has many fears. She doesn't like heights. If Richard tries to pick her up really high, she gets petrified. She won't go on the Dumbo ride at Disney. Now that I think of it, the first time I took her to Disneyland when she wasn't quite 2, she screamed bloody murder on the Dumbo ride. I guess some things are just ingrained.

- She LOVES Ella! She would follow her around and play with her all day long if Ella would let her. She thinks Annie's great, for a baby, but is a last resort playmate. I think it's because Annie doesn't have the imagination play down yet.

- She's starting to ask some deep questions about church. When we have family home evening, she listens (for the most part) and really thinks about the topic. She loves to be the one saying the prayer. She still ends her bedtime prayers with, "Help us not to play in the drawers and closets." This dates back to one night in our Buffalo house, and she still hasn't let it go!

- She loves to wear dresses and skirts. Maybe someday one of my daughters will let me put them in jeans or shorts. Sigh. Ruby loves to pick out her outfit the night before school and lay it out on the floor to see if it's cute.

- She is very loving. She randomly says, "I love you" to me throughout the day. She's such a sweet heart! She loves to cuddle and be held and hug.

- Every time she puts her shoes on, without fail, they are on the wrong feet. And it doesn't bother her one bit to walk around with them like that.

We had a really fun time at Disney World for her birthday. The only downside was that it was blasted hot and humid still in Florida. It kind of cut our days short, but on the plus side, we drank lots of Slurpees to cool off!

On the night of Ruby's actual birthday, we ate dinner at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The food was really yummy, but it cost way too much! Especially when you add in the kids. I don't know what we were thinking, but oh well. It was a celebration, right?! We brought a cake that we had made at the Super Target bakery (ah, Super Target. Will I ever live by one of them?!). So after dinner, we sang and had cake. Then Ruby opened her present, a giant Pony setup, which was just what she asked for. That thing provided hours of entertainment for the kids, which allowed me watch lots of HGTV at the condo we were staying at. We don't have cable, so we watched lots of Property Brothers, Pawn Stars, and Storage Wars. Richard also watched Dog the Bounty Hunter, but I couldn't handle it!



We went to Chevy's the night after Ruby's birthday and told them it was her birthday. They sang to her and gave her this giant sombrero! She almost decided to wear it to Animal Kingdom the next day, but changed her mind at the last minute. At least it would have kept the sun out of her eyes!
We had such a fun trip and are excited to go again in a couple weeks with some of our family. We sure do love our little Rubes!