lady-le turns three!

This sweet little gal turned three this past summer in July, and I need to do a little shout out for what she brings into our family. She is full of energy, and is just as much a strong personality as L-man is. I feel like at age three I am still getting to know her, and learning more and more about her personality as she gets older. She is a riot and a blessing all at the same time! Specific highlights include:

-she wears her heart on her sleeve. If she is sad, happy, shy, goofy, mad, frustrated, hurt, anything - she'll let you know. And it will be obvious. 

-while she can and will use a loud voice when needed, her most frequent volume of sound is still quiet. In a crowd of people you still need to ask her to repeat herself. But when she feels the need to be heard (specifically when her brother takes a toy or she feels she has been wronged in some way) she will be loud and it will come out quiet harshly.

-potty training has been a constant battle for months now! She totally gets it, but simply chooses not to pay attention. And especially with summer irregularity in schedule it has been rough. Struggle after struggle. She is completely capable, we just can't seem to find her motivation for independence. One thing will work for a few days, and then she'll stop caring. Then we repeat the accidents and frustration cycle all over again. I am really hoping that preschool and routines in the fall will help change this. 

-she loves to "be sneaky" and she'll put her fingers up by her face as she tells you what she's going to sneak. For example, I'll tell her no more snacks until dinner time. Her response will be to raise her fingers and twiddle them right next to her cheeks and eyes as she says, "I'm going to go sneak some goldfish!" 

-speaking of food, this girl loves to eat. all. the. time. not so much in the meal form, but she would munch and snack all day long if we let her. She's typically very open to trying new foods, especially if she can just have a bite of whatever I'm eating. And she definitely has a sweet-tooth. 

-favorite game is playing hide-and-go-seek. And she laughs ridiculously loud when we pretend not to see her. 

-favorite toys include anything Minnie Mouse related, doll-house type toys, my little ponies, and any kind of animal. She has willingly stepped into L-man's world of animals and loves to play with him. Although her play is more along the lines of gathering families together rather than battling and chasing prey. :)

-continues to have a super long attention span for reading books! Right now we are going through a Franklin and friends phase.

-I don't have a lot of comparison, but at least to me she seems to be purely gifted when it comes to puzzles. She seems to simply be a visual person who can see how the pieces fit together before I even need to guide her. She LOVES puzzles! 

-crazy excited for preschool this fall. Doesn't seem worried or nervous at all. She has loved watching L-man go to this preschool, and she already knows many of the teachers there so she feels very comfortable. And since I'm writing this in late August, we've already had our little open house at her school. She walked into the classroom with me, quickly glanced my direction and said, "Okay! I'll miss you Mom, goodbye!" and immediately went straight to the My Little Pony toys. Didn't even turn around.

-loves to pretend that Daddy's a monster, and begs him over and over to "tickle me again, Daddy!"

-is a fiercely loyal momma's girl though. This has been both a blessing and a curse, and we are constantly teaching her that mommy and daddy are a team and work together to help her. She often only wants me to help, comfort, hold, teach, and reprimand. But she is always super excited to tell Daddy good news!

-loves to ride her tricycle in the driveway with the big boys on their bikes

-swimming at the pool has definitely become a favorite this summer. She had her first round of swim lessons that started on her birthday. Sadly she cried for almost the entire half hour! But by the end of the two weeks she was a champ and loved them. After her lessons were over I finally pulled out one of those puddle jumper floaties I got on clearance last year and man alive she is a changed kid in the water. Blowing bubbles, getting her face wet, she is crazy for it! Super fun to watch her be so proud of herself.

-Lady-LE can switch from being the sweetest little girl to having the most attitude ever in a matter of seconds. We have some severe good and bad days around here, and sadly my patience is not what it usually is these days! Power struggles are quite normal, and she can be outright defiant of you all day long if she wants. Very strong willed! 

-absolutely LOVES her brother. They honestly play so well together and I am grateful for that! 

We love her dearly and can't imagine our lives without her!