Dear Alafair,
Okay, in my defense, I was working on this video BEFORE your 5th birthday, but the program I usually use was no longer available and then every other video editor I tried was too complicated for some reason. Anyway...30 attempts and $20 to upgrade to pro edition later, I've finally figured it out. Now that it's February and we're halfway through your 5th year (!), I'm having a hard time even remembering your 4th year.
There were some pretty big events in your 4th year. You started and completed your 1st year of preschool at TRICA. Going to school 3 times a week was a pretty big adjustment for you after being completely isolated at home for your entire life. You also started tiny dance class and it was as adorable as you might imagine. We had a pretty good summer, mostly just hanging out near home, playing outside as much as possible, doing lots of fun art projects, and going to the YMCA to learn how to swim. You are a FISH!!! In August, Dada and I had to travel to Portland without you so I could have a surgery. Bibi and PopPop came to stay with you and we ended up being gone 4 nights, and it was reallllllly difficult for you to have me gone that long. Then when we finally came home, I just laid around and slept for weeks, and shortly after that, you went back to school five days a week! It was a bit of a rough fall for you. Overall though you're adjusting and we can just forget those couple months ever happened.
You are a kid of extremes. You sit down and play by yourself for hours at a time with laser focus, or you buzz around at top volume and speed looking for attention. You like to joke Dada as much as possible and play tricks on people, but you (not surprisingly) don't have a sense of humor about yourself yet. You adore your big sister and want to have/be/do all things Alice...except for when you don't. You are fiercely independent but still strongly attached, particularly to me. And most of all, you are officially all KID.
I've slacked off on writing down all the delightful things you say--there are just too many to keep track of. But here are some of the ones I've managed to record.
While opening birthday presents, "OOOO A ROBOT THAT EATS FLIES!!!!" (I'm not sure what it actually was, but it wasn't a fly-eating robot.) 9/26/22
"I love you to alllll the universities (universes)!!!" Winter 2022
A nurse, trying for distraction, asked when you will turn 5. After pausing a beat, "...after I'm 4...." like it was some kind of trick question. 2/1/23
"What's kwy ton go?" (Tae Kwon do) 4.20.23
"Don't dance soggy! Alice needs to dance crispy!" Watching Alice's company auditions, 5/13/23
"Queminny garden!" (Community garden) 7/18/23
"But, Dada!!! My arms are too short!!!!!" Seriously distressed when asked if she wanted to hold a kitten. 8/12/23
"I did NOT want to go to Nannykim's [wofl] birthday because I thought there was going to be a REAL wolf there." 8/10/24
"Look, Mama! They fell in love!" Showing me two naked Barbies in a sleeping bag. 8/14/23
"Well I don't know why Miss Alicia didn't teach us to read today." Commenting on the first day of preschool. 9/5/23
Don't worry, Alafair, you've been working hard on learning letters at school since then and are already starting to put simple words and sentences together. You'll be reading War & Peace before we know it. I love you most of all Sweet Pea Tiny Witch Alafair Bea. You're my Favorite Red.
Love, Mama
Okay, in my defense, I was working on this video BEFORE your 5th birthday, but the program I usually use was no longer available and then every other video editor I tried was too complicated for some reason. Anyway...30 attempts and $20 to upgrade to pro edition later, I've finally figured it out. Now that it's February and we're halfway through your 5th year (!), I'm having a hard time even remembering your 4th year.
There were some pretty big events in your 4th year. You started and completed your 1st year of preschool at TRICA. Going to school 3 times a week was a pretty big adjustment for you after being completely isolated at home for your entire life. You also started tiny dance class and it was as adorable as you might imagine. We had a pretty good summer, mostly just hanging out near home, playing outside as much as possible, doing lots of fun art projects, and going to the YMCA to learn how to swim. You are a FISH!!! In August, Dada and I had to travel to Portland without you so I could have a surgery. Bibi and PopPop came to stay with you and we ended up being gone 4 nights, and it was reallllllly difficult for you to have me gone that long. Then when we finally came home, I just laid around and slept for weeks, and shortly after that, you went back to school five days a week! It was a bit of a rough fall for you. Overall though you're adjusting and we can just forget those couple months ever happened.
You are a kid of extremes. You sit down and play by yourself for hours at a time with laser focus, or you buzz around at top volume and speed looking for attention. You like to joke Dada as much as possible and play tricks on people, but you (not surprisingly) don't have a sense of humor about yourself yet. You adore your big sister and want to have/be/do all things Alice...except for when you don't. You are fiercely independent but still strongly attached, particularly to me. And most of all, you are officially all KID.
I've slacked off on writing down all the delightful things you say--there are just too many to keep track of. But here are some of the ones I've managed to record.
While opening birthday presents, "OOOO A ROBOT THAT EATS FLIES!!!!" (I'm not sure what it actually was, but it wasn't a fly-eating robot.) 9/26/22
"I love you to alllll the universities (universes)!!!" Winter 2022
A nurse, trying for distraction, asked when you will turn 5. After pausing a beat, "...after I'm 4...." like it was some kind of trick question. 2/1/23
"What's kwy ton go?" (Tae Kwon do) 4.20.23
"Don't dance soggy! Alice needs to dance crispy!" Watching Alice's company auditions, 5/13/23
"Queminny garden!" (Community garden) 7/18/23
"But, Dada!!! My arms are too short!!!!!" Seriously distressed when asked if she wanted to hold a kitten. 8/12/23
"I did NOT want to go to Nannykim's [wofl] birthday because I thought there was going to be a REAL wolf there." 8/10/24
"Look, Mama! They fell in love!" Showing me two naked Barbies in a sleeping bag. 8/14/23
"Well I don't know why Miss Alicia didn't teach us to read today." Commenting on the first day of preschool. 9/5/23
Don't worry, Alafair, you've been working hard on learning letters at school since then and are already starting to put simple words and sentences together. You'll be reading War & Peace before we know it. I love you most of all Sweet Pea Tiny Witch Alafair Bea. You're my Favorite Red.
Love, Mama
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