Aurora Just Turned 4

My older girls finally finished their holiday break and went back to school on January 13th. So, the house has gotten a little quieter again...for now. However, last week did have one big milestone that everyone had to celebrate.

Aurora, my beautiful friendly firecracker of a youngest daughter had a birthday. My "baby girl" is now four years old! Besides making me feel pretty darn old, this birthday was a good opportunity to look at my girls and see how big, mature, and sweet and kind they are all becoming. My heart is full when I think of all the blessings I have received in my life (deserved or not), and my girls are three of my biggest blessings by far.

Out of all my girls, Aurora is probably the most like me in terms of temperament. She feels intense emotions (and isn't afraid to express them); she likes things to go her way; she is a neat freak and can be fastidious (especially with regards to personal cleanliness; she hates having dirty hands!); she is very competitive and hates to lose at anything; and she has a smart mouth that can get her into trouble on occasion (and has made her big sisters cry on more than one occasion). I feel guilty at times for burdening her with some of my personality traits that will undoubtedly morph into neuroses in her teenage/adult years.

Now she has all the Jake And The Never Land Pirates toys she will EVER need!

 However, my sweet little girl has many other qualities that round her out. She is the most affectionate member of the family, and is not shy about giving out kisses and hugs (of course, she is also not afraid to give out affectionate "punches" to her sisters; she's quite a bundle of contradictions, she is!). Aurora may sometimes start fights, but she is also good at ending them...she often acts as "peacemaker" between other members of the family. When there are bad feelings, she makes sure to make every party feel loved and respected, and that goes a long way in resolving our conflicts. She loves to dance when music is playing, and run when there's a large field in front of her. She loves to be alive, and to feel alive. That enthusiasm is contagious and the rest of the family feels it often. She is also a good and loyal friend, who loves opportunities to play games and talk with other cute little girls.

Such was the case last Friday night, when Aurora invited her best friend Shelby to our family birthday dinner at Peter Piper Pizza. Shelby's whole family came along for the ride, so it ended up being a pleasant night of pizza and games (well, as pleasant as a dining experience at Peter Piper Pizza's can be; it was surprisingly not crowded when we arrived, and the noise level was a lot lower than we expected! Delightful).

At the end of the night, Aurora was surprised with a birthday present from her buddy:

So cute!

Aurora is very attached to Shelby. So much so that she often gets sad when they can't hang out more. Aurora has had a hard time adjusting to her new Primary class in church, because she and Shelby are no longer classmates. The leaders of Primary (wisely) decided that Shelby and Aurora needed to be in separate classes for now, because their love for one another would lead to more squealing and talking and dancing and playing than would be reverent...or controllable by any Sunbeam teacher. Since they both became Sunbeams in January, Aurora has spent much of her time in Primary crying tears of bitter loneliness. Thank goodness she has a patient, understanding Primary teacher that is helping her learn to love Primary for its own sake.

Seeing Aurora enter the Primary program at our church (now all three of my children are in Primary) is another reminder of how grown-up they all my kids are getting. In our church, children enter the Primary program if they are three years old at the beginning of that calendar year. This means that technically, Aurora is one of the oldest kids in her class (comparatively speaking, Lorelai & Celeste were much younger when they entered the Sunbeam class (the class for the youngest kids). Even so, finally having my youngest daughter in Primary suddenly ages her so much more in my eyes; every day she is feeling more and more like a "kid" and less like a "baby." That's a very bittersweet feeling to have.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sweet Aurora. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go cuddle with my children before they get too big and old.