On your last night of being three...

Sweet Sydney Marie,

You turn four tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. 

I laid in bed with you tonight and you said, "Mom, you said you would only read three pages and you read the whole book!" I told you it was because it was your birthday-eve. And really, I was feeling a little nostalgic about it being your birthday and wanted to soak up my three year old. 

Four years ago, my water broke 3 weeks early. And I was terrified. We didn't even have the car seat out of the basement! 

You were a total game changer. 

You never stopped moving! 

And, when you started eating, you always wanted Chik Fil A or Macaroni (and still do!)

You didn't start talking until you were 2 1/2 and you immediately started calling me mom, never mommy. I tried so hard to get you to call me mommy, but it didn't really work. 

You were bald until close to 3 years old and now, you have the best bed head of anyone I've ever met!

At 3, your doctor told us we needed to find an outlet for you. 

You tried dance but moved to gymnastics.

This summer, you became a water bug. You swam almost every day!

You say the sweetest things! Every now and then you will tell me you love me, completely unprompted. I love those moments.

You love the color blue (which you call blue blue) and Finding Dory. 

It is such a joy for us to have our Friday's together. We run errands, we do puzzles, we play games, we bake, we have FUN.

You are competitive and strong-willed, just like your big sister. 

 You are so spunky and make me laugh every single day. You are the most carefree person in our family! You are a good reminder to me to not take things so seriously.

Sometimes I let you get away with more than I should because you are my last baby, and because I'm usually trying not to laugh!

Happy 4th birthday, Sydney Marie. We love you!