Dear Claire Bear (can we call you that til you’re 20?),

Happy FOUR! Four. Once again, this year has passed in a flash and now you’ve become our thoughtful, creative, and passionate big girl. You have a huge heart, a true love of learning, and a deep desire to make friends with everyone you meet.

Your biggest change this year was becoming a BIG SISTER. Mommy and Daddy were mighty curious to see how you’d handle the transition—and Claire, you rocked it. You love Cora with your whole heart and proudly introduce her to anyone who will listen.

You’re super skilled at making Cora smile and have taught her to copy your silly sounds. We cannot wait to see how your relationship will grow over the coming years. What a blessing that you two have each other!

Playing
The princess stage is still going full-force, but golly it’s cute! You absolutely love movies, and have an amazing knack for memorizing soundtracks. You love dancing around the room to your favorites (Moana, Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Trolls), and we’ve had fun instituting Movie Nights on Fridays (complete with popcorn and piles of blankets).

You are super brave, and have no qualms about climbing up on the highest piece of playground equipment you can find. You still love bubbles and balloons, but also baby dolls and your trains. Your imagination is inspiring, and we love how you create little adventures for your stuffed “friends” to enjoy.

All said, your favorite pastime remains art. We’re so grateful that you have the sunroom as your studio, and have enjoyed letting your creativity run free with stickers, stamps, glue, scissors, and paint. Something is spilled out there daily, but it’s fun to let you play freely. Although we’ve seen you draw stick figures a few times, your favorite medium remains stickers and “dotters” for now.

You’re still our social butterfly, making friends everywhere we go. Your best buddies are Audrey McQueeney, Henry James, Kate Furlong, Millie Mitchell, and all the friends from your Bluebirds class (Shelby, Mia, and Elizabeth were the favs).

Saying
One of the things that impresses Mommy and Daddy most is your comfort communicating with adults. You’re able to ask great questions, carry interesting conversations, and we never quite know what you’ll say. Your vocabulary is awesome, and you continue to come up with the sweetest expressions: “Stick to the plan,” “Keep that in your mind,” “I very love you,” “actually…,” “sure,” “do you want to see me jump?” and —my favorite— “I love being your kid.”

You’re very curious about Spanish, thanks to both your fabulous teacher (Mrs. Cadena) and the TV show Go, Diego Go. We hope to foster that interest in the next few years.

Dislikes
After years of being our Baby-Led Weaning star, you’ve recently become more of a picky eater. You’ll still eat a carton of tomatoes, sure, but you’re now choosy about your brand of mac-and-cheese, the color of your apple, and the type of butter on your toast (only salted will do). We know this is your independence shining through, but Mommy and Daddy were spoiled by your previous anything-goes appetite.

The other big change of heart that you had this year was Little Otter Swim School. You took about 6 months of lessons in the big kid class before deciding that you didn’t like swim lessons anymore. (And we mean realllllly didn’t like lessons.) We never quite figured out what flipped the switch, but Daddy and I decided that you were too young to be forced to do an extracurricular you weren’t into. That said, you still love swimming (thankfully!) and have been a little fish at the neighborhood swimming pool this summer. Whew!

What’s Ahead
We’re fortunate that you’re a super adaptable kiddo, cause we’re changing schools once again this fall. You had a great experience at DCPC, but for a whole host of reasons we’ve decided to switch back to Mt. Zion’s Sonshine Preschool. It’ll be a blast to watch you learn to write and work with letters this year, and Mommy and Daddy cannot believe that this is your last school year before kindergarten. (Cue all the emotions.)

You got your first big girl bike for your fourth birthday. Thanks to training wheels, you seemed to catch on super quickly—and we can’t wait to see you continue to build your confidence this year.

(If you have trouble viewing the video, please click here.)

Your fourth year of life was filled with loads of fun and a few challenges, too, as we’ve all learned how to manage the big feelings your little body feels. Parenting you is both joyful and humbling. You remind us daily that it’s both an honor and a huge responsibility to guide, love, and protect you. Thankfully we’re surrounded by the most loving village of family and friends—and you’re adored by them all.

Happy fourth birthday, sweetheart.

Loads of love,
Mommy & Daddy