It is amazing how fast this past year went by. My daughter went from still a little 4 year old still sporting her toddler belly to a little girl. Family traits are starting to surface as her "baby" disappears.
She certainly looks more like me, but she got her Daddy's big ears and feet. There are certain mischievous looks and a certain smile when I can see him in her. Most importantly she has her Daddy's passion to sing and perform. She can memorize songs and movies after hearing them just once. At her school recitals she is always leads or has the solo. Lately she has been making up her songs. I have a good feeling performing arts will be in her future.
D is taking after her Lola's cooking. She loves to help my mom prep the all of our family meals and she keeps telling me some day she wants to have her own restaurant. I think she just dreams of being Princess Tiana some day. Also, like my mom she loves stringing beads, painting, drawing, and crafts.
She is developing a green thumb like my dad. Almost every day she is home with us D likes to help her Lolo's water the plants, clean the garden and plant seeds. Last month we showed her some worms and got her a bucket of ladybugs explaining what they can do for a garden. For Earth Day this year she planted some sunflower seeds and over the months we watched them grow. This past week they finally started blooming. She is amazed out something so huge came out of something so small.
I started D in swim lessons just after she turned 2. When it is warm in San Diego her Grandpa heads straight for the pool, so I knew I had to get her waterproofed. Over the past year she has turned into a real swimmer. She has enough stamina that she can swim the entire length of an Olympic size pool using her "shark arms" (a.k.a. free style). Recently she has been swimming on her back doing a type of "frog" stroke. Like her Grandpa when it is warm she wants to be in the water and once she is in she doesn't want to come out.
Just like her Grandma, my daughter has passion for shoes ... jeweled, heels, sparkled. She loves a pair of butterfly wedge flip flops that her Grandma got her. I foresee a closet for shoes like Carrie's from Sex in the City.
Then there is me. Most people say that she is a mini me based on our appearance. We both have dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin and full lips. She has adopted a lot of my sayings and actions. She loves to read (or me reading to her) like me. And, just like me she can be a complete grump when getting woken up in the morning.
Four years old was such a fun age, but I am really excited to see what five years old will bring!
