4, finally!

On the 18th our sweet Afton turned the fabulous age of four. There was so much anticipation and excitement for her to leave that worn out old age of three behind and finally be four. She beamed all day long and told everyone who did or did not want to hear that she was 4, not 3. She has a long list of things that she can do now that she is 4. One of them is that she will be able to sleep in her own bed all night long. We wish!
We threw Afton a birthday party the day before her real birthday. It was really fun to have ten kids running around in our back yard! We played some little games, ate a lot of cake and ice cream, and of course gave some presents. Jared and I held out almost all week in telling her that some people might bring her presents for her party. She has only been to a few birthday parties and didn't seem to remember that gifts were part of it. When I mentioned it to her, her eyes lit up as she thought of all the kids she had invited and how that could translate into presents. I love the innocence of a kid. She had a blast playing with all her friends. Even though we had little games set up for them, the most fun they had was when they'd yell, "Let's play chase!" and all run in circles around the yard giggling like crazy. (Please don't forget to check out her party outfit she put together. Amazing.)

Afton is such a great kid. She is intense, silly, nurturing, creative, an eager learner, helpful, beautiful, athletic, fast, ticklish, a morning person, funny, loving, a great big sister, wonderful, and brilliant (to name a few things!). Her Grandma Jan talked to her on the phone the morning of her birthday and got the full, unfettered, and unabridged recounting of Afton's mind. I had to laugh as I watched Afton pace around the house jabbering away with the phone to her ear. She thinks she is so grown up. But she's my little girl and I love it that way.Here she is riding her well-used bike with the brand new basket and handle streamers. This is where you'll most likely find our little whirlwind. Always on the go. Happy Birthday Afton!