Ruby is 4.5

 Ruby turned four and a half in January. It's hard to believe! She is such a sweet, easy going kid, and it seems like she's growing up too fast. We realized she was 4.5 the day after, and she was SO excited. She told everyone and is STILL reporting this info to people who may not know.:) Below is a bit about her over the past 6 months.

-I think the main characteristic to note about Ruby right now it how much she loves art. She will color and draw ALL DAY LONG. She makes cards and drawings for all of us and is so proud to give them. She uses pens, markers, sharpies and is so responsible with it all. She likes to block off a part and color it in perfectly. She is very intentional and never scribbles. She loves to take her art and tape it to the wall, so much so that we gave her her own tape and a dispenser for Christmas! Oh, and she is a confirmed lefty now! No doubt about it! 

-Along with this, she loves to write on her art and wants to spell everything herself. She will ask us to "do dots" and will trace it. She knows all her letters and can spell all of our names. She's written them so much she's got them memorized. She loves to write! She will bring us stuff and say-is this how you spell Dad?? Is this how you spell mom?? She will also randomly say stuff like-milk starts with m! 

-She's also always counting and went through a phase of always counting to 100. She would get stuck and need our help-"MOM!! What comes after _____? MOM????"

-She likes tomatoes like me-she's proud that we are the only ones in the family and that we have that in common. She is also a big dip/sauce lover-the main one in our family-and will take spicy mustard, white sauce, bbq, comeback, ranch, ketchup, marinara, garlic, anything she can dip!! It is funny. She is a decent eater except there are a few things she struggles to get down (like chicken casserole) and she will just cry and cry about it. If we threaten to set a timer, she looses it! She would much rather be fed than feed herself. She went to grandpa and Peggy's this month for a couple nights and when they asked what she wanted to have there to eat, she said-pancakes, biscuits, waffles, pizza, bread, and cheese. Oh, and cupcakes and cookies! (haha poor girl-she's a carb lover like me!) She can spot a Domino's building from afar and always yells out DOMINO'S!! She's a creature of habit like Steven and would prefer a peanut butter sandwich to most things. 

-She's funny about getting hurt and is not dramatic at all like someone else in the family. She loves the bandaging part and even when she's hurt and upset will get a smirk on her face when I ask if she needs a bandaid. She gets funny about the attention it brings. Ruby is a careful, cautions 4 year old and not at all a dare devil-which is so nice for a 3rd child! That's why when she got hurt 2 days in a row recently, the kids were all concerned for her and prayed that she wouldn't get hurt anymore! (Once when a Target cart fell over onto her, the other when she didn't see a curb and stepped off and fell in a parking lot!)

-Ruby goes to PreK at school 3 days a week and loves it. She has good buddies, but her best is Reid. They are hilarious together and always talking about having play dates and doing things on a farm together like lassoing Goldie and riding bulls. They give each other big hugs at the end of the day, then yell over and over goodbyes as we load our vans and drive away. It is quite a process;) She is awesome to go to school-looks forward to it and always receives a good report (she's so artistic! she's such a sweet girl! great day as usual!-stuff like that:)) On our 2 homeschooling days, Ruby is a sweetie to hang out, do her art, play with the dog, and basically self-play while we work. She is quite content.

Here are some random phrases and things to note:

-"Is this later?" (doesn't quite grasp time). "How many sleeps??" (when she is counting down and several days have to pass before an event)

-"This foot is buzzing" (when her foot falls asleep)

-She wants her name to be Andrew. She names all of her stuffed animals and babies Andrew.:)

-"Do you know what my favorite thing about Christmas is besides God? PRESENTS!!"

-"My 2 best boyfriends are Reid and Clayton."

-"La La Loooooo!" (she loves the show TOTS and I think it comes from that?)

-Will play eye spy in the car or count to 100 or draw while kids listen to audio books (she hates them and covers her ears-mostly because they are not on her level and she can't understand them). 

-"Knew it!"

-Light saver (will watch Star Wars with Steven and the big kids and it's so funny. She's tuned in.)

-She randomly volunteered-"These are the things I like: Cracker Barrel, splash pad, and Dizz-uh-knee World! Oh, AND the beach!"

-So into counting down for things and making paper chains (for xmas, valentines, birthdays)

-She goes through phases of talking in first person-Ruby's hungry! Ruby wins! Ruby's a tiger! (stuff like that)

-Ruby HATES bugs, especially ones that fly near her. She is generally such a chill child that it is almost comical how hysterical she is about them. She has had dreams and woken up to tell us there were bugs all over her blanket and in her bed. She's also woken up over a dream that there was fuzz in her hair (and she wanted it off her!!).