Four is SO much better than Three!!!

I believe whoever came up with the phrase "terrible 2's" hadn't yet had kids who were in their 3's because looking back the 2's were a piece of cake!  I remember time and time again, talking with Kim and Alison, who both have girls about a year or so older than Stella, about how trying our time was.  Oh the whining!! I'm not going to lie, there were plenty of times I considered going back to teaching simply because I couldn't handle the whining!!! Over and over they assured me that it gets better as they get closer to four.  I'm not going to lie, I was hoping time would move along to the next stage.

Thank goodness they were right!!!  I can not tell you how many times over the last couple of months, I have truly enjoyed my conversations with this little girl.  She is hysterical and has a mind of her own.  Don't get me wrong, we still have episodes of whining, but they are much, much less often and usually can be directly correlated to someone who is over-tired.  We are still working hard on being a good "first-time listener" but generally a gentle reminder guides her back on track.  I LOVE THIS AGE!!!

So now that we are to that next stage, I'm okay with time standing still for a while.  Let her stay young, let her stay innocent, and let her always want to snuggle on my lap while Mickey Mouse.