Big Girl Bekah!

It's about time I give my sweet little/big girl, a post all her own!

Ever since she turned 3, she seems more like a pre schooler than a toddler these days, she is such a big girl!

And here are a few reasons why!

 

She is starting her 2nd year of school up here in Carmel! She is attending Carmel United Methodist Church and we simply love it! I can't help but thank her teachers last year for starting her "education" on such a positive and loving note, so I am sure that made a huge difference for Bekah's wanting to go back this year, even though it's in a whole new environment! She was excited from the get go!  She cried when we had to leave  Meet the Teacher, sweet girl! She knows that school was great last year and is expecting it to be great this year, awesome!

First day of school dress:

They told me the kids were going to be using red paint that day, so Bekah and I came up with an outfit that could "handle it," and it ended up being a perfect way to "represent!" 

 

 

She absolutely did not skip a beat, upon entering the school, she kept saying how brave she was, and boy was she brave! Benjamin was the wimpy one, he cried the whole way home! Don't think he has ever been in the car without  her, this whole time up here in Indy! It was sad, but very sweet : ).

 

Oh and since she asks weekly, "Does Indianapolis have a Chuckee Cheese too?" we told her she could go if she was really brave that first week of school, which, she truly was!

Chuckee Cheese, here we come! And just for the record, I don't know who had more fun,

 Bekah or Benjamin! Ha!

 

 

Bekah started her tap class and she looks so big in those tap shoes! It's a full year class and there is a big recital at the end of the year in May, so there is some serious learning there!

 

( after class, we like to practice in the garage because our tap shoes sound extra cool in there!)

 

 

 

There she is, sitting down, closest one to the window. I seriously giggle the whole time I watch them dance! There is actually  (some) unity there, I am impressed!

 

She appreciates museums like her mommy and daddy:

Along with going to the children's museum every other week, she enjoyed the

"Museum of Miniature Houses", otherwise known as the Dollhouse Museum!

Funny, I've never seen one of these before, but it's pretty darn appropriate for the girl

who plays with her dollhouse and "makes the dollies talk," every single day!

 

 

 

We could have stayed there for hours, but big sisters can not do such things

when they have tired and hungry baby brothers!

 

She now loves art!

Man, the girl can fly through coloring books, the one thing I continue to buy for her on a regular basis ( that as well as books!) that I don't feel bad about. She really has come to respect using the right colors and staying in the lines! It's been an awesome process to watch unfold!

Just look at her, coloring, on her tummy, legs crossed in the air, I REMEMBER doing that exact same thing! She is getting so big that I now am having memories of doing the things that she now does! Wow!

 

 

Here is a self portrait of Bekah:

Zack and I like to marvel ( and giggle!) at the details, such as her bangs ( funny how she still "sees herself with bangs!), eye lashes, the long hair ( one simple line!), how she made the straight line into a smile by adding lines on each side,  and how she drew an up and down line "for my chin!" Teehee!

She is also working on writing her name, that darn "K" gets us every time! Oh and I always encourage her to draw 3 lines for the "E" by counting them out with her. I always say, "okay, looks good, you're done!" yet, she keeps on adding those horizontal lines, kind of funny how she just ignores my encouragement!

 

 

Here is a pic of Bekah holding hands with two of her friends in Houston, Jack and Fisher. This is the first time she wrote her name without me asking her to do so and not sitting by her side to show her where to put the next letter. I love this picture also for how honest her natural and very age appropriate self centeredness comes out in it! Look how little her friends are!  So cute!

 

She gets manicures!

We got her hair cut the other day, and she had her nails done, professionally for the first time!

 

 

She goes on Dates!

 

Teehee, with her daddy that is! Last night was Daddy/Daughter Date night at Chick Filet and for anyone who has not gone yet, you just have to!

We have always been HUGE supporters of Chick Filet and the kind of company they run, but gosh, after last night, we are customers for life!

 

I thought it would be fun if Daddy "gave" Bekah a dress to wear for her big date, so while I was out one day, I picked one up that was "from daddy." Next time, maybe we can plan a time where Zack actually does do the shopping, but this was on a whim and the dress was on sale, so that took care of that!

 

 

It was blue with ruffles, she was in love!

 

 

Posing with a pointed toe, her idea. Even though we take tap weekly, can't help but love the ballerina that comes out in her, hourly : ).

 

Now  the dress was my idea, but it was daddy's idea to bring her some flowers!

Daddy is an AWESOME flower giver too, seeing red roses always makes me think of Zack and the way he sent me roses monthly that first year of college, when we were long distance!

 

 

She was thrilled! Oh what a sweet moment, wish I would have thought to video tape it!

She just kept saying, "thank you so much!" And "I really like how you gave me flowers daddy!"

over and over and over!

 

Oh my heart!

After showing Bekah what a girl does with flowers after a boy gives them to her ( trim them and put them in a vase with water), Daddy wanted to dance with her before they left!

 

Every night he sings her songs and one of them is "The Way You Look Tonight," so he sung this to her as they danced : ).

 

And then, it was time to go on her big date with daddy!

 

Benjamin and I saw them off!

 

And way to go Zack, I completely forgot to give him the camera or even ask him to take pics, but he did it on his own!

Zack said Bekah was not as talkative as she usually is and was just "taking it all in," watching the other girls in their fancy dresses, stuffing her face with the complimentary M&M's on the table, watching the cow walk around . . lots to do, eat and see! 

(Notice, the table cloths, the "fine china" to eat on)

 

 

 

 

Flowers on each table, along with single stem roses for all the girls, balloons  . .

 

And maybe Bekah's favorite part, the cow! Zack said she loved him and kept asking to go back again and again to touch him or give him a hug!

 

And then, afterwards, Zack took her out for icecream, a sure way to Bekah's heart!

 

They had a wonderful time and both Bekah and I are so very blessed to have a hubby/daddy who sure knows how to love his girls! Bekah has a wonderful example in her daddy as to how a boy should treat a girl and I pray that she finds a Godly man, just the way that I found mine! Until then, she is her daddy's little girl! : )

 

One other way that Bekah is a big girl is how she is now sleeping in a big girl bed!

Well, she has a convertible crib, so it was really just a matter of replacing the side bar with a lower edge. Even so, Bekah was so excited about the big transformation that she watched on Brinley's blog, that she decided they needed worker uniforms to do the deed!

 

 

This all happened about a month ago and it has been going wonderfully ever since! And yes, I know, it's been a long time coming, but with the move, her sense of security was all thrown off and we both felt like she needed the crib a bit longer, but with our big trip to Chicago the following week, we knew she needed to get used to having "freedom" before then, so we went for it!

 

Basically, this is how it played out.

We read books, talked about it, talked about all her friends who did it, we really played it up, for about a month.

We layed down the rules- can't get out of your bed without mommy or daddy giving you permission, we can hear you through the monitor if you need to go potty, so just let us know, and you get fruit snacks if you stay in your bed all night.

Also, the almighty clock was in charge as well! I went to my favorite baby store in Houston, The Right Start, and found this clock. It lights up during the daytime and you set it to light up at night, on the pic of the girl sleeping. Bekah knows she can not get out of her bed without permission if it is still lit up on the girl sleeping. I love it, I love that I am not in charge, and that though she may argue with me ( another big girl trait!) she NEVER argues with the clock! It is especially handy for naptime, when sometimes  she doesn't fall asleep, but needs an hour of "quiet time," in her bed : ).

 

So, the day of, we skipped her nap, to make sure she was good and tired, did the same bedtime routine, really played up those fruit snacks and put her to bed!

 

She was soooo excited, yet, so tired, and after reading books in her bed for about 15 minutes and calling out only once to ask to go potty and once for a book, it was pretty anti climatic, in a really great way!

 

Naptime is going well too, and many times she does not fall asleep. We set the alarm clock for an hour to an hour and a half, just depending on the day, and she stays up there reading books and listening to books on tape. She LOVES the books on tape/CD, a great way for her to have some "fun" downtime. Ever since school started though, with her not taking a nap 2 of the 7 days, for sure, after an hour of "quiet time" she is almost always sleeping when I go up there to tell her it's over.

 

The convertible crib is fine for now, but I think, when we move back to SA, we will use that headboard for a double bed, I think she will be ready for a REAL big girl bed!

 

A reward for being a big girl for 2 whole weeks, and sleeping in her big girl bed as she should, was, a princess castle that I had found at Target for TEN bucks about a year ago! I had saved it for Christmas, and then, when it was obvious she had too much stuff, I saved it for her birthday, and again, the same thing happened, so the next thing we knew, we were moving with it! With fewer friends here and not as much going on, the timing of the unveiling of the castle was perfect!

 

 

This castle combines all the things that Bekah loves most right now, art ( you can color it), playing pretend and dress up and anything PRINCESS! !

 

Our big girl Bekah sure did earn it too, she has been through alot of changes in the past few months, she has had to grow up quite alot, and we sure are proud of her!

 

A few other things that I want to remember about my toddler who is transforming

 into a Preschooler is:

- we are now reading a chapter from a chapter book each night. I am starting with The American Girls collection, due to our loyalty to Barbara and the fact that we will be going to Chicago in a few months to the American Girls Store! We talk about what happened the night before, make predictions about what will happen next and I just love "playing reading teacher" with her!

- We have also started telling her a story each night, and I don't know who has more fun, Bekah or her parents! Zack and I are always making fun of one another for thing things we come up with!

- she completely dresses herself, from her head to her toes and has been doing so for about 4 months now. She even insists on doing her own hair.

- She claims she can "read like Barrett" or "read like Kate" her Kinder friends and I love that she sees herself as a reader, for she has many books memorized!

- her diet is much more varied now and I am really proud of her and the way she understands that certain foods are better for her than others, though "the others" are soooo very appreciated by her entire family, we hope to help her find a balance in this sweet tooth family of hers!

- now WHENEVER I change my clothes, she must comment on it! It makes me sort of nervous sometimes! The girl has a serious fashion opinion!

-and though she still goes to time out, reasoning with her and explaing things to her makes SUCH a difference now, it is oh so nice to be able to talk to her in such ways! of course, now, the standards are raised and the arguing has increased and she is currently learning ( from experience) what it means to tell the truth . . . it's a process right? we move from one thing to the next, it never stops! even still, I love being able to "talk" to her more than ever before : ). the line, "that's what good big sisters do" ALWAYS works! ha!

 

Favorites

princesses ( sleeping beauty, cinderella, ariel, belle, tiana- in that order!), playing pretend, making the dollies talk, her doll house, dressing up, ballet, her friends, her grandparents, her daddy, benjamin, wearing dresses, flowers, coloring, books ( princess books, berinstain bears, eloise, ballet books, dr. seuss ) barbara her dollie, shows (mickey mouse clubhouse, doc mcstuffins, super why, little einstiens, dora, little bill)  movies ( busytown mysteries, ALL disney princess movies)  desserts and sweets, chuckie cheese, swimming and water, soundtracks from disney movies, nursery ryhmes, bible stories and songs, airplanes and traveling, going to the park, and playdates!

 

Oh, our little Bekah, there is so much to her, I know I am forgetting about a million things! What a vibrant, lovely, passionate, intelligent and sweet big/little girl she is!