You currently wear size 5 or 6 in most things. At last check, you were 44 pounds and probably 40 inches tall. You are probably taller than that by now.
You have been taking tumbling classes, and swim classes. I can't tell which you enjoy more. You recently told me you want to take a "ballerina" class, so you will likely take a dance class next. I have been wanting you to take dance, but don't want to burn you out too young as I hope you become a beautiful Polynesian dancer under the supervision of your dad and cousins.
You are the best big sister a family could ask for. You have been protective of Sinave since day one. Auntie Alofa "tried to take Sinave home from the hospital" and in your mighty stature put yourself between her and the door just knowing that you would be able to stop her. When anyone jokes that they are going to take Sinave with them, you get defensive or even upset that they would do that.
You are pretty good helper. Most of the time.
You LOVE people. You are very social. You are the "welcome party" at the play lands at fast food restaurants. You always pout when people "won't play with you."
When you get mad or sad, you say "I want to go home." But if we are home, you say "I want daddy (or grandma.)"
You tell me how to drive. You make sure we use two hands. One day I was yelling at cars to "GO!" You, in your infinite wisdom, said, "Mom? Are you yelling at those cars?" "Yes." "You know they can't hear you, right?"
You are very aware of where we are at all times. If you were with a patient driver who had no idea where to go, you could probaby tell them how to get to grandma's house and back from home. You are starting to know how to get to Nani's house too. You recognize people's houses you have only been to once.
You have an amazing memory. From events that have happened, to something we talked about the night before, you remember a lot of details. You also have a vivid imagination.
You are VERY active. You watch a lot of movies, but you are usually wiggling, dancing, jumping, doing whatever while you watch. IF you actually sit/lay down to watch a movie, you usually fall asleep if you aren't bouncing off everything you touch.
You have fantastic analytical processing skills. You aren't satisfied with the simple answers anymore. You have a need to know more and more. Sometimes the rounds of questions are annoying. Sometimes they crack me up. One time we were getting ready to go to grandma's on a Sunday evening. Dad was not going with us because he was leaving for work. You told him "Dad. You need to get dressed (he only had his undershirt on). We are going to grandma's." He said "No. I am not going to grandma's. I'm going to work." She paused...then said "So, you don't have to wear a shirt to work?" She took his answer literal and in her 3 year old brain (at the time) that was the logical answer based on the information she had been provided. Some people try to give you childish answers. Those don't satisfy. You are starting to understand the REAL answers to some questions. And you remember them.
We were driving to Nani's house (your new babysitter.) You said, "Mom, can we fight Nani?"
Me: You want to fight her?
Leila: Yes. I want to fight Nani and her mommy and daddy to my part.
Interpretation: She wanted to INVITE them to her upcoming birthday party.
You crack me up on a daily basis. Even when I try my hardest to be mad, you break me. Recently, you started crossing your eyes at me when I'm talking to you sternly. Try as I may, I break every time.
You give me hugs and say "You are the best mom ever."
You are very sensitive about people you love and care about. What I mean is, if we leave grandma/grandpa's house, you say "I really miss grandpa" before we even leave the drive way. Or you randomly "miss Kiley" or "miss (insert any friend's name).
You are not a very good eater. Once you actually turned 4, you started being more open to tasting things and have expanded what you will eat. You still don't eat a lot of things, but WAY more than you were. You still love to snack. Some of your favorite things are: Cheetos, capri suns, sprite, chicken nuggets, fruit roll ups, cereal. Some of things you have recently added into your rotation are: grilled cheese sandwiches (you call them butterfly sandwiches because grandma cut them in triangles then arranged them to look like a butterfly in an attempt for you to try them. It worked.) "Cheese pizza" which you really do like, but you call quesadillas "cheese pizza" because we cut them into triangles. "Chicken" which are really fish sticks, but if you knew that, you wouldn't eat it. Still not the best eater, but you are at least willing to try some things now.
You love to sing. Your dad is the music director in Primary. You "teach" me and grandma songs the same way daddy teaches them in primary...by pointing to a poster with the words written on it. You have been caught singing "I am a Child of God" several times, including during sacrament meeting which makes all the old grandma ladies just smile. You sing a lot of primary songs, and recently started making up your own songs. One of the best songs you made up was telling the story line of Wizard of Oz.
Sometimes you love to go shopping. Other times, you tell me "Just go." As if you are old enough to be left alone. You also use the phrase "just go" when you are annoyed and don't want to be bothered.
You talk with your hands, a lot. Sometimes you over annunciate your words when you try to emphasize something. It is pretty funny and grandma cracks up every time.
You pick up phrases from movies VERY easily and incorporate them into your personal conversations. Sometimes you say something, then realize it's something you should not have said to me, then say "never mind mom. I'm just talking to myself." Then proceed to have a made up conversation.
You are very manipulative that way. But not in a way that would really get you in any trouble. Yet. But trust me, I'm monitoring that and starting to correct the behavior before you get older.
Right now, if I want to get you into compliance, I use the phrase "Do you want me to get frustrated?" For some reason, that gets you going. You DO NOT like it when I get "frustrated." "Mad" doesn't work. "Frustrated" is the key word.
Your three favorite animals are Turtles, Kittens, and Otters. You got a stuffed otter when we went to visit Kiley in North Carolina back in May. That thing is by your side at all times. You used to like dogs. You always pretended to be a dog and would act like an excited puppy when I came home from work. Now you "hate dogs" and when asked why your response is "they lick me in they eye and it hurts." I think Nani's dog may have licked you and you didn't like it. But it might be okay that you don't like dogs. You are allergic to them. You do okay to just be around them, but if you play close with them or on the carpet where they are, you get really red eyes.
Some mornings when I wake you up to go to Nani's, you say "But my eyes are buzzy." I think that means they are tired, and maybe "fuzzy" is the word you are looking for.
Leila. I know I say this all the time, but you are loved more than any person can explain. You bring so much joy (and frustration) to our lives. Your intelligence, love, and beauty are going to take you big places in your life.
My "life plan" for you is to go on a mission right after high school. Then you will attend BYU Hawaii on an Academic/Athletic (Volleyball) scholarship. While there, you will dance at the Polynesian Cultural Center to help support you while in school and bury you deeper into your Samoan culture. You will return to Utah, find an amazing man to marry and have beautiful children. However, I may adjust that for you to play volleyball at the University of Utah, just to keep you close to home.
I'm going to try and be better about posting some of the funny things you say, because right now, you are hilarious!
1 comment:
Oh my, she is getting so dang big and beautiful!
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