Evie is 3!

Yay!  Evie is 3!!

Height: 36.75" (25th percentile)

Weight: 29.8 lbs (50th percentile)

It's so strange how much Evie has changed from when she was 2 years and 11 months until she actually turned 3.  I know I sound dramatic (I'm NEVER dramatic!), but it's the truth.  Seriously.  Believe me. (See? Not dramatic at all.)

Before she was soooo clingy all the time.  She never wanted me out of her sight.  If she couldn't see me for a second in public, she would burst into tears.  She always held onto my leg whenever we were out.  She only wanted me to tuck her in at night no matter what.  She would never stay anywhere unless I was staying too.  Anytime we were going somewhere, the first thing she would ask was, "Mommy, are you going to come, too?"  I mean, I love my little girl, but it was such...a...drag--mainly because I am always holding a BABY, too!

But NOW, life...is...wonderful.  A month before she turned 3, she started venturing off on her own.  It started with our next-door neighbors' house.  They have 2 kids that our kids play with all the time.  They've had to watch all 3 kids before whenever I've had an appointment and Evie would always go kicking and screaming.  Or Elina and Eli would go to play in their house and Evie would just run home.  But one day, the older 2 went to play in their house and Evie ran home and said, "I don't want to go there because it's scary."  I said, "It's not very scary if Elina and Eli can go in.  Plus, they are all really nice over there."  She looked at me and said, "Ummmm, ok."  Then she bolted out the door, ran over there, and walked right into their house!  I was floored!  It was monumental!

When we would go to AJ's house to play, she would just stay with me on the main floor.  I just wanted to chat with AJ, but she would be my little shadow and not want to play.  Now, when we go to AJ's house, she runs right up the stairs to the playroom and finds her friends...and I don't hear from her for an hour.  Heaven!

Even when we would go to drop off or pick up Eli, she wouldn't go play in the playground or go to the Fairy Garden.  Now, she just says, "I'm going to the garden to find treasure...bye!"  And off she goes.

Now that she feels more independent, she has actually asked me, "Mommy, why I don't go to school, too?  I want to go to school.  I'm not scared!"  I never thought this day would come!  This 2-3 year old change is pretty drastic.

Besides this, our 3 year old is just a wild, adventurous, loud ball of energy.  She is really her own little person.  She's not mild like Elina and Eli....which is a good and bad thing.  Good because it's refreshing to have something different.  Bad because she's definitely my wild card.  I never know what's going to happen exactly with her around.  She wheels and deals, especially about treats.  (At 8am, "Mommy, can I have a candy? Pretty please?  Preeeeeeeetty pleeeeeeeeeeease?  I really really reeeeeeeeealllly want one.") She's bossy with her little pointer finger.  ("Mommy said don't throw rocks, ok??") She disciplines by crossing her arms.  ("Listen to my voice!  You are instruments!" Ummmmmm, if you can't tell, she also likes to throw in big words she doesn't understand yet.) She's just different, but in a pretty awesome way.

She loves to wear sunglasses because it's always too sunny.  She's definitely my glam girl.  All about the purples and pinks...all about putting on her sunglasses.

BUT she's not really a girly girl...she likes to have fun, be loud, get dirty.  Like J says, it always looks like Evie is either coming from a party or going to a party.

This year Evie also learned a few tricks--

-how to pedal a tricycle.  She's even been riding Eli's bike with the training wheels.  This girl just doesn't want to get left behind, so she really wants to pedal with the big kids.

-how to read most of her ABCs.  She doesn't know all of them just yet.  Some days she knows G, but then 2 days later she's completely forgotten what it's called.  This happens to random letters all the time, so we're still working on it.

-how to write her name...with some prodding.  She has the same disease that most kids have...when they start to learn to write a capital E, they can't seem to stop making the horizontal lines.  I'm just happy she's even attempting to write her own name!  It's awesome!

-how to be a great big sister to Eulee.  Whenever she sees that Eulee is getting upset about being left alone, she will run right over and start to entertain her.  She plays peekaboo with her and she sings "How Do You Do?" to her.  She's been a wonderful big sis! (And now Evie officially calls her Eulee!)

And here are a few of her favorite things:

Favorite animal--bird

Favorite color--purple

Favorite book--Maisy books like, Maisy Goes on Vacation and Maisy Goes to the City

Favorite activities--cooking, using stickers, going to Gymboree, playing outside, eating candy

Favorite food--hamburgers, mac n cheese, broccoli, miso soup

Favorite drink--chocolate milk

Favorite restaurant--"Robin Hood" (aka Red Robin)

Favorite show--My Little Pony

Favorite dinosaur--stegosaurus

Favorite piece of clothing--princess dresses

When I grow up, I want to be--a butterfly (who doesn't??)

We just love our 3 year old!  Happy birthday, Evie!