Elliana, you are amazing. You have this joy about you, the kind that brightens even the darkest room. Your joy is infectious. You make me smile, from deep within, the kind of smile that reminds me of all the good in the world, all the joy, all the love.
In the past year, you have gone from getting 150% of my attention to having to share me with a new little person. And you haven't complained about it. Not once. In fact, you shower your little sister with love in a way that I didn't know was possible. Each morning, you greet Maya with a smile and excitement, and she returns the smile with giddiness and exhilaration that Mommy just can't generate in Maya.
You have an energy that I can't compete with, but I sure do try. We spend our days playing, learning and laughing. Each day you surprise me at least once, but probably more. Some days it is your kindness, the way you come in from a different room, lean into me or Maya and whisper, "I love you." The way you randomly say, "Daddy sure works hard for our family. I am so grateful for him." Other days, it is your remarkable intelligence. The way you retain vivid detail and the way you come up with elaborate stories during our play time, and have ideas on how to act them out. You are a sponge, soaking up everything around you.
Out of the blue you sing songs you've learned in school, spelling out colors or singing songs of thanks. I love your little voice, the way you hum in melody when you don't know the words or make up new lyrics, which almost always rhyme, even if the word is made up. That's impressive!
About 8 weeks shy of your fourth birthday, you decided you were no longer going to take naps. It's been about 2 weeks now since you last napped, but you still happily go to "rest" and play quietly by yourself for an hour or so each day. Your rest time allows Maya to nap uninterrupted and even allows Mommy & Daddy to take a nap on occasion. Thank you!
For several months now you have been obsessed with Rapunzel, long before ever seeing the film. We were fortunate enough to meet her a few months ago during our trip to Walt Disney World. Randomly you ask if she will still be there when we go back, even though we keep explaining we aren't sure when we will be going back, as 3 times in 3 years has been quite a lot. You wear your Rapunzel wig as frequently as allowed and twirl it and fling it at each chance you get. When you aren't wearing your hair, you announce, "I'm still Rapunzel, I just have short hair." :)
I could go on and on about you. The many things you do, the many ways your warm my heart and make me proud to be a Mommy. I love you sweet girl.
Our annual Gingerbread Party is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This years party was a huge success with our most amount of kids yet. The children ranged in age from 6 years to 9 months, and each child seemed to enjoy themselves. Despite the additional children, this years party was almost the easiest with the bigger kids running off to play with each other and using their own creativity to decorate their houses, rather than relying on the mommies. 
