Dear Helayna,
At 3 years old, you are developing into quite the big girl, or as you prefer to be called big sister. You love to help Mommy in the kitchen whether it is cooking, washing dishes or pulling things out of the fridge. You want to help me clean whenever I do (unless it involves cleaning up any messes that you've made and then it takes a lot more convincing). You want to go to the potty and dress yourself, picking out your own clothes, and tell me what you want to have for every meal of the day (thank goodness you are still a marvelous eater). You still love to read books, talk on the phone (especially to Meadow, Omy and Papa, and Gramma and Grampa), and play David and Goliath with Daddy.
You could spend all day outside if we let you. You've been this way since you were just months old. Thankfully, our new neighbourhood is filled with kids who like to play outside too. You've adopted our next door neighbour Isabelle as your favorite outdoor playmate and if Mommy says she doesn't want to go outside with you, then you are convinced Isabelle will. Unfortunately for you, most days Isabelle is a school but when she is home and you do get to play with her, you are the happiest girl on the block.
You love doing crafts right now, everything from painting to making necklaces to colouring but your favorite things are tape and scissors. If only I let you play with them on your own, you would certainly entertain yourself for hours (and you do when you manage to find them when Mommy isn't looking).
You are in the stage of saying, "Cheese!" whenever the camera points even remotely in your direction, complete with that cheesy grin and squinted eyes, pressing your face right into the lens. I suppose I should be happy that you at least look at the camera now instead of hightailing it in the opposite direction like you did just a few short months ago.
For your 3rd birthday, we took you to see a live production of Little Bear. We dropped Silas off at a friend's and took the train downtown. You were so excited to have Mommy and Daddy all to yourself and to go on this big adventure. At first you were unsure what was going on when the lights dimmed and the music started but it didn't take long before you asked politely if you could go in the aisle with the other kids. When Mommy told you that you could get out of your seat and stand, you got the biggest smile on your face and started to dance. It was worth every penny to see how much you enjoyed the show.
You have quite the imagination and love to pretend. I think Meadow, Blake, Renee, Auntie Na and Uncle Jerry have moved into our house (unbeknownst to them). Meadow and Renee are your constant companions and have to do everything with you. Heaven forbid Mommy forgets that they are here and doesn't make lunch for them or dress them up to go outside. The other day, I noticed you had your hand closed while you were playing and I thought you were holding something in it that you weren't supposed to have so I made you open your hand and found nothing to which you firmly reminded me that you were holding Meadow's hand. Since then, I've noticed that you almost always play like this now. If you aren't on some adventure with Meadow and Renee then you can be found 'making' stuff to eat and trying to feed it to your brother (aka Blake) or playing dress up with all sorts of different clothing.
Every morning you wake up and come into our room and ask "Is it morning yet?" If it is indeed morning, you ask where Daddy is (sometimes followed with tears because Daddy is already at work) and then you get right down to business. "Mommy, can we go somewhere today?" "What are we doing today?" "Can you go to so-and-so's house (insert Alyssa, Amyah, Ashton, Sadie, Tegan & Anaya)?" You are a social butterfly and if it wasn't for Mommy's homebody nature and Silas' nap schedule, I'm sure you could be found at various social engagements every single day.
We went camping a few times this summer and I think those times were the highlights of your summer. What could be better to you than being outside all day long, discovering new places, going for walks, playing in the water and eating under the sky? I think you have an awful lot of your Daddy in you.
Recently you've started making up your own songs and it has provided us with lots of laughs. The other day you entertained us with your rendition of Edelweiss with the words, "Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you clean my eyes."
We are in the habit of reading a Bible story to you every night after supper and you love it. If we forget to read it, you can't possibly go to bed without reading one and will get up to remind us of our error. You've also been working on memorizing Bible verses every night and have amazed us with your ability to remember once again.
For your birthday you got a bike from Gramma and Grampa a few weeks early. You had been asking for one since riding Meadow's earlier in the summer. Grampa turned it into a run-bike for you removing the pedals and chain and within a few days, you were literally racing down the sidewalk. You are so fast on your bike and want to ride it to the playground any chance you get. "Mommy, you put Silas in the stroller and I'll ride my bike." It is one of your favorite things to do.
As always, your language skills continue to amaze us. You correctly use words like "actually" and "necessary" daily. You say the funniest things and often the highlight of my day is something cute you said.
You can still make your brother laugh harder than anyone else. He constantly watches you and when you aren't fighting over toys (which happens frequently) or demanding that he not touch your stuff, you are a very loving and kind big sister. You watch out for him and ask about him all the time. You give him hugs and kisses and one of your favorite times of day is when Silas wakes up in the morning and you get to go in and see him. You climb into his crib and wrestle him with love (as you've been doing since the day he was born). He is often confused by your pretend play, food and games but he follows you around none-the-less. One of your favorite things to do together are to take the cushions off the couch and bounce as high as you can, which makes Silas bounce and giggle with delight. If not on the couch, then you like to bounce (or wrestle) with each other on Mommy and Daddy's bed.
Right now, you have little interest in most of your toys. Your favorite thing to play with is the blanket from your bed. You drag it up and down the stairs every day and proceed to make tents, pretend to be a monster or ghost or play hide-n-seek with it. If Silas even thinks of touching it when you are in the middle of one of your games, he is in deep trouble, which often results in a whole lot of tears from both of you (he's not quite as passive as he used to be).
Helayna, it is a privilege to be your parents. You are a beautiful, delightful and joyful little girl. Our lives are so much better because you are in them.
Forever, all our love,
Mommy and Daddy
