Annie at three-and-a-half

Annie, in a lot of ways, is different than Nellie. She's generally pretty quiet and easy-going. Maybe it's just the age, but she's very interested in being helpful and would eat worms before doing something that would get her in trouble. Being sandwiched between a big sister and little brother, I tend to think (expect) that Annie's a lot like me. And from what I remember about being three-and-a-half, she is a lot like me. She has an active imagination, and is good at entertaining herself for a surprisingly long time. She wants to do everything Nellie does and cares for DJ like a mother hen (he doesn't always appreciate it). Annie l-o-v-e-s babies. We got to meet baby Charlotte a few days ago and she was in heaven. Every night, she prays that she'll "grow up and have three cute babies with beautiful names."

But at the same time, Annie surprises me every day with how much she's not like me - at least not like me at her age. For one thing, she is tough. Like, almost fierce. Nellie may have a strong personality, but Annie can hold her own. Today, Nellie dropped her boot and told me that Annie is her assistant and she'd get it for her. Annie looked at her and said, "Nellie you are NOT the boss of me!" And it's great to watch her at gymnastics. Gymnastics lessons are such a simple thing for three-year-olds, but I really think it's made a difference in Annie. She's come into her own, doing some pretty cool tricks, and working hard toward something that's hers alone.

It's also funny to watch her play pretend - her favorite characters are always the least likely choices. When the girls play fairies (from the Tinker Bell movies), Annie is Vidia - the mean one. Her favorite pony is the daring, tomboy-ish Rainbow Dash (if you know the show, you understand). When we address her, a frequent response is, "I'm not Annie, I'm Merida" (from Brave). I swear, she uses her foils to act out some kind of inner attitude.

On a related note, Kevin just walked in our room and said, "it's a good thing that girl is so cute." I know what he means, because she can be a stinker. Tonight, for example, we just had to go in and tell the girls to be quiet and go to sleep already for the eighth time. Annie replied, "I'm trying, but myself won't let me close my eyes?" Kevin: "Who won't let you?" Annie: "Me! Myself! [Squeezing her eyes shut and popping them back open.] See?"

Also, Annie kind of eats like a grown-up. A grown-up with weird tastes. Some of her favorite foods are pickles, olives, and mustard. Annie usually only eats a few bites of any meal put in front of her, but she'll devour tuna straight out of the can, smothered with mustard and pickle relish. Nellie has a reputation for loving meat and veggies, but Annie will eat lots of stuff that Nellie won't touch.

Let's see...I think that's all the important stuff about Annie. I can't wait to see her in preschool next year. But then again, it's going to be hard to let her go.