the masseys: garner's 3

Our BABY is 3. I'm so grateful for the blessing of being home this time from the beginning. We have cherished her growing and changing and perhaps babied her a bit too much, but it has been so nice. I know that it will be hard to remember all of the cute things she has said and done, and we haven't been able to document nearly as much, but I can truly say that we have enjoyed it all in the moment(s).

Although she was confused about how old she was after having her birthday party early, we took one last 2-year-old pic on the 15th. Her eyes and lashes and that dimple...oh my :))

At 3, she is a funny, quirky, moody, smart, cuddly, bossy, well-spoken, really cute, stubborn, sweet mess. She is a completely different person at home than anywhere else...so animated and silly and talkative! With anyone in public though, she is very shy and not so friendly...mostly staring them down and refusing to respond to their greetings or questions if we are around. If she is at church or school without us, she is a champ. We look forward to her feeling comfortable enough to show others her happy side more, and hope in the meantime that they understand. ;)

She has the cutest voice and lisp that makes us all love to hear and watch her talk. It's hard to remember what the other kids sounded like at this age, but I'm pretty sure it must be the most fun for cute kids' talk. She does something hilariously different than the others though, contradicting herself mid-sentence ALL the time. For example, "I hot, mama, cause I cold" or "I so full and hungry!" Combine it with the voice and lisp and it melts us all into hysterics. She's also the one who says "thank you, Mama" and "you're pretty, Mama" and "I love you" etc. out of nowhere and it melts me. Oh, and she answers "yes" or "no" questions in complete sentences like she's been listening to Gehrig's writing lessons...really funny and so big.

Her favorite toys are books and baby dolls. She is such a little mama, putting her babies to night-night and in timeout and asking us to remember to be quiet while they're resting. She loves doing her "work" while the bigs are busy with schoolwork (she has a cute preschool curriculum I found online that helps with letters and vocabulary). She knows most of her letters, counts into the teens, loves to sing and pretends she's reading all the time. She's for sure a lefty, the only G who's taken after Daddy.

On the charts, she is average for weight and petite in height. Still with a cute round belly and more baby-looking than the others at this age. Her hair is finally growing in some and she wears it mostly in pigtails due to the length in the back (and still shortness on top :)). One of our favorite gestures is her constantly reaching to smooth it back on the sides, like she's putting it behind her ear, when she says something growny or is on a mission. Her eyes and lashes bring constant comments and have been used well by her to get her way when needed. We are learning that we have to reign in the babying just a little to keep her from being too rotten...and she is not happy about that!

The sister relationship with Greer is girly and fun and a little dramatic. Greer can stir up a little strife and Garner is currently responding mostly with shrieks and whining, much to our dismay! They are super cute together though, playing dressup and mama/baby, coloring and reading together. We pray for a tight-knit bond for them. She and Gehrig are snuggle buddies. She totally has him wrapped around her finger and gets her way most of the time when he is nearby. Thankfully, she is becoming a little more independent, not wanting to be held or carried ALL the time...but when she does, she knows Gehrig is the one that will always give in to her.

I love hearing her talk about Bible stories and ask questions and am so thankful for all that she knows and learns already from the bigs and church and co-op. Her most constant comment about Jesus is that He is the one that always takes care of her. "Right, Mama?" She starts every prayer with "Lord God..." and says "I have so much fun at church!" every time we go. So so thankful for everyone there!! They know that the way to make her feel comfortable right away is to offer to read her a book and we so appreciate their willingness to know and love her well.

She would go home today with her co-op teacher, Mrs. Rebecca, and is sooo excited when it's co-op day. She came home one day, telling me how much she loves co-op. When I asked why, she said, "the old lady." I worried that she was referring to her cute young teachers and asked what the old lady's name was. She replied, "the old lady that swallowed the fly!" Mrs. Rebecca makes the books come to life for them there and does the cutest projects with them. :)) At preschool two morning a week, she has sweet Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Relo and always hesitates for a moment to go in, but ends up having such a great time. I am so glad for the opportunity for her to spread her wings a little bit, even though I always miss her!

She still has her paci and lovey and will have them for as long as I can see. Her sleep continues to be wonderful at night and naptime, and I can't bring myself to change anything! I also just may be okay with that one last piece of baby life sticking around, if I'm honest. ;) I could go on and on, but it's already so wordy! I'll wrap up with that day's pics...

We had school, co-op and nap on her birthday and then headed out to eat for a birthday dinner. On the way, the big kids said, "Hey Mom, did God paint that for Garner's birthday today?!" And it was so incredible...