Dear Camilla, a 3.5yr old Update

[into Mums lipstick]

It is high time I did a blog post all about Camilla, my special 3 3/4 year old who is growing and learning at lightening speed. These are the days I want to remember, so it's important I visually get them down to reflect on. So really, this is a post for us, but you are welcome to read it too :) 

Camilla my sassy, opinionated, thoughtful, colourful, rule follower and pattern maker. I love you completely.

It's been a long time since I've written a post all about you, so here it is, all about your 3rd year. You'll be turning 4 in 3 months. You check the order of our birthdays mosts weeks just to make sure your birthday is still happening. We've just had Daddys (May), now we will have Katies soon (June), and then it will be your birthday after that (August), and my birthday is a few months after yours (November).

So, you are eagerly awaiting the day you turn FOUR. You'll have a party, maybe another Frozen party you think? I'll try and steer you towards something else (you had a frozen birthday party last year), but once you set your mind on something theres no convincing you otherwise. 

You know that after you turn FOUR, you'll turn FIVE, and thats when you'll officially be a big School Girl, a day you are hanging out for. 

You are like a sponge Camilla, you are always asking for more information, how to spell things, what words are what, how many things are in that thing, how did the colour get like that, what does that word mean. How to say different things in Maori. I know you are going to absolutely love school, but I try and teach you as much as I can at home while the goings good. You soak it all up, and at the most unexpected times bring it all back up. You are constantly listening and learning!  

Right now you are really into words and letters. You have been able to write your name for about 6 months now, and you're always practicing others. 

One day I woke up and in the early morning you had gotten your birth details print off your dutchess and had been practicing letters and numbers in the dark while we slept. 

You also love to draw people. This is what your people look like right now. Those big circles are elbows, knees and feet. This is a picture of "your family. You (Milla), Katie, Eda, Jared and Georgia"

Some times Katie draws with you, sometimes you love it and teach her new things (how to colour in your bubbles you draw) and other times she frustrates you. Katie doesn't play by the rules yet (she accidentally draws on the table and rips up paper) and that bothers you. 

If you could have a perfect day it would involve unlimited paper, felts, glitter and glue and being left to your own devices. You could draw all day long. 

Well, drawing and dancing, which is the new "in" thing right now. Earlier this year you got some beautiful dresses from my job at EziBuy and you LOVE to "put on Taylor Swift and dance ballet" with them. We put music on in the lounge and you can spend an after noon spinning, lifting your legs and arms and going into another dance world inside your mind. 

We watched some videos on youtube of some very graceful dancers and you were so inspired with some new moves, you've been dancing every day since. 

You love to keep the music on and wait for Daddy to get home. He is like your Prince Charming. You are always saving things for Daddy to see. You crave his praise and approval so much and of course he adores you, so it fills you up to see him. 

You love Daddy dates and fluffies, time at the park and museum and spending quality time with Dad. 

When you're not dancing and drawing, you are probably at Kindy painting, hanging on the monkey bars, swinging from the rope swing or racing around with your little friends. 

In the photo above you are standing in front of your perseverance poster. The Kindy Kaiako are always praising and commenting on your perseverance, you are always (and have always) taken your time to learn a new task. First you watch to see how it is done, you figure it out in your head, and when you are ready you attempt it, usually doing it the first time around, and if not you'll try and try again until you have mastered something. 

[at the Kindy Wheelathon, we all dressed in waiporoporo and you rode your scooter around the track!]

[Your friend Lucy at Hollys 3rd Birthday Fairy Party]

A little while ago we went to McDonalds for lunch after church. When we sat down at the table you looked around and noticed there was no playground at that particular McDonalds. The following conversation happened::

Camilla: "Mum, there is no play ground at this McDonalds."

Me: "No theres not, good noticing"

Camilla: "...Maybe you could think about that next time..."

You love your little Sister Katie, even though right now she's learning to push everyones figurative buttons. 

You two are still sharing a room and that is going well, hopefully that will continue for a long time. 

In the morning you creep out of bed, put on your dressing gown, check to see if Katie is awake, then you'll go and do something in the lounge. 

Some mornings you sneak into the kitchen and make your own cornies, and choose your own clothes and get dressed yourself. You are so independent! It makes us laugh, you are so capable and we are always surprised by it, even though we shouldn't be. You've been this way since day one. 

You love to encourage and teach Katie new things. You are like a mother to her, always bossing her around and deciding what she gets to do. 

For a while you nicknamed her "Kayde" but that seems to have stopped now. 

And Little Eda, who we spend a lot of time with, between connect groups and Maori courses, you end up spending a lot of dinners and nights at each others houses. You love Eda to pieces, and some times seem to love her a lot more than our own family. 

Whenever we go to the "Fruitwell Whare" you are always thinking of things you can take as gifts for Jared, and you think of Georgia as your own Mum some times. 

And lastly, all the other things that make up Milla: hut building, present wrapping, book reading, bouncing and tumbling and flips on the trampoline or off the couch, riding your bike around the house and doing skids with your brakes, and gazing at the moon and stars. 

Oh you love those stars and glowing moon, sunrises and sunsets, clouds and sweet sunshiney days. You are full of wonder and awe at our world and the beauty it shows you every day. We gaze up at the stars and compare the size of the moon some nights before bed, and you "Waaaaoooowwww" with delight. 

Little Camilla, I hope that awe never gets old. This is a beautiful life we have, and we have a beautiful place in which to live it.

Peace and Love,

From Mama xxx

oh! AND PS! You stopped sucking your fingers at night time when you realised that Ana (from Frozen) wasn't sucking hers when she was in bed! Yess

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More posts about Camilla here