Elena is 4... AND A HALF!

Which is a really, really big deal when you're her age.

(sunglasses strategically placed)

Well, let's get the obvious one out of the way... she likes to cut her hair.

She is also into everything Disney princess. If they sold a tire pressure gauge with cinderella on it... she'd pine after it.

The more glitter and sequins the better (think, "gaudy")

The girl is one smart cookie. I feel like the more she learns, the faster she picks up new things... I don't have long before she passes me up.

She is learning to read and can handle most early readers by herself. I love that we're on the verge of reading being an activity she can consistently do in room time! Her handwriting on the other hand... well it needs work :)

She and Evan are into a game that I guess I'll call, "Doggie". Elena acts like an unruly puppy and Evan chases her around calling, "Here, Doggie! Here, Doggie!"

She is a good eater and can always be persuaded to eat something that she'd rather not to.

If she has an audience then she's more than happy to perform for them... VBS songs or her new moves from ballet class.

She's trying to figure out basic geography terms, like "downtown", "state", and "city". It's really tricky when she asks something like, "Mommy, what state is Paris in?"

I can't believe how quickly she learned to use my iPhone!

Since July 4th, she's been fascinated with our country's flag and the national anthem. She has most of the words down! Now if we can just work on that melody....

She's a puzzle whiz.

According to her, there's no such thing as too many shoes. She can spend hours trying on shoes in a store.

She loves her brothers... can fight terribly with Evan and be a little rough with Asher... but she loves them.

She is especially excited about this milestone because she thinks it means her 5th birthday is right around the corner. And she tells everyone that she runs into that she is going to Disney World when she turns 5 (it's close to true).

She expresses a desire to obey God, is aware when she is unsuccessful, and is truly sorry for that... that is all a huge answer to prayer!

We love our little girl and are extremely proud of her!

Here's a video taken today of her reading a story on Starfall.com