Happy birthday, Claire!!

Our angel girl is 4 years old today - where did the time go?!? It seems only yesterday she was teeny-tiny, and yet it seems like she's always been able to talk and interact with us like she does now. Here's a little photo retrospective in honor of the big day:

Newborn Claire, 2007 

 One year old, 2008

Two years old, 2009 

Three years old, 2010

Four years old, 2011

Claire is still incredibly verbal, but now she has an amazing vocabulary in TWO languages (English and Spanish) and a few words in a third (French). She still has some interesting Claire-isms, including:

• "aminals" instead of animals
• "covered" instead of cupboard (makes sense to me)
• she uses "last day" and "this day" instead of yesterday and tomorrow (again, sensible)
• she climbs on the scale and says, "Let's see how weigh I am!"
• in Spanish, "mio" is mine, "tuyo" or "suyo" is yours, but Claire came up with "you-o" for yours ("Es de mio, y es de you-o!")

She can count to 29 in both languages - after that it becomes "twenty-ten, twenty-eleven, twenty-twelve"...

Her favorite toys are her "little things" - the tinier the better. She likes containers, too, and would be in heaven if we bought her a set of Tupperware. The little things go in and out of the containers often and repeatedly.

Claire loves to dance and tumble, and is dismayed that we don't let her do gymnastics on the furniture. She always dances to the Backyardigans theme (in Spanish, of course), and thinks it's hilarious when Pablo (the penguin) waddles. (Cute video of her dancing here.) I hope to get her into a gymnastics class soon...

She loves to travel, and really wants to go on a boat with Daddy to see a whale and dolphins. She also wants to return to Manuel Antonio to see a kinkajou, and if we're out after dark is always on the lookout for one (they're nocturnal). She loves Costa Rica, and only once has said she wants to leave, because, "They don't have frosting here." (Not what we thought she was going to say, and easily remediable.)

She's still not a super-strong eater, and has earned the nickname "Fickle Forman." One day she gobbles something down like it's her favorite food in the whole world, and the next day she won't touch it. Leaves her parents scratching our heads and hoping she'll eat SOMETHING. Her favorite food at the moment is eda mame, which she would eat three meals a day if she could.

Claire has also recently become a bit baby obsessed, and has decided she wants a Baby Sydney (her best friend in Kansas City was named Sydney). We've told her she can have a Baby Sydney when she grows up, and she seems good with that.

She loves to go for walks, enjoys watching movies as long as the movie has no mean or bad characters (a tall order), loves to color and draw, loves to pretend, and ADORES her kitty, almost to the point of mauling sometimes.

Claire with a very tolerant Bailey

For your amusement, the annual installment of "The Forman Babies:"

Graham at four 

Claire at four

(it's the same shot as before, forgive me - it's very hard to get a non-funny face from a girl these days)

Mindee at four

We are so blessed to have this little girl in our lives and wonder what we ever did without her!

Just for fun, the aforementioned funny face:

(No Spanish summary this time, sorry.)