Wrenzy Turned Four

For her fourth birthday in March, Wren wanted to have the Sorensons over because she's obsessed with Jacob and Brandon. Originally she and Tiny were all about Brandon, who is 14, but then Jacob, who is 10, got the top spot in their hearts. Her other requests were monkey bread, pesto noodles, unicorn cake, nail painting, show watching, piñata, and craft making (wands, I believe). As her birthday got closer, she seemed to forget about the craft part, and I didn't remind her. I wondered if I should have asked her about inviting peers for a party, but instead I encouraged the Sorenson family thing.

We had the Sorenson party on the Saturday before her birthday, March 16. I made the cake Friday, and then Ever helped me frost and decorate it Saturday. It was a bit ghetto but good enough for government work.

I kept dinner very simple - plain noodles, pesto noodles, or noodles with red sauce, plus salad and fruit, I think. I made the mistake of mixing the red sauce in before dinner and making the noodles mushy, so that was sad. 

For the first time in the history of our children, there were no tears during the piñata portion.

Jacob volunteered to do a magic show for us. He prepared in advance (Amber came upon his list of planned tricks some time before) and took it very seriously. He tried to start and then got super nervous and freaked out. He had to take a few minutes and practice and then start again. I felt bad because he really seemed to be cracking under this immense self-inflicted pressure. Once he got going, he did great. One of his tricks was actually really cool.

Cake time:

On Tuesday, March 19, JoAnn gave Wrenzy birthday brownies. 

Pod had meetings in Palm Springs that week and flew into San Diego on Wednesday morning (March 20). He hung out with us that day before driving to Palm Springs Thursday morning. He humored the littles with a matching game. 

I had to deliver monkey bread for Wren's birthday breakfast on Thursday. I got started on it way too late on Wednesday night. It turned out well, just before midnight.

On her birthday morning, Wrenzy opened her presents and enjoyed the monkey bread.

I didn't think I gave the girls really excessive servings of monkey bread, but Jim disapproved (and in every other circumstance ever, he gives them about ten times the sugar that I would). They ate it up and raved about it. When we got into the van for school drop-off, Tiny said she felt sick. I asked for clarification, and she said she needed to throw up. I didn't really believe her but took her inside to the bathroom. She didn't barf immediately, so I went into the kitchen to grab a bowl to take on the road. When I returned to the bathroom with the bowl to fetch her, she promptly threw up twice into the bowl. She was totally fine the rest of the day, so it had to have something to do with the volume of monkey bread or pace at which she ate it. Whoops. 

The girls watched a show that day (I think an episode of Pinkalicious), and at some point we squeezed in nail painting to finish off Wren's birthday wish list. They got ice cream after dinner, too.

Wrenzy remains a tiny wisp of a thing. At her four-year checkup, she weighed in at 28 lbs, 14 oz, which was the 5th percentile.  (Noah next door, who just turned two, weighs several pounds more than she does.) She was about 13th percentile for height. 

We call her a fruitarian because she eats so much fruit. Often she'll say she doesn't want it, but if you put a bowl of it next to her, she'll eat it all and ask for more. She is the slowest eater who ever lived and is not infrequently at the table for an hour after Jim and I are done. (It actually reminds me of her great-grandma Norma, except Wrenzy's not even talking while everyone else is eating; she's just that slow.) She eats peanut butter and honey sandwiches nearly every day for lunch. Quesadillas and pesto noodles are her other favorites. She is an aggressive and constant lover of Tiny, much to Tiny's dismay. She also loves her big sister and would sleep with Ever every night if I would let her. Our library of chapter books is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to her, and we're quickly making our way through it. She's sweet and wonderful, and we sure love her.