4 years old!

Today Rhiannon turned 4 years old.
She has been acting a bit like a moody teenager in recent weeks -- I don't know if it is just a phase she is going through or if there is something bothering her. But it's not all bad; she is clearly happy to be back home with Daddy and back at barnehage snakke på norsk with her friends.
We baked things together to celebrate her birthday today. First we baked a "Wacky Cake" from our family cookbook to serve all the kids in her class at the barnehage during her bursdagsamling (birthday gathering). Tryfan helped too, of course. Then tonight we made pizza together. I made the dough and then she put all the toppings and sauces on. She chose to put on a mixture of tomato and pesto sauce as a base, then sliced sausages, cheese, red peppers, and tortilla chips on top. We had the world famous Chocolate Applesauce Cake for her real birthday cake. Our neighbors Kristoffer and Monica came over just as she was about to open her presents, so she invited them in to watch. She was very excited to open the Welsh books, the 25-pack of glitter glue, the necklace beads, the Matilda DVD, the finger puppets, the polka dot slippers, the tea set, the new jammies, the embroidered overcoat and the sparkly blue dress that she got as presents! I think that she really thinks she is a princess when she is wearing this dress, though :-( She kept calling me "Prince" and telling me to stand in a particular part of the kitchen so that I could watch her dance. Oh dear.
And so, at 4 full years of age, Rhiannon:

• often knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it
• is usually cheerful and chatty, especially with parents of her classmates
• loves playing with and sort of mothering smaller kids, especially those in Tryfan's class who are 1-2 years old. She goes around giving them each a big hug and lifting them off the ground, or holding their hands and showing them pictures on the walls of the room
• takes good care of her 'pink baby' and has an elaborate stroller setup with loads of blankets, pillows, and change of clothes which she wheels around from one sleeping spot to another, often asking if I want to peek in on her baby and check if she is still sleeping
  
• can recognize which cars belong to which teachers/ parents at barnehage and can differentiate between New Holland, Massey-Fergie, John Deere, Ford and Caterpillar tractors
  
• is good at coloring in pictures (staying within the lines), and tends to favor orange, red and pink in her work
• told me that her favorite color is blue
  
• has been really into building tall towers with Legos lately
  
• is proud that she can write her name and especially loves writing the letter 'N'. Fortunately she has 3 in her name
• is very good at tidying up after she has played with something. I know she didn't learn this from me!
• still loves the number 8
• often prefers savory food to sweets, although she has a soft spot for white chocolate and also for ice cream
  
• has learned how to say 'thank you' when she receives a compliment
• loves dancing, jumping, and (now that we have snow on the ground) sledding
• is generally good at playing and sharing toys with Tryfan

We are happy to have her in our lives, even if she sometimes acts moody!