Eleanor is four and a half

Eleanor is thriving these days. She's getting very smart and coming home from preschool every day with new skills and information. She can do basic math problems, and is very close to learning how to read. She knows a few sight words and can sound out a few basic 3 and 4-letter words, though it is a sloooow process. She seems to most enjoy sporty/outdoor things, having learned to swim and pump herself on a swing when she was 3, and ride a bike at 4, and just generally loves running, jumping, and playing. She does not so much enjoy sitting at the house and doing indoor activities like coloring or crafting as much (though she still sometimes does them). She has a very robust vocabulary, but still has her lovely habits of saying some things wrong. For example, "littering" is still "glittering." We will be outside and she will say, "Mom! Someone glittered!!" pointing at trash on the ground. I love it! She is the best big sister and is so kind to Ben and Rosie. She and Jane compete and fight, but occasionally they get along very sweetly. Jane can be a bully at times though and Eleanor likes to manipulate so it is not a great combination all the time. Right around the time the babies were born, she told me that Kali, her imaginary friend died. I was pretty surprised but I honestly haven't heard about Kali since then! Eleanor also loves to talk about death. I'm not sure why! She is very helpful around the house if she wants to be. She is also learning to control her emotions though occasionally we still have a knock-down, drag-out temper tantrum. She sleeps for about 11 hours every night and naps 2-3 times a week (having "quiet" times the other days). She chooses her own clothes every morning and her outfits are quite interesting! She cannot wait to go to Kindergarten next year and I find myself (like probably every mom does) wishing we had more time. She is border-line with her birthday falling at the end of August, but she is so, so ready that I can't imagine her boredom if I held her back to start the following year. Eleanor is the soul of my soul like none of my other children so far. I feel like I know and understand her every emotion because she has a very similar personality to me. She is self-motivated, an achiever, emotionally intelligent, and very stubborn/wants to control things and people.

(Eleanor in the carpool line at school. All the kids lean out the windows of their cars in the circle and shout things at each other. "What are you wearing today?" "Want to have a play date later?" "I'm having ice cream at my next birthday! You can come!")

Eleanor singing to her youngest siblings...the babies were crying while I was in another room and I heard Eleanor go out into the living room and start singing. They both calmed down and were listening to her - it was so sweet!

Eleanor at two, three, three and a half, and four years old.