Dear Marley Wren { 4 years old }

Dear Marley Wren,

Our sweet little bird... happy 4th birthday. You keep reminding me that in 1 year, you'll be 5... always focusing on what's in front, instead of celebrating the now... that's what you do. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves... I don't think we are ready for you to be a whole handful quite yet (even though in the figurative sense, you already are).

You, sweet girl... are one pretty amazing little lady. Your spunk and energy never runs out. You want to fit in as much as possible in the amount of time that you are awake... never wanting to miss out anything. Later on in life, this is going to make you a very productive little person... but right now, this little bit about you, tires us so. Pretty sure you get this from Mommy, because she's not one to sit still either. Sleeping, is something you'd rather not do, if given the choice... though we often find you catching some z's in the middle of the day, when you clearly told us, "Nah, I'm not tired." 

Marley, you LOVE to create. It's pretty much your favorite thing to do, day in and day out. You'll draw on just about anything... a canvas can be a piece of paper, tin foil, cardboard box, rock, shell, etc. Your love for color and the way you put things together... is off the hook. Whenever we have an Amazon Prime delivery, you beg us for the box. Off you go, cutting into it, coloring it, and creating some sort of house or school or grocery store to play with. Which brings me to another wonderful thing about you... your imagination. You can spend hours playing with just about anything. When you are done creating inside, you create outside... you forage flowers, create dinosaur nests, dig for bones,  etc. 

You collect ALL THE TIME when we are out and about. We have rock collections, shell collections, feather collections, pressed flower collections... name it... and you collect it. We love how you find beauty in just about anything. Your attention to details... is astounding. You see beyond the eye... it's such an amazing thing to witness. To see your eyes light up when you find these "treasures"... is so beautiful. 

You love to dance... it's another thing you do so often. That hasn't changed over the years one bit... you can feel the beat so well... you've got rhythm girl. Right now, the TROLLS soundtrack is your jam. You run EVERYWHERE, and love when Daddy gives you workout challenges. You love to swing on the rings in the gym, and kick the soccer ball around for fun. You're still a bird that picks here and there, when it comes to eating meals... you'd much rather snack all day long (just like your brother). Yogurt is your go to favorite snack (as are cheesesticks), and watermelon is your favorite fruit... though blueberries probably come in close second. Your favorite dinner (and was requested for your birthday meal) is macaroni and cheese with hotdogs. You like to eat tomato, cucumber and pepper salads (hold the lettuce), and finally are digging spaghetti sauce on top of your noodles instead of butter. You're all about eggs as long as they are drowned in ketchup, and prefer your peanut butter sandwiches without the jelly. 

You love being a big sister to the twins... and do such a good job of it. You'll stop whatever it is you're doing if you hear one of them cry... super attentive. You wrestle Finn on the daily... and give him a dose of that toughness exactly when he needs it. You're still sharing a room with Charlotte... and we have to go in every night about 8x to tell you two to quit the giggling... you two can fight like the best of them though... she knows what buttons to push that'll make you fiery... and you do the same for her. Yet, when given any opportunity to play with her, you never turn her down.  

You've found your place... your way here in Washington... your birthday will always be a reminder to us of the time we moved across country (that was almost a year ago to the date). We can't think of a place though, that would suit you better... you've settled in so well. The beach has become your home, along with the wild, green, fern filled forest... my sweet, whimsical Marley... you were made for this place... you were made for us.

Marley, continue loving life sweet girl... continue being you, the one we love so dearly,

Daddy, Mommy, Charlotte, Finn, Josephine and Mable.

Marley's birth story here
Marley's 1st letter here
Marley's 1st birthday here
Marley's 2nd birthday here
Marley's 3rd birthday here