Audra @ 3.5

3.5 years old is such a good age for us around here. Audra is just soaking in the world around her, and we get to hear how she sees it. I don't even know how to capture her essence in words; it is so complex and wonderful. So listed are just a few of the many things she does and enjoys that I don't ever want to forget. 

- When she agrees with something you say, she says, "me three!"
- She is always asking, "Are you sure?" when she doesn't like the answer to something.
- When she disagrees with something you say/do, she says, "so, blah blah blah, huh?" where "blah blah blah" pertains to the current decision/situation.

- She is a very reserved child, but you can see her bravery in new situations and she has impressed us more than once with her willingness to do something outside her normal comfort zone. Still, sometimes, her nerves get the best of her.
- Her enthusiasm for doing something is adorable and contagious. She will get a cheesy grin, big eyes, and in a strained, can't contain it voice say, "I'm soooo excited."

- She would watch a never ending stream of TV and movies if we let her.
- The tire swing is her happy place. Every time we go outside, she runs to it. When visiting Texas, it was the thing she missed the most in Florida.

- She loves being outside, especially going to the park. We try to get in our 2-hour outside time each day when the weather cooperates, and sometimes we do it twice a day. 

- She hates being sprayed or splashed in the face with water. She is finally starting to like the pool, but there is still a lot of fear. 

- When she wants to suggest an activity or something, instead of asking, she will ask something about an object related to what she wants and then she will ask, "so what can I do now?" She wants us to suggest it. Sometimes I will respond, "are you wanting to do {this}" and she will go "Yes! Let's do it." thinking I'm giving her permission.

- If she asks directly, she will often go, "How about we do {this}? Is that a good idea?" with this whimsical look in her eyes.

 - She has been very into imaginative play and creating story lines lately. She will make her dolls talk,  have imaginative objects, or pretend something is something else (i.e., a leaf is a marshmallow which she will roast on a fire as seen below).
 - She doesn't like going to sleep/sleeping alone in a room. She actually doesn't like going to sleep at all 95% of the time.
- We've turned her car seat to face forward. Now she sees the traffic lights and tells us to stop and go with the red and green lights.

 - She approaches things with such logic and reason for a 3-year old. If you explain why, she carefully considers it and will accept your answer, sometimes countering with something like, "maybe when x happens, then, is that a good idea?" depending on the situation.
- If something is out of line with her logic, she will shrug and get the funniest look on her face that I can't even explain in words and say somewhat exasperatedly, "I don't know why."