She's 4.

She's kooky, all kinds of kooky.



She likes to dress like this - I think it's cute and kooky.



This is Anna - in all her glory, at 4 years old. Sportin' her own look, and has no concern for what anyone might think.



I love her, I do. But she's 4 years old. I'm learning this means different things for a girl than it does for a boy.

She cut her hair, again. Yes, again. This is the 3rd time, maybe the 4th, because I think I blocked one hair cutting episode out of my mind.

I'm not sure I understand why she does this. It happened yesterday morning, before church. The kids were all busy making animals for a new scene on the wall in the living room. This involved coloring, cutting out and taping things on the wall.

I was making breakfast and I walk towards the kitchen table and there is a clump of hair on the floor. I stop in my tracks and I think, 'you're kidding me, right?'.

But no, it was a clump of her hair - from the back of her head. I scolded her by yelling, "Anna! Did you just cut your hair?!!". Not the best response, I know. She immediately burst into tears.

After a few minutes, in a calmer voice, I asked her why she did this, and she said, through some tears, "I don't know Mommy." After she was done crying about it, I explained the safety concerns I have with her attempting to cut her own hair. I then asked her if she wanted short hair, because we could get her a short hair cut. She said, "NO! I want pony tails and clips, Mommy". I then explained she would have to stop cutting her hair or she won't have enough hair for clips and pony tails.

The hair cutting.....the boys never did this. I don't get it, doesn't make sense to me. I do know there will be many, many things I will find to be different in raising boys vs. girls.

Anna shows me just how different and funny it is to be a four year old girl all the time. The kooky outfits and shades, the silly, adorable dancing that goes on all day in our house, the need to want to play and talk with me all the time (she's soooo girl that way), the crazy fact that she wore at least 6 different outfits yesterday afternoon, the list goes on.

I love her, I do. All that comes with it - because she hugs me, makes me laugh, makes our entire family giggle and adds so much life to our family. Even when she's just being 4 and poking at her brothers, touching them, annoying them and cutting her own hair. It's kooky, but we love her.