Caroline turned 4 -years-old last week.
I am so glad we have her. She keeps us on our toes.
There is never a dull moment with her.
She makes all of us laugh all the time.

When she was really little she liked to ask for her bottle of milk. “Can I have my milk bottle mom?”

Then my mom introduced her to Quik (the chocolate powder) and she changed her question to, “Can I have a chocolate milk bottle?”

Shortly after she got that question down, we transitioned into sippy cups and every day, all day, it seemed, I would hear her sweet little voice, “Mom, can I have a chocolate milk bottle sippy cup?” We’ve been in that stage for several years. We probably should have given it up over a year ago.

The older she became the more demanding the request became, “Mom, get me a chocolate milk bottle sippy cup. NOW!”  Oh the terrible twos and threes. She wants milk all the time. As a family, we consume four gallons a week, three of which can more than likely be attributed to the smallest of us.

Last week, on her fourth birthday Caroline’s sisters used the occasion to encourage more independence from the breathing dementor (uh I mean demander). “Caroline, you are four, now you can get yourself dressed. You can wipe yourself on the potty because you are four. You’re a big girl, you can put on your own seatbelt.” The biggest change that they wanted to see happen is the sippy cup. They want her to graduate from it so they no longer have to hassle with the ordeal of pouring the milk, adding the Quik, warming it in the microwave to the perfect temperature, finding the lid and the plastic sippy part, putting on the lid, and shaking it up to hand it over. I find it fascinating that the girls are as encumbered with this task when they do it so rarely in comparison to LG and I, but I completely appreciate their help in the matter and love to watch them mentor Caroline. I readily admit that we should have at the very least quit warming up her milk two years ago, but what can I say? I’m almost 40? I’m tired? Wouldn’t that sound too extremely lackadaisical? Why yes it would. And it would be true.

I digress.

So, when LG got home from work one day last week, the girls were explaining to him their encouragement of Caroline’s independence. Caroline proudly proclaimed, “Daddy, I don’t have to drink out of a sippy cup any more because I am four. I’m a big girl. Now I drink a chocolate milk bottle sippy cup in a cup.”

LG first supported by saying, “Way to go Caroline. You are a big girl”, and then he observed, “And that name of what you drink  just keeps getting longer and longer, doesn’t it?”

Abigail responded in typical Gold humor, “Yeah, when she turns 5 we are going to make  her drink a chocolate milk bottle sippy cup in a cup with a straw.”

As we all laughed hysterically, for one second, I felt the true joy of motherhood. My kids are wonderful.

And then Caroline spilled the milk all over her dinner plate (not literally) and we went back to sippy cups. (honestly, we did.) The End.

P.S. Thanks to the great pearlsforgirls for linking back to my Father of the Year post.