celebrating 4 years of life

I can't believe that I have a 4 year old. I've been thinking a lot about what that means:

In the same stretch of time I will have:

an elementary student
a reader
a mathematician
a girl who can play on a team sport
at this age I was traveling on trains in europe on my own. we'll see if I can muster the courage for that 4 years from now

8 seems so so far away and yet so close. It's scary really. I think the main thing that I've learned these past years and something that has really finally breeded understanding in me is that:

EVERYTHING IS A PHASE.

I'm thinking that this mantra will prove very helpful through the teen years. It proved helpful at 2 when I thought things were never going to change. It's proving sweet at 3/4 because it's been and is still such a fun phase. I'm looking forward to many more years of watching L grow into herself. It's been a great adventure so far and I believe that it's still just beginning!