Mimi is Four!!

Naomi's birthday was last week, and I'm having a hard time believing that she's actually 4. Four is big. Four is . . . well, four. Well past the choking stage and well into having and expressing actual opinions. (Although that's nothing new to Naomi.)
Some information about my girl:
* She loves backpacks. And purses. And suitcases. And bags. And packing said backpacks and purses and suitcases and bags. She always has a bag of some kind with her, filled with the items needed for any eventuality. Occasionally, I make her completely unpack a bag and put the stuff away, and at that point we find: a swimsuit (who knows when you might need one of those), a princess dress (we ALL know when you might need one of those--all the time), several kinds of lip gloss, a movie or two, a Barbie, two Polly Pockets, a notebook, a Ziploc bag filled with snacks, and several crayons. She's the girl you want to be with in case of an emergency.
* She talks ALL THE TIME. To whoever is listening, and sometimes that is only herself or an imaginary companion. When Sara was here over Thanksgiving, Mimi wandered through the room chattering contentedly. When she noticed Sara watching her, she said, "I'm just talking to a giant. I LOVE giants!"
* Her temperament, although still mercurial, has leveled considerably in the past year. We haven't had a spit-flinging, arm-flailing, hour-long flaming fit since March. Thank heavens. I think she's finally developing some self-soothing skills. Whew!
*She loves to eat hot dogs, hard-boiled eggs (which she calls dried-up eggs), bacon, and turkey. She will actually say no to a second cookie or piece of cake (although she'll never say no to a fourth or fifth piece of gum).

I love that girl!