Maggie Lu is four.

At four, Maggie likes Frozen.  Specifically Elsa.  Elsa is like this combination of princess and super hero.  Maggie dresses up and runs around shooting ice out of her wrists instead of webs.  Turning the soundtrack on in the car is my secret weapon.  It kills arguments and bad attitudes almost instantly.  Maggie loves dresses and pretty accessories, but she's quick to ditch those things for ridiculous princess dresses and old dance costumes when we get home.  She has this tie dyed blanket that she asks me to tie around her neck or under her chin or around her shoulder.  It can be a cape or a head scarf or an off the shoulder dress.  Besides dress up, she plays by carrying around little treasures that she finds around the house.  She stores them in purses or bags or tied up handkerchiefs.
Maggie is sassy.  She sticks her hip out when I take her picture and tells people who ask her age, "I'm not telling you."  She is quick to correct us and explain why she isn't wrong.  I don't say this because I think it's cute but just to document the reality of the situation.  She is also quick to remind me how much she loves me and give me compliments about my hair, outfit, or mothering skills.
She started preschool at the YMCA downtown.  She is so proud that Schroeder's old school is her school now.  She is also thrilled to have Annie, her favorite friend, in class with her.

Conversations with Maggie these days go something like this.

"Mom, it's super hot in this car.  Turn on the car and the A/C!"
I ask her to rephrase her request.
When I turn on the car jazz is playing on the radio.
"OHHH...that sounds smooth!"
A few minutes pass, I get in the front seat, and she says, "Mom, are you planning on making smoothies anytime soon?"

I wake up and ask Maggie if she wants breakfast.
She says, "I already had lunch."
Me: "Lunch?"
Maggie: "I already had breakfast.
I had a hotdog.
I sneaked it."
Me: I say, "That's not funny."
Maggie: "I'm not laughing."

We were checking out in Kohl's and the cashier tells me how cute my little baby boy is.  It's not the cashier's fault.  Penelope is dressed in blue again and doesn't have a bow in her hair.  I would have let it go but Maggie says, "She's not a boy!  She's my baby sister."
I say, "Yep, her name is Penelope."
Maggie says on the way out of the store, "Mom, I told you to stop calling her Penelope.  Her new name is Anna, remember?"

We celebrated her birthday by having some of her cousins over for a playdate after preschool.  Then we invited all of her favorite people to Dairy Queen for some dessert.  I made her a little fairy garden in the backyard for her to tinker in with her siblings.