Three

Today, she is 3 for real.


Not 2,


but 3.


Happy Birthday, our sometimes silly,

sometimes serious,


but always sweet, girl.


May all your birthday wishes come true...


even the one about flying like Tinkerbell.

Miss Spider Party

This morning we celebrated K's third birthday. I can't believe she is 3.
Well, actually, not yet, since her real birthday is tomorrow. So I can have one last day with my two year old girl. Sniff.

Anyway, moving on. We did the same thing as for N last week- we celebrated today, because tomorrow is Sunday and there will be no time for birthday celebrations at breakfast. Also, it is Easter, and I didn't want to cram her birthday in-between Easter celebrations. So, we had breakfast together and then K opened her presents from us. I think E was more excited about the Calico Critter townhouse and various accessories than K was! She couldn't wait for it to be unwrapped before getting out all the itty-bitty pieces and cute critters and setting up the house. K was more interested in placing each one of her new crayons into her new caddy. It was driving the other kids crazy!

Shortly after the kids got dressed, K's little friends arrived for a Sunny-Patch style birthday. We started off making butterflies from coffee filters and markers. It was a great craft for this age- quick and easy. They really liked spraying the water on the wings to make the colors run.


While the butterflies dried their wings, the girls went on a bug hunt for some Sunny Patch friends. They followed a map I had made, and found grasshoppers, lady bugs, centipedes, beetles and ants hiding in the backyard. When each bug was found, they were put into a little bug box that each girl carried around their neck.


The last spot was in the moon bounce, where they had fun bouncing like "Bounce" (from the show).

We then went inside to have cake and ice cream. I had made a big Miss Spider cake, and then put all the little Sunny Patch Friends on cupcakes around her. (Another long friday afternoon and evening!!). I have really enjoyed the creative flexibility the fondant has given me! I found a recipe I like for marshmallow fondant, and itt tastes so much better than the store bought kind. Still not as good as buttercream, but the kids seem to like it.



After gift-opening, the girls went outside to finish their butterflies before heading home.



Now K is outside with N enjoying her new playdough, and E is upstairs with the Critter house. It is such a beautiful day to be outdoors! I am also super excited that tomorrow, Easter, is supposed to be gorgeous. There is nothing like a beautiful, warm, sunny Easter to celebrate that He is Risen.

Say "Aaah!"

Last week K passed another milestone, of sorts. Her first visit to the dentist! Our oldest two went to the dentist at the same age, and still ended up with a mouthful of cavities at 5 (same as me). At first checkup, Dr. Lloyd was pleased with how K's teeth look, so we are crossing our fingers hoping that she inherited her daddy's teeth instead of mine. Ed has never had a cavity, whereas I have had more than I can count.

Dr. Lloyd is a very gentle, sweet man who has a really kid-friendly office. Toys in the waiting room as well as in the examination room. Lots of prizes at the end. The kids love going. K readily climbed into the chair, hands full with Mickey, Tinkerbell, and Elmo. She opened her mouth to get her teeth counted and checked out. No cleaning this time, just an introductory visit.
The biggest drawback to this practice is that they don't accept insurance cards, so you have to do the paperwork yourself and pay out of pocket at the end of a visit (no joke with 3 kids). Also, I fear he is going to retire any day now. For now, he is hanging in there- bringing happy smiles to many little faces.

kitty ballet

KK is super excited about being given a hand-me-down dance leotard from E. She periodically pulls it out from her drawer and asks me "This for my dance class?". She can't wait until she is old enough to go to dance class herself. Meanwhile, she has to be content with wearing the leotard around the house. I took these pictures of her as she bounced on my bed, a rare treat.

kitty love

"Mommy! Look! The keedats are hugging me!"

Fourth of July Weekend

Each year we have to decide where we spend the Fourth of July. Hard life, right? On the one hand, my mom lives right on a major parade route. This parade includes many floats, bands, fire trucks and even the Shriners on their mini motorcycles. She has a large front porch where we set up tables and chairs. We drag the grill up there and we grill up burgers and dogs while watching the festivities. The kids sit on the curb and jump up to collect candy thrown at them. The adults sit back in canvas chairs with a cold soda or beer in hand, and we talk, watch, and eat as the hour and a half long parade passes by. It is alot of fun.


On the other hand, there is Pine Beach. This is where Ed's parents have a house, and they go down there for most of the summer. We join them several weekends, but the 4th is when we know Ed's brother, Jim, and his family will be there. There is a small parade with one band, lots of kids on bikes and many LOUD firetrucks. Then there are races for each age level and gender for the kids to participate in, as well as a peanut scramble. But the best part is the fireworks on the River. We take our chairs and blankets down to the beach, and have a great view of the fireworks display. On top of that, it is fun to spend the time with the relatives, and we usually throw in a day at the ocean.

Last year, it was a doubly hard decision because my sister from France was visiting my parents, and there was uncertainty (as always) about my dad's health. Yet this was the weekend that Ed's siblings had decided to celebrate their parents' retirement. I was especially torn, as I felt that this could be the last 4th on the porch with my dad. But Ed felt it was important to be there for his parents, so we went to the River. We had a great time, but I still can't look at pictures taken by my sisters without a pang. One gets me especially- it is my dad sitting on the steps, surrounded by all of his grandchildren, yet our kids are missing.

All that is to say, this year it was definitely the Glenside Parade turn, but we decided to go to the river anyway. For me, it was too sad to go knowing my dad wouldn't be there with his broad grin, sitting back in his red shirt and red/white/blue hat. It would have been too hard of a reminder of what was missing, and what we had missed last year. And it was a difficult weekend for me. I felt the loss keenly and felt myself close to tears many times as it sunk in that Dad was really and truly gone.

But...

It was fun to go to the River. We started off the weekend with a trip to the ocean. This was the first year that K really could enjoy the waves, and she did! The water was numbingly cold, yet she splashed right in. Ed would hold her hand and she would pull him deeper and deeper, until the waves crashed right into her chest. She would gasp with shock at the force and coldness of water, but even as she wiped the spray from her eyes she would look up at Ed with shining eyes and laugh in delight. We had to pull her from the water to warm her up, and she would scream and kick as we carried her across the sand, pointing at the waves, "Dat water! KK want dat water!". E happily looked for shells and even ventured bravely into the surf with Ed by her side. Meanwhile, N and his cousin Erika were content to play tag with the waves.



The morning of the fourth was cool, but bright. Even as we finished up a breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon, we could hear the firetrucks "warming up" their sirens. In a rush we left the dishes for later, and hurried down the street to get a spot to watch the parade. Even though it is a small parade, the kids managed to collect a pocketful of dum-dums and tootsie rolls, which satisfied them.




We fled the scene as the 30 or so firetrucks came screaming down the street for the final 15 minutes of the parade. Following the parade are the races at the park. E and N both ran, and even though they didn't finish anywhere near the top 3, they were proud to receive their ribbon for participating.




That afternoon was spent lounging in the yard as the kids played around us, and then we had a picnic of fried chicken, potato salad and s'mores.


We ended up the evening with a walk to the river where the kids played in the sand as we waited for the fireworks to begin.
K once again showed her love for the water. As soon as we got their she pulled off her shoes and socks and I rolled up her pants so that she could wade in. I think if I had let her she would have gone in deeper, but as it was, I kept a sharp eye on her and she stayed ankle deep.


The sunset was brilliant that night, the colors deepening and becoming richer with each passing minute.

It finally all settled into an inky purple as the first sparks flew up. It was the highlight of the day, and what we had been waiting for, and the experience didn't disappoint. When the last "ooh" had faded, we walked home through the darkened streets. The kids were cranky and ready for bed, so we didn't do the sparklers. After getting them settled, we gratefully sank into our own beds. The day was over, and another year had come and gone.