Easter/Birthday Weekend 2011

Our weekend in enough pictures to wallpaper your bedroom:

3 years old!!

Dear Reesie,

Today you are three years old! I don't know where the time went this past year, but it sure was a big one for you. You learned how to use the potty, said good-bye to binky, slept in a toddler bed for the first time and even began to learn how to read. It's hard to believe that the seven pound squirming baby Daddy and a room full of nurses cheered into the world is now such a big girl.

We fell in love when they put you in our arms but we had no clue how much joy you would come to bring to our lives. While I'm sad to see you get older I can't wait to see what God has in store for you this next year. Bring it on three!

In honor of your birthday being on April 25, here are twenty-five of my favorite things about you, our newly three-year-old:

1. Your sweet voice.

2. How you ask to listen to "My God's Not Dead" by David Crowder every time we get in the car.

3. How excited you are to be a big sister and how according to you, you already are one.

4. Your long legs and arms.

5. The way you sit and read books with us- all day long if you could.

6. How you pinch your thumb and pointer finger together to put up three fingers.

7. The way you pray for things by thanking God for them, as if they've already happened.

8. Your love for your glitter shoes and how you call them your "sprinkle" shoes.

9. When you get dressed in the morning you'll ask me who gave you each article of clothing you're putting on.

10. How you can recognize and identify restaurant signs after eating there once.

11. The way you talk and interact with your Daddy. How you love for him to chase you around the house and take you on Daddy/Daughter dates to Chic-Fil-A and Dirt Cheap.

12. How you pump your fist in the air when you sing the last part of "How Great Thou Art."

13. How every curb becomes a balance beam for you to walk on.

14. The face you make when you concentrate.

15. Your method of climbing onto the big girl potty all by yourself. It looks like you're mounting a horse and makes me crack up every time.

16. Your dimples when you smile. I could kiss them a hundred times a day. (And that you let me.)

17. The voice and mannerisms you use when you get to be in charge.

18. How you make your Daddy stand at the bottom of the tunnel slide and yell "all clear" before you slide down.

19. The way you use your thumb to point at things.

20. Your ornery sense of humor and great appreciation for all things funny.

21. How you're not afraid to say no to big kids when they want you to do something you have no interest in doing.

22. That out of all the stories in your toddler Bible, you want to read "Joseph's Coat" every night before bed.

23. That you prefer Daddy's method for shampooing your hair.

24. That you're willing to do chores.

25. The times we hear you through your monitor praying yourself to sleep at night.

Happy Birthday Precious Girl!!

Your Daddy and I are crazy about you!!

24 weeks

I'm 24 weeks along! (Well truthfully, I kind of lost track.) I'm somewhere around there and when I go back to the doctor in a few weeks I'm going to have to ask him to clarify and then write it down. Maybe I'll make a paper chain or have Dan keep track for me. This baby is robbing me of brain cells I can't spare to lose!

(When Chica saw her Daddy getting ready to take my picture yesterday she came running over to get in the shot. Do you think it's a conditioned response?)
This ultrasound was from my appointment last week. Baby Hinton was breech at our 20 week appointment so the technician couldn't get a good view of her spine. Baby cooperated this time around and thankfully, everything looked great.
By this point her ears are fully formed and functioning. I guess that means it's also the week she learns how to sleep through anything. The other day Chica decided she wanted to say hello to her baby sister. She walked over to where I was and gave the side of my belly two solid whacks. Let the sweet sibling love commence. :)

a royal birthday tea party

My baby's going to be three on Monday.

Instead of throwing that match onto my emotional bonfire, drenched in the lighter fluid of pregnancy hormones, how about I show you pictures from her party instead?

We went small this year. Small and simple. With a family vacation coming up, our house on the market and several other factors at play, I just wasn't up for anything else. So simple it was. And you know what? It was my favorite party of hers to date.

We invited a handful of friends to the house for lunch, cake and play time. Each guest was asked to come in her favorite princess outfit.

Here's the Birthday Girl, waiting for her guests to arrive. She was so excited for her party she got dressed an hour early and sat in that seat while her Daddy and I completed the final preparations.

The princess spread: PB&J cut into flowers, Cheetos, strawberries, apples, cantaloupe, celery, cucumbers, carrots and pink cupcakes with pink icing (as requested by the Birthday Girl.) We grilled out for the adults.
The princess entrance is this way.
At last the guests started to arrive! Two Cinderellas, Belle and Ariel were all in attendance.
Who needs a prince on a white horse when you can tuck your donkey under your arm and haul it up the stairs all by yourself?

Chica wanted to open presents first, so that's just what we did.

If a present is really tough to open, try hoisting up your glass slipper for better leverage.
Time to eat!

After lunch it was time for cupcakes and pink tea.

After lunch was lots and lots of playing. Can you believe it, not a single princess had a meltdown. (They were too busy getting away with things like this):

Before we knew it, it was time for everyone to go home. Nap time had come and we didn't want anyone turning into a pumpkin. Before she went to sleep, Chica thanked me for her party in her sweet, unsolicited way. I'm so glad my nearly three year old enjoyed herself.

Partied out princess with her one heck of a party planning assistant Daddy.