she is 3

She's sweet, sassy and full of life. She may be three, but to me she will always be my baby.

Happy Birthday Morgan! We love you!

addison's special day

Rather than missing hours of work here and there for all of the upcoming appointements I decided to do them all in one day. Addison and I would take the day off together, cross off all the doctors and spend some time together. It would be her special day. What might not sound like fun to all of you is nothing but excitement for Addison.

First stop of the day was Starbucks. We enjoyed our drinks and treats on the patio before heading to the pediatrician. I made sure she had lots of liquid so she could pee in a cup. All went according to plan since she had to go as soon as we got there. Then the freak out started. Flat out refusal. After 10 minutes of screaming and pleading I gave up. It all worked out in the end. The doctor and nurses convinced her to make 100 bubbles in the cup and she he had to prove she could do it.

She wanted to hide from the doctor. Just for fun. Not because she was scared.

Addison is a healthy 5 year old. She weighs 37.6 lbs and is 42.5 inches tall. That puts her at the 25th percentile for weight, 50th for height and her BMI at 25%. Doc said you can't ask for anything better. We talked about a lot of things, she gave me a lot of tips and Addions got her finger pricked. She freaked out a little, but just like me realized that it's all for nothing. It wasn't that bad after all.

I took her to her old school to visit some of her friends. I got to reconnect with a lot of the teachers I consider friends and she played with the kids like no time had passed. They all wanted her to come back the next day to play.

From there we went to lunch. I let Addison pick whatever she wanted and her choice was pizza. The slice is almost as big as she is. She looked at me at one point and said, "I was hungry, but now I'm not any more. I know I won't be able to finish all of this".

Next up - dentist. I try to schedule the cleanings so I go first and then she goes right after me. So when they tried to take us both at the same time, in different rooms, I knew that wasn't going to fly. Addison is still very shy when it comes to some things and cleanings are one of them. She needs me to be in the room with her. They worked with us and still got us both in. This was her best visit yet. They got really good xrays and were able to clean and flouride her teeth without any problems. The dentist couldn't promise me anything, but right not it looks like Addison will NOT need braces. Her teeth are perfectly staight and evenly spaced leaving enough room for the new ones to come in. My mom has perfect teeth without braces. I have straight teeth with a ton of other issues, but no braces. One out of two isn't bad. Morgan hasn't been to the dentist yet, but I know she will need braces.

We were supposed to go to the movies, but instead had to spend some time at the Mayo Clinic. Let's just say there will be no more babies in our future. Normally they are right on schedule, but this day we had to wait. Addison was a little tired and ready for the ice cream I promised her, but made use of the time by watching a video. When you're 5 you can get away with treating the waiting room like you're living room.

We finally got a milkshake and went outside to play. We duck and fish watched, climbed trees and played some serious games of hide-and-seek and tag. I can only imagine what the people inside the building were thinking when they saw us running around outside.

We had a fun, but a tiring day. Getting in and out of the car over 10 times in one day takes a toll on a 5 year old. I allowed both of the girls to stay up a little bit late and they were out as soon as their head hit the pillow. Come to think of it, so was I.

untitled

I'm still writing my five year letter to Addison. It's a thoughtful process. As much as I'd like to have the letter up on their birthdays, it never happens. I like to think about it and write it from my heart. Sometimes it takes time for me to get all my thoughts on paper.

This little munchkin has a birthday coming up. One week from today. I didn't want to leave her out so we're doing a little party this weekend complete with a Princess and the Frog cake. I have no idea where that's come from, but it's the only thing she keeps asking for.

I'm happy to make her happy.

the birthday bike

All year I've heard stories from Addison about the birthday bike. I've seen the birthday bike sitting in the hallway of the school, but I've never seen it in action.

We were sitting there eating lunch and this bell starts ringing. All the kids rush out and line up in the hallway. Michael and I had no clue what was going on. The kids know the drill. It was time for the birthday bike ride. We watched as Addison went up and down the hallway, kids from all the classrooms cheering her on. That is the director of the school giving her the ride. I love how they make it all about Addison. 

Now I know the significance of the birthday bike. I wonder if I can get a ride on my birthday.

the last celebration

When we got home from school there was a surprise for the girls. A new swing for their swing set. We spent some time trying it out.

I asked Addison what she wanted for her birthday dinner. I told her we could go out or bring something home. She asked for her favorite pasta. That would be a frozen Bertolli meal with bow tie pasta, spinach, and chicken. Sounds good to me. Afterwards we sang Happy Birthday one more time and then her and Morgan shared the special cupcake.

By this point she was overloaded on sugar and done with pictures. It was all about the silly faces.

The next morning she woke up with a birthday hangover. She was cranky and tired. It was all worth it though. I think she had the best 5th birthday ever!

april 17th

Tuesday morning could not come soon enough for this little girl. We had a countdown chain hanging in her room and with the last ring hanging the night before she went to bed knowing she would be 5 in the morning. The next morning I went in to wake her up and it was like she had turned into a teenager. She wanted to snuggle, but had no desire to get out of bed.

With all the excitement, Morgan couldn't help but think she was entitled to presents too. Addison was a sweet sister and let her help open some of them.

Keeping with tradition, Michael and I decorated the playroom the night before. This is the aftermath of the present opening.

Addison's teachers do a great job of making each kid feel special on their birthday. They get a birthday hat, a prize from the birthday box and a ride in the birthday bike. We decided to have Chick-fil-a lunch and cookie cake for the entire class.

They were sweet enough to let Morgan come over to the class for all the festivities. This was great until we had to leave. She was really clingy and cried for awhile, but I heard that she slept good during nap.

Publix made the biggest cookie cake I've ever seen. It was a little bigger than I had ordered which worked out great since all of the kids were thrilled to see a cookie that big.

My big five year old. I love that she was so happy.

the birthday party

This year I wanted to do something a little different. I thought about it for weeks and couldn't come up with a thing. Then Groupon gave me an idea. Some time ago I purchased a mommy & me pottery session to use on a rainy day. All that came back to me and I thought, I wonder if they do birthday parties. And they do. Addison chose a hand mirror with a princess crown to paint.

She wanted all Hello Kitty decorations. Plates, cups, napkins, birthday banner. She picked out the birthday ribbon that she is wearing. I surprised her with a Hello Kitty cake. She still gets a little shy when we sing Happy Birthday to her. I think it is one of the cutest things ever.

More shyness and making a wish.

After the party we went home and opened presents. She even let Morgan help.

For weeks she's been talking about this mermaid that swims all on her own. My mom was nice enough to fulfill her wish. Avery is used often and the girls love to teach her to swim just like they were taught. It cracks me up.

Addison had a great time with her friends. She still had 3 more days until her birthday and couldn't wait. It was so fun to see her so excited about a birthday. This weekend I get to pick up all the pottery and deliver it to the kids at school. I can't wait to see how everything turned out. I know they will be fabulous.

happy birthday addison

Today she is 5. She awoke to balloons and streamers hanging in the playroom and a pile of presents for opening.

Five years ago today I was snuggling this new baby in my arms. This morning when I woke her up she wanted to snuggle the same way. Happy Birthday Addison. I love you as big as the sky and as big as the ocean.

the last hunt

After church we had one more egg hunt at my mom's house before Easter dinner. Right after I took this picture of Addison finding the egg she tripped over a tree root and fell right on her face. The rest of the hunt looked like this. Find an egg, check my boo boo. There was some blood so I get it.

Morgan took her egg hunting very seriously.

My mom helped the kids go through the eggs. Again, money instead of candy. That's my kind of egg. Somehow the neighbors dog ended up joining the hunt. He was a hit though. Especially with M.

Cousins in the hammock. Addison and Morgan just love M. They love to give her hugs and kisses. Sometimes too many. All of them loved swinging. The weather was perfect for just being outside.

There was just something so special about this Easter. The girls loved all of the activites and Addison really understood what Easter was all about. We spent a lot of time reading and talking about the story of Jesus.

We made it back to our house just in time to have dinner in the front yard.

Look at those smiles. I love spending time with my family and seeing how much they truly enjoy the time we spend together. It really doesn't get much better than that. I hope everyone had a Happy Easter with the ones you love.