A Bippity Boppity Birthday

Our precious Miss A!

She adds so much spark and spunk to our lives! Fearless, adventuresome, and just as cute as a bug's ear! Always testing her boundaries. And very independent-minded. As soon as she started talking, she started voicing her opinions--and she has one about everything. She loves to tease, make people laugh, push people's buttons and get dramatic reactions! Our biggest challenge with her is helping her understand when it's okay to be funny and quick with a comeback and when it's time to be serious and just listen and mind. She's so witty and clever that we often find ourselves struggling to keep a straight face even while disciplining her. She has an uncanny ability to remember one-liners, quotes, punch-lines and song lyrics and add them to conversations at the most appropriate times--doesn't miss a beat!

But what an absolute sweetheart she is! She admires her big sister and openly complements her. She adores Miss K and is always playful and affectionate with her (though sometimes we have to remind her that Miss K is a human and not a toy). "Bring K in here!" is the first thing she says when she wakes up in the morning. She enjoys cuddling, being held, being cozy and being tickled!

Last week after bedtime devotions, she announced that she was ready to ask Jesus into her heart. We prayed with her and she's been happily sharing the news with all of our friends and family.

Oh, how this child makes us smile and our hearts sing!

She relished her position as the baby of the family and we knew she would need a good three years in that spot before she was displaced. We wondered how she would adjust to the move from baby to middle sister. The transition has been surprisingly smooth. For the first few months, she wanted to try out all of the baby stuff--lay in the crib, sit in the high chair, ride around in the Ergo, drink her milk from a bottle, bounce around in the jumperoo. After each "baby experience", she seemed to conclude that she preferred being a "big goal".

And. . . a big goal she is. She turned four last week! 4!

Friday night, we had pizza, birthday cake and ice cream with the grandparents and on Saturday morning, we left home for the real celebration . . . a weekend at Disney World!

After renewing our Disney passes and checking into our room at the Contemporary, we gathered all of our princess-y gear and headed straight for Cinderella's castle for a primping and pampering session at the Bippity Boppity Boutique, followed by dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Hus-B and I had as much fun as the girls did! We loved watching the big girls' little smirky faces as they had their hair and make-up done. They were both so excited they could hardly stand it but were trying to contain themselves and act as grown-up and princess-like as they could. They felt extra special and extra beautiful as they twirled around the park in their princess dresses to the "oohs and ahhs" of bystanders. They even used their best "Queen of England manners" while dining in the castle, making their Mama so proud! (please scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video!) 

As we strolled back to our resort Saturday evening--two princesses sleeping in strollers and one princess skipping along beside us--I thanked God for giving me my three little girls. I love them so much my heart just wants to explode! There is nothing in this life that I'm more thankful for, more in awe of, or that brings me more joy than the blessing and honor of being their mother.