Sissie's 3rd Birthday!

This is the last of my catch up posts! Yay!

Our little miss turned three at the beginning of the month.

Since she had just gotten a bunch of Christmas presents, I thought it would be fun to have more of an "experience" for her big present. So we went to Build a Bear. Well, as usual where kids are concerned, this "experience" didn't turn out quite like I hoped. One of the main problems was that Elizabeth had never even heard of Build a Bear and had no idea what it was. So there wasn't really any excitement or anticipation involved. In hindsight, I realize I had this big fantasy about how great it would be and how much she would love it. For instance, I had visions of a precious bear or bunny (that's the one I really wanted her to get). Well, the minute she saw Frosty the Snowman, that's all she wanted. My kids love the Frosty movie and so this shouldn't have come as a big surprise to me. I figured, her b-day is really close to Christmas, so it did have some significance, and it was her birthday, and Frosty was on sale, so I gave up on the bunny dream and let her get the tacky, lights-up-and-makes-noise snowman.

Around this time, Nate had to get out of there because the whole thing was just making him sick. I tried to explain to him how it's more about the experience than the actual stuffed animals (of which we've never been big fans), but he couldn't handle it. So he and Harrison went to play video games or something.

Most of you probably know the drill.

You stuff it.

Kiss the heart. Watch it get sewed up.

Wash it.

Dress it.

I was REALLY glad Nate wasn't there for this part. It was even killing me. I honestly spent more on this outfit than I usually spend on her outfits! And that was just for the basics. A shirt and a skirt. The cheapest shirt and skirt they had. We didn't even think about shoes and/or accessories. Maybe it should be spelled excessories.

Not to mention the fact that we were putting a snowMAN in a pink shirt and skirt with rhinestones on it.

Name it and register it. Doing the computer was her favorite part. Of course, she named it Frosty.

And that was the "experience."

Main lesson learned: Wait until your child knows about and is dying to go to Build a Bear before you pay $27 for her to make a stuffed animal.

We had a really busy day, so we quickly made the cake. Here are the traditional kids-licking-the-beaters pictures.

She still talks about how I was upset that I accidentally put the yellow part of the egg in the cake. I was trying to make a pink cake (her request), but I didn't want it to be strawberry (even though I'm sure that would have been fine). So I used a white cake with red food coloring, but then forgot and dropped a yolk in. I was afraid I was going to have a peach cake, so I dug out most of the yoke. I guess all the drama left an impression on her. Disaster averted -- the cake was pink and not peach. I know you're all breathing a huge sigh of relief.

This picture is so Elizabeth.

It is also a great picture to follow the last paragraph.


So after a cousin's baptism and feast, everyone came over to Obaachan's and Ojiichan's for the birthday celebration. There were four little girl cousins, which worked out perfectly with the pack of 4 princess crowns we found at Wally's.

Such a genuine smile.

Much more convincing. Cute Carrissa probably helped bring that out!

Another classic Elizabeth face.

Most of the people in attendance. I'm taking the picture (of course). Nate was dead to the world that whole night. We think he was fighting off an illness or something, he really could not stay awake for more than a few minutes before passing out on the couch again. And Obaachan and Ojiichan were there too, although they aren't in this picture.

Opening some presents. She needed a new "fushy" (squishy, as opposed to hard) baby, because she cut open her last one and removed all the stuffing.
If she repeats this violent act, I will not be replacing any more squishy babies (even though
they are only $4).

Trying out her color wonder set from Obaachan.

Loving all the attention they got from Uncle Andrew. He was so sweet to play games with the kids all night. Catch, Red Light Green Light, and Hide and Seek.

So, I'm stealing a tradition off of a blog I stalk. They take a picture like this every year on their kids' birthdays and I think it's super sweet and cute.

A few notes on this three year old girl. (Knowing me, it will be more than just a few. It's for posterity's sake, for pete's sake. Honestly, I'd just stop reading, if you haven't already.)

She doesn't like to be laughed at ("don't waff" and "no waffing" are frequent demands), or labeled -- even if it's a positive label. If you make any sort of blanket statement about her (you're funny, you're silly, etc.) it is met with an emphatic, "No I'm not. I'm cute and prettiful." Apparently cute and prettiful are the only labels she's comfortable accepting.

She has very recently developed a cute little accent that I can't really describe other than saying it's a funny short a that is most apparent when she says Dad and Pat Pat (Elizabeth has recently discovered the wonderful world of Little Einsteins and Harrison had renewed his former toddlerhood love affair with the show known as Pat Pat in our house). She also says "you see," in the cutest way. I think she gets all of this from our little Polish neighbor girl who is her best friend. Another thing she gets from Natalia is always referring to our house as "our home." "Can Natalia come play at our home today?" She would play with Natalia (who she calls Matalia) all day every day if I let her. It's sometimes "annoning" (as she says it) when she CONSTANTLY want so play with her, but when they are playing (especially when they are playing at her "home") it's really quite lovely. I think every child needs a nice neighbor close to their age. Harrison certainly needs one. I honestly feel I prayed this one into our lives, I'll just keep praying for another one.

Back to Elizabeth. She says r's and l's as w's, in the most typical and darling little kid way (which will only be darling for another year or so and then it's got to go -- by kindergarten at the latest.) It's especially cute when she refers to her buwuddow (brother -- 3 syllables). Speaking of her buwuddow, she has progressed from calling him Heson to Hewwison. She still calls herself Zibis or Zibisamika, if she's including her middle name. The last name is Tahbay (Harrison used to say Ahtahbah). My name is Mi-chel, like a Latino might pronounce it. (Harrison said it Lichelle, like another race might take the name Michelle and adapt it into an original name).
And Nathan is Nafan, in a similar vain as Lichelle. Wow, sorry to get so racial all the sudden.

Have=hag, store=stew, door=dew, toys=taze, boys=baze, girls=gills, kitchen=chicken, paino=plano. I'm sure I'll think of all sorts of other things that she has her own funny way of saying and when I do I'll come back and add them in, because really these are things I don't want to forget.

She continues to be a delight, as she has been since birth. She's fairly easy going and easy to please. She's as rational as a three year old can be. When she's in the mood she can be very helpful and she grasps concepts like the fact that I can't bend over because I have a baby in my tummy. She'll say, "Oh, I get it fo you, because you can't bend ovo because you hag a baby in yo tummy. I'm just a witto gill, and I just hag eggs in my tummy." (This pregnancy has brought on a few pre sex ed discussions).

She can talk a blue streak (is that a saying?). I think she gets that from her Obaachan, her mother and her brother.

She doesn't nap regularly, although she still needs to. So a few evenings a week she crashes around 5. Sometimes she's out for the night (which sickens me when I realize she ate very little lunch and no dinner), and sometimes she's down for three hours and up till 11 (like tonight). Speaking of eating, she doesn't really do much of that. And it shows. She is SO petite. Which I guess is fine, considering she's a girl. I just hope it doesn't effect her brain cells too much. And she needs to grow a bum so her pants will stay on and quit chaffing her poor back melted into legs area, which is always red.

For the record, she does like, blueberries, bananas, pears w/o skin, pineapple, baby ownjies (Mandarin oranges), ramen, pasta (w/red sauce, white sauce, mac and cheese, buttered with parm, plain), rice, nori (seaweed), kikikaka (furikake -- Japanese stuff you sprinkle on rice), meatballs (Italian and Teriyaki), beans and rice, chips and salsa (I attribute these four to being born in Santa Maria), cereal, yogurt, chicken nuggets, fries, potatoes, lasagna, salmon (was just reminded this week that BOTH kids will eat fish -- I am going to start making it more often!), "cold quesodillas" (raw costco tortillas), actual quesodillas, "macaroni" pizza (pepperoni) some breads/rolls, all manner of crackers, chips, pretzels, cookies, candy, fruit snacks, ice cream and any other junk food I've missed (most likely the reason she doesn't eat a lot of "real food.") Notice, not a single vegetable is on the list. I blame her father for that one.

She is definitely my special girl. We're going to have to really stick together since we're about to be outnumbered. Although, both children frequently mention "Annie," our next baby. I seriously hope that we aren't all disappointed. If we are, we'll mostly likely be having 5 kids. But I don't want to say that too loud.

Wait, this is really supposed to be about Elizabeth. I adore her. She makes me laugh a lot, she's so stinking cute in all of her facial expressions and mannerisms. She is a joy and such a wonderful addition to our family. I honestly pray that Jonny is as easy as she has been. Don't get me wrong, she has colored on the couch, the windowsill, and her shirt all this week, and ruined various other possessions of ours throughout her life, she can throw fits, and be grumpy and stubborn, and quite sassy and sneaky, let's not forget the kleptomania (which has actually gotten a lot better), but overall, she's a dream. It's so fascinating how I love both of my children so much, yet so differently. I'm very curious to see how this next one pans out. I know I'll love him just as much as the other two, but it will be interesting to see his personality and how our relationship unfolds.

Holy stream of consciousness. I've literally been rambling on for hours now. The later it gets, the longer I go on. And I don't have it in me to proofread this, so forgive the typos. Give me half a Unisom and put me to bed (it's the only way to go now, with the extra bad, end of pregnancy insomnia).

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. I love you!