Someone Had a Birthday….

… and that someone is Olivia Caroline!

Our little monkey turned four. FOUR.
I really don’t know how it happened.
It seems like it really wasn’t that long ago that we were making a frantic trip to the birth center and she popped out in the car instead!

It really is funny, because a car-birth really does fit her personality!
Lively, spontaneous, spunky ~ to name a few. :)
She asks every morning, “Are we goin’ anywhere?”
She’s asked that for the past 2 years.

Olivia's 4th birthday! 033

Before her, I really didn’t know a little kid could have so much personality!
Before her, I didn’t know you could adore someone and be so exasperated at the same time!

She adds so much fun and so much life to our home.
Coming in 21 months after Zoe, it sure made me busy those first two years.
But now? I wouldn’t trade it for the world. They are the best of friends (most days! :))

Turning four was a BIG DEAL for Olivia. She talked about it for weeks!
Turning four meant being able to go to Sunday School.
It meant getting BIGGER (something she talks about several times a day).

So we were excited to make it a special day for her,
even though her last day of being three I was boo-hoo-ing, “You’ll never be three again!!”

For birthdays, instead of the focus being gifts, we like to focus on doing things together, making memories.
We give some gifts, but we don’t do big parties every year.
We had planned to do a zoo day but the weather wasn’t permitting.
So we stayed home and did fun things… like tea parties and treasure hunts!

Olivia's 4th birthday! 046

I did a tea party with the girls for lunch. They were involved in the preparation, since it was a spontaneous thing and I didn’t have anything planned beforehand. But goodness, was it ever a fun morning!

They pulled out their dress-up box, full of princessy things and sparkles and accessories.

Olivia's 4th birthday! 003

My sisters laughed me out of town for my ‘grandma dress.’
What can I say? It was a goodwill find that I stuck away for “someday”.
How was I to know my own daughters would think it was a nightgown (how do they even know what a nightgown is, anyway??) ?!
I was thinking it would portray a Grecian look. Seriously, guys, use your imagination! :)

Olivia's 4th birthday! 035

The menu:
Petite Stacked Pancakes
Chocolate Crescents
Strawberries
Tea with milk and (lots of) sugar lumps

Olivia's 4th birthday! 004

Drinking tea, kiddo-style.

Olivia's 4th birthday! 052

Zoe tries the graceful pinkie approach, a bit wide-eyed.

Olivia's 4th birthday! 045 Olivia's 4th birthday! 041

We had a treasure hunt at lunch time when Ben came home ~ a fun FUN tradition my parents always did with us as kids! We included auntie packages sent all the way from Pennsylvania in the hunt, and it was such high excitement!

The day was finished out with a cake. I was planning to make a rainbow cake, you know, those fun layered ones?

I showed the picture to Olivia and she shook her head ‘no’.
I want a candy cake!”

Of course. I should have known. She’s a sugar baby.
We searched, and found this gumball machine cake.
She loved it.

It said, “No experience needed.” Whew.
We made it.
She loved it.

bubblegum machine cake 2 bubblegam machine cake 1

Happy birthday to our little fire-cracker! The one who makes us laugh, who wakes up early, who loves to be with people and  go away, who lives with passion and excitement! You are such a gift to us, and we love you soo much!

signature

16 Replies to “Someone Had a Birthday….”

  1. Oh sweet baby girl, I can’t believe she’s four either. I love how Zoe acts like it’s her birthday too, all wide eyed and glowing with excitement. Yay for carrying on the family tradition of making birthdays special… somehow I don’t think we’ll ever get away from that. :) love love love to you.

  2. Four!! Our little ones just aren’t going to stay little for long! {that’s one reason we have more, right? ;)} I love her personality and the birthday cake. The “no experience needed” kind of cakes are the type this mamma needs. Especially if the children are helping to make it! This makes me excited for our children’s birthdays this summer. And I read on a blog last week that if you start doing or buying one thing a week several months before the birthday, birthdays can be great events AND stress free. Hmmm, this last minute person should maybe take notes on such preparedness. The tea party looks lovely . . . and happy birthday, Olivia!

    1. THIS last minute person too! :) The last two birthdays I planned more in advance than I ever have – by a week or so! – and wow, was it ever nice for this day-before kind of person! :) And yep, that’s why we need to keep having more. :) xoxo

  3. Lovely! Where in the world do the years go anyway? I’m thinking they were all just babies not long ago. Then I look at my baby today and thinking, “She’ll be driving before I know it!”

    1. I KNOW! Time goes so fast I can hardly take it! Is there a way to slow it down?! But it’s also like someone else said, that these are the longest days and shortest years ever! :)

  4. I was gonna say how much she reminds me of Reagan. Must be a 2nd born thing. Spit-fire, wild imagination, keeping things lively kind of personality! :)

  5. GET OUTTA TOWN.
    She’s not four is she? Why it was only last year she was 3.
    Eyyyyiyiii

  6. Her personality sounds like our Amy! We know all about the adoring and exasperating thing. Cute b-day, n the cake is a cute idea.

  7. Somehow I think her & my Abigail would have a great time together…non-stop action from beginning to end! :) Amazing how fast time flies, right? Happy birthday, Olivia!

  8. belated happy birthday wishes to Olivia… and her mother.

    I am still startled when I remember that you had a baby in a car!!! that’s just so crazy. :) and I love how your daughter’s dramatic arrival fits her personality.

    you made really neat kids.

  9. Olivia is so very pretty, and I like her personality, too. :) :) The treasure hunt sounds really fun; I’ll need to remember that for the boys’ birthday. I think 4 is going to be a very good age for Ian. I thought so about 3, too. :) As much as I hate to think of them growing up too fast, each new age has so much fun.

Comments are closed.