… 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.
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!
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.
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! :)
The menu:
Petite Stacked Pancakes
Chocolate Crescents
Strawberries
Tea with milk and (lots of) sugar lumps
Drinking tea, kiddo-style.
Zoe tries the graceful pinkie approach, a bit wide-eyed.
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.
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!
