...according to me

Elodie's First Ever Birthday Party!

Elodie got to have her first ever friend party today! Over the past year I have been working hard to help Elodie meet some new little friends who will also be starting school in September. So far we've managed to get together a few times and she's made some acquaintances. Enough, I hope, to take away the sting of the first few days of school.

I figured we'd have one last playdate before school starts and decided a birthday party in Elodie's honour was the way to go.

After standing on the sidelines and watching Ingrid have one party after another, Elodie was excited to finally have her own.

She changed her theme a million times until settling on Frozen... three nights before. Just enough time to buy some Frozen things and a cake.

We are big fans of helium balloons. Or maybe it's just me.

These three little friends are all pretty shy. They barely look at each other but I think they like knowing they have a friend regardless. Their birthdays are all in a row, too - Salina on the end is in July, Elodie is August and Mia is September.

Elodie was soooooo shy and afraid. She wouldn't do anything! She wanted me to sit and hold her the whole time, crying on and off, wanting to leave.... But she finally perked up when it was time to jump into the foam pit. They all had a blast. The little girl in pink is her best bud. She turned four in May. Her brother, Mason, is one of Ingrid's best friends.

A happy birthday girl!

Each one of these children are all starting JK with Elodie in September. Each one has an older sibling already in school and with the exception of the girl on the right, each one of the siblings are friends with Ingrid. Ever hear of Mason, Alexis and Elizabeth? All Ingrid friends.

Despite having pizza for her actual birthday yesterday, Elodie also requested it for her party. It was very good.

And the cake was very, very good. Pretty impressive for a grocery store purchase.

Elodie didn't like it when we sang happy birthday to her.

But she sure did like having her friend with her. Mia was a total sweetie, hugging her and holding her hand all day. Mia reminds me of Danica. She's the youngest of three girls and is so ready to take on the world.

Finally four!

Our little baby Bello finally turned four! She has been waiting and waiting and waiting for EVER to turn four and today she finally did.

She woke up and immediately got herself all dressed up in one of her favourite, almost too small dresses.

We blew up some balloons and took some fun birthday pictures. Does Ingrid not look 15 in this picture?

We did our traditional measurements. At four years old, Miss Elodie is 3'8", about 1 1/4 inches taller than Ingrid was at this age. Keeping in mind of course, my homemade ruler is not perfectly calibrated.

I tried to do a birthday "interview" - asking her what's her favourite colour, favourite game, what she wants to be when she grows up... - but she had other ideas and commandeered the camera.

We get some interesting footage when Elodie is behind the lens.

I cannot believe she is four. That tiny little incubator baby is now almost four feet tall.

The requisite sister picture.

I hope she is also so bashful.

Her one request for her birthday was a trip to our favourite little farm, Valleyview. They still show absolutely no interest in the animals (Elodie is not a fan of animals in general) but they sure do like the play structures.

Ingrid has become something of a daredevil on the high play structures, going form one end to the other with ease. The birthday girl, on the other hand, climbed to the top of one section and then cried frantically that she was going to fall and I would have to go up and pull her back down. Repeatedly.

We all like this slide. Even me.

I think this hamster cage thing is a scary beast but they insisted on getting in it and giving it a whirl.

You'd be surprised by how easily two little girls with puny little arms could get this rolling. They bailed pretty quickly!

The last of the trifecta to ride inside the tire swing. I'm ready to be done with babies but I'm not ready for my baby to be done being a baby.

When she feels like it, Elodie is a fabulous big sister, gentle and caring. It's a rare occasion.

Danica Patrick's got nothing on this little Danica! Move over!

I look at pictures like this and I see them 30 years down the road, picking each other up to go on adventures together. I can't wait for them all to grow up and enjoy being sisters, to realize how fortunate they are to have built-in best friends.

We had a birthday lunch made of nutritious hotdogs and very bland French fries. Elodie becomes transfixed when eating hot dogs and has a very interesting way of eating them. She is always observing her surroundings. I couldn't help by take a video. I think it's hilarious.

 

On the way home she found these silly glasses tucked into a seatback and giggled at herself all the way home.

I tried to make a special cake for Elodie. Since everyone seems to really like my chocolate cake I thought I could make a vanilla version with a few simple substitutions. Elodie always chooses vanilla over chocolate so I thought it would be a no-brainer.

Instead, it was a massive flop.

Derek had to stop at the grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a new cake.

Elodie is a lucky little girl to have received so many presents. She is a much loved little girl

She fell hard and fast in love with her very own American Girl Doll but had a hard time sharing all the accessories with Ingrid.

She is still a HUGE Frozen fan and a HUGE Lego fan! Combine the two? Girl done lost her mind! Honestly, despite the reserved smile in this picture she was ecstatic to finally get the lego set she has kept her eye on for months and months and months.

The night before her birthday, Derek took her out to the toy store to buy her something special (as if I hadn't already done that well in advance of her birthday!!!). He called me to ask if he could buy her an Anna dress and what size she needed. I told him that I had already bought one. I have no idea how he talked her down from that but they came home empty handed and I knew I had bought the right gift.

So when she opened it, her expression was priceless.

Hugs all around from our grateful little girl.

The back-up cake. It was just fine.

She requested pizza, milk and water for her birthday supper.

She blew out her candle all by herself.

We finished off her birthday with some sparklers.

Elodie went to bed on her birthday a very tired, but happy little girl. 

Art Friday on Thursday

With only four days left of the summer, I figured it was high time to set up some crafts for another round of Art Friday. But, par usual, not on a Friday.

But first, a hearty breakfast for little girls. If only they would eat it...

We did a spring flower theme. At the end of summer. Why not?

Danica tried to play along but she's just too tiny. So she played with the tools instead. 

Hanging out under the table was pretty high on Danica's list of fun things to do.

And also on Elodie's, apparently.

Great job, Ingrid!

You, too, Elle-Belle!

Some crafts were more fun than others.

Danica is good a busting boredom and making a mess.

This flower was so fun and easy to make. Ingrid and I both liked it. Elodie bailed early on this one.

We have them hanging in our window.

Of all the effort I put into setting up some crafts for them to do, the most fun they had was cutting up the straws into little pieces and watching them fly across the table.

 

Many moons ago I saw a craft on pinterest for footprint butterflies. Danica was just a wee infant. I bought all the supplies and then... forgot about it. Fast forward two years and Ingrid was the only one interested in doing it with me.

Danica still loves paint.

Washable paint and wet bubbles. A great combination... NOT!

I thought Danica's little masterpiece was very pretty. She used all the brushes she could get her hands on.

Elodie concentrated hard on her own masterpiece, too. She is a very deliberate painter.

Ingrid wanted to paint shopkin portraits. I was so hoping she would fill the canvas but she got tired of it before long.

Once the crafting was done, Ingrid and Elodie headed upstairs to Elodie's room for some more doll dress-up.

Not a bad way to spend the day.

Around here...

We're gearing up for a little girl's fourth birthday here. As their big day approaches, I try to capture a little bit more of what their life is like in this moment, the little things that define who they are right now at three, four, five...

Right now our soon-to-be-four-year-old Elodie is still sooooooooo very much into princesses. She wears her dresses almost daily. Her favourite changes all the time.

She likes to encourage her sisters to dress up, too. It's not a hard job.

Danica is freaking adorable. This video is for Grandma Di who will get a kick out of her little feet shuffling around in a dress six sizes too big.

 

As much as she likes to dress up in fancy dresses, Elodie also likes to dress up her dolls. She does not discriminate when it comes to dolls. She likes them all, teeny tiny Kinder Surprise dolls, Barbie dolls and every other kind imaginable. She loves them all. Many times over the summer I have found Elodie like this on her bed, rummaging through her doll clothes, putting together outfits just so and then dresses and redressing all her dolls. She can occupy herself like this for hours.

Ingrid rediscovered her beloved turtles this summer as well. They have been AWOL for a while and, while she didn't miss them at all, she sure was happy to have them back "home".

Ingrid and Elodie don't like it one goes into the other's room. They are very territorial over their spaces but sometimes they let each other in.

Elodie is a wonderful little mommy, very kind and gentle to her babies. Completely opposite to how she treats her baby sister.

Sometimes I think Ingrid feels left out. Elodie likes to play alone and doesn't like for anyone to touch the things she has just organized. So, Ingrid will often retreat to her own room and find something there to do. They love having their rooms cleaned up because they find so many things that they thought had been lost forever. It doesn't happen very often, though.

Elodie's Lego monsters have been replaced by Pez dispensers. She is on a mission to collect them all. Seeing these makes me wish I hadn't thrown out the ones I had as a child. Pez has always been so freaking awesome.

Elodie is very excited to finally have her very first birthday party. She has been watching Ingrid have parties for the last few years and wondered why she never had one. Now that she is starting school in September and has made a few little friends over the summer I thought it was time to give her one of her own.

She flip flopped on the theme for a while. First she wanted a Ninja Turtle party. Then she quickly changed to a mermaid/Ariel party. Three days before the party she finally settle on a Frozen theme. But of course!

I was so happy she let Ingrid help because this kind of stuff is totally up Ingrid's alley.

It was a rainy day today (my favourite kind of day) but every once in a while the sun would break and it was brilliantly bright.

 Ingrid asked to help make supper again tonight. She loves to be involved in this kind of stuff but only on her terms and only when she is ready. I don't mind since she is actually pretty helpful and I figure it's only giving her practice for the future. Maybe some day she will completely take over the meal prep and I'll be off duty once in a while.

She likes being able to use a knife by herself. In her head she is much, much older than seven.

And, of course, if Ingrid does it, Elodie wants to do it, too. She wanted to help chop things up, too, but OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Elodie is not to be trusted with a weapon.

 Ingrid is a great gift giver. She is constantly thinking about what to buy for others and always keeps her eyes open for special things she thinks will make people happy. She buys often and early and then stashes her finds away to wait for the special occasion. For a little girl, she does very well at keeping everything hidden away until the moment arrives. But before that she goes to great lengths to make sure everything is wrapped up appropriately. She loves this stuff so much. I am so proud of her.

She insisted I get in the photo with her. Not my favourite thing but I'll do just about anything for my little girls.

Slip Slidin' Away!

The calendar might be trying to tell us that the summer is over but the ongoing heat is sending us mixed messages.

So while the back-to-school supplies and fall pumpkins beckon to us from the store shelves, we answer to them with a $5 backyard slip and slide. We're not done with summer yet!

These little girls love it!

  

Life's a Beach

Every year we say we are going to go the beach more regularly. And then the summer comes and we make it exactly one time. I don't know why. I think the idea of how much work it takes to get them all ready and all the stuff we need to bring with us overwhelms us and we end up not going.

But when we do we end up having a good time and resolving, once again, to come back more often.

Everybody has a great time playing in the hot sand and warm water.

On this particular day the sand was almost unbearably hot and the water was un-refreshingly warm. But little girls don't seem to notice or care.

There's a new house being built right on the beach. I'd die for a house with that many windows.

Danica decided to chill out and wait for a snack.

She seemed very concerned that there was sand between her toes.

Ingrid discovered some muscles and tried to pry them open. No luck.

Pretty baby. Those beautiful eyes... I can't even begin to imagine all the things they will see in her lifetime. I won't always be able to control what she sees but as her mother I can impact how she sees things. It is my job to give her the proper tools to be able to figure it all out. The responsibility of it all is sometime crushing, isn't it?

Anyway... back to the beach.

Snacks on the beach are always tricky. Sand knows no boundaries and seems to have a magnetic attraction to all our food. At least apples can be repeatedly rinsed and are still edible.

I always love the big fluffy clouds at this beach.

Several hours later, everyone was starting to feel a little sleepy. Danica had enough sun and sand for the day and decided to take a load off on top of Derek.

Six Reasons Why You Should Never Trust a Quiet Toddler

I stole away for five minutes today to tend to some laundry. During that five minutes I was very aware that a certain little someone was awfully quiet.

And this why...

She got her hands on Ingrid's prized make-up and went to town. She was in some kind of heaven.

It was everywhere!

The makeup is Vaseline based which makes it super fun to try to remove. Vaseline + water = @#$%@#$%.

She sat very patiently while Derek tried to clean her up.

Will have to be more careful where that make-up ends up next time.

a snapshot in time...

because someday little girls won't want to wear princess dresses anymore (and Derek will have even less hair).

because someday they will plant their own gardens full of things that will actually grow instead of imaginary grape trees.

because someday the playroom won't exist anymore, we won't need colourfully painted chairs and I'll stop complaining about the mess of toys and craft supplies all over the floor.

because I want to remember that every second of my life wasn't as completely consumed by big worries and little girls as it always seemed to be; that sometimes I still managed to find beauty in things that aren't necessarily beautiful - like the intricately woven wings of this dead and desiccated dragon fly. Nature is awesome. There is always more to discover.

because someday she won't need me to help her colour in all the blocks (and maybe we'll get control over all the weeds.)

because someday the deck will finally be built and the trampoline and swing set will be gone. We'll sit on the deck and watch the grass grow because children won't be playing there anymore. Everything, always evolving.

because someday she won't need two hands to hold her peaches.

because someday she'll think I'm the meanest mother ever and that little finger slip won't be accidental. But she'll always been adorable. Even then.

because someday all those requests to help me make supper and chop up the vegetables will pay off and she'll treat us to her very own homemade soups, made in the kitchen and not the backyard.

because someday they will be grown and my wishes that they will become the very best of friends, stalwart supporters of each other and fiercely protective will come true. Go, Sisters. Go!

But not so fast, okay?

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, 2015

We extended our trip by one more day so we could stop at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory on our way home. It is a cute little detour and was worth the effort.

Visitors from all over the world have toured the factory. Was that you from Newfoundland, Deanne?

This time we got to go on the tour. Last time we were there, Ingrid was too afraid to even go through the door to the tour area! They completely enjoyed themselves and really paid attention well.

Elodie got to put on of the bears back together but she was a little concerned for the welfare of the bear at first. It made her sad to see the tour guide pull all the arms and legs off and throw them on the floor.

Afterwards, the girls got to choose and make their own bears. I loved watching them work their way through.

Never anxious to face a long drive home with three small children on board, we hung around outside the building for a while in the hopes of tiring a few out before bundling into the car.

Road tripping is so much fun. Tiring but fun.

Until next summer.

Santa's Village, 2015

We've got another visit to Santa's Village under our belts. The last time we were there was two years ago and I was pregnant with Danica. This time we came back with three full fledged  little girls in tow.

We love Santa's Village. It is just big enough, has lots of really cute things to look at and do and, duh, Christmas.

Collecting our elphabet stamps at all the elves throughout the village is still a big attraction for our children. You should have seen Danica going for it. There's nothing going to hold her back.

 

This year we actually found all the letters for the first time!

Too little to ride, Danica spent a lot of time on the outside looking in.

Ingrid has two favourite carnival rides: the ferris wheel and the carousel. Elodie likes the carousel. They could go around and around all day if they were allowed.

Ingrid said "Look, Mom! D for Deanne! You should take a picture and show her!"

Ok.

One more time, outside looking in. Next year, Baby, next year.

Ingrid has proclaimed the ferris wheel at the village as her favourite thing. Correction "our" favourite thing and she will only ride it with me. I don't really mind ferris wheels. Except for this one. It is basically just a bench and it rocks and rolls like crazy. I very much dislike it. Ingrid likes she loves it but I think she's nervous, too. It's her favourite because we ride it together and because it was the first one she ever did. So... I kind of have no choice but to do it with her, right?

There's a new ride this year called "You Tube" and it looks like a lot of fun. It was blisteringly hot and I think the mist on the slide was a welcome relief for the tubers. The outdoor escalator bringing everyone to the top was a big draw, too.

There is a much better picture of this somewhere but I can't find it now. Either way, here we are in our traditional sky ride around the park. One of our favourites and something we get to do all together.

Even though she thoroughly hated the log ride at Storyland the day before, Elodie still found her way onto another log ride here. Yes, that is a look of distress on her face in the picture but rest assured she was given plenty of chances to bail before the log took off. For some reason she wanted to do it but was terrified the whole time.

Ingrid had a blast as you can tell.

And just as obviously, Elodie did not.

Checking to see if she made nice list again this year.

I have no idea if Danica's name was on the list or not but she made sure she was literally ON the list no matter what. Just in case.

We attempted a cute family picture but the darn camera focused on the grass in front of itself instead of us!

I look forward to this spot every time we come. So fun to see how they are growing over the years.

Ingrid is 54"... 

Elodie is 44" ...

and Danica is 35" tall.

So far Elodie is taller than Ingrid was at this age and Danica is taller than both. Interesting to see how they even out as they get older.

Two years ago when we were here it was rainy and very cold. Ingrid still got some time in the water park but it was COLD.

This year was much, much warmer but by the time we got there we had only 45 minutes until the park closed. We made the best of it anyway.

 

Elodie got in trouble for sitting in this swing. A park employee came over to her directly and told her she was too big and she needed to get out. She looked at me and walked away. Ummm... no, no. You don't go up to my three year old, ANY three year old, and talk to them like that. I don't care if you're an employee or not. You are a stranger to my child and, therefore, a threat. You have a problem with my child you talk to me. Anyway, when I confronted her she told me it was for babies who couldn't yet walk blah blah blah. Whatever. Elodie was lighter that some of the other "babies" there.

Ingrid couldn't wait to get up those slides! She was planning it out her entire trip. She chose the green slide and managed to get only one run in before the park closed.

Until next time, Santa! We'll definitely be back.