Fairy Berry Eifth

The baby of our family isn't that anymore... and she could NOT be more thrilled about it.

Our darling daughter is four years old on this very day.

I sat down with her this morning to take one final snapshot of her third year, so I could remember her this exact way forever and ever in the land of blog. Because she is just SO great right now, I hate that a single day passes (especially a nasty day that adds a whole digit to her age!).

Heres what her highness had to say:

Her favorite song is Baby Mine.

Her favorite color is pink.

She wants to be a baker when she is a grown up.

Her favorite thing to do in the whole world is play with Addie.

Her favorite place to go is America.

Her favorite animal is a kitty cat.

Her favorite movie is Disney Princess sing-a-long.

Her favorite food is M&Ms (she gets that from her mother... and grandmother...)

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I would be so sad and lost without this lovely little jewel in my life. She is the very best parts of her mother and father, and then a whole heap of things I only wish we could be. She is pure love and joy, I absolutely ADORE every inch and every moment of her from the top of her sassy blond head to the tip of her chipped pink sparkly nail polished toes.

Happy Birthday, to the Beautiful Anabelle Lee.

X0Xo

Dapper Dawson Paints the Town

So I had a pretty wild night last night with the man of my dreams (and Tyson didn't even mind!).

My son took me out on the town.

A few weeks ago Tyson won tickets on the radio to a father/daughter sweetheart dance, and we thought it would be a perfect night to pair off and spend some quality time with the kids one-on-one.

I had SO much fun dressing them up, they looked even more delicious than usual, and we were all very excited.


Dawson could NOT have been more thrilled about the "real flower!" I got him to wear on his handsome shirt. He kept asking why you pin it on with an earring (the straight pin had a pearl at the end of it).

On the way there, he shared a recipe he had been thinking I ought to try: "You cut a coconut in half, and you put it in the microwave, then on top of it you add cinnamon, more shaving coconut, and rainbow sprinkles. Does that sound yummy, Mom?"

He got to choose what we did. We went to dinner of course (although I DID get to pick the restaurant... what a sweet man!),

and dined on an ice cream sundae and french fries from Good Times Cafe (yep, that's right. I ate ice cream for dinner! It ruled, im not even a little bit sorry).

We played "I Spy," colored pictures (he liked my ice cream cone drawing, then promptly one-upped me by drawing one with a triple humped scoop and THREE cherry's on top), and talked about all our favorite foods. He drooled whipped cream all over his tie and my dress, but I didn't mind one little bit. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at us (it wasnt a big place, and I heard them whispering. It was hilarious).

The 'real' part of the date that Dawson was DYING to do was go to Powell's Candy Shop. He was the most delicious thing there.

He thought these rubber chickens were SO hilarious, he is priding himself on his sense of humor more and more these days. Telling him he is funny is one of the highest compliments you can give him.

We had WAY too much fun goofing off in there, I'm SURE the employees were annoyed at how we played with all the merchandise without buying it (they weren't as romanticised as the people at the restaurant... what do THEY know, anyways!?).

And this last shot... I told him he exactly like Edward, only even more devastatingly beautiful.

We rounded out the night with a 7pm showing of the Tooth Fairy movie, which was surprisingly bearable to watch as far as little kid movies go. We feasted on our candy score (I found sugar free gummy bears AND sugar free sour worms! Just to help offset the ice cream dinner binge), and I WISH I had gotten more of them, I am sad to say they didn't last long.

When we got home, it was after 9pm. I was surprised he didn't pass out in the car on the way home, and when we got inside, he asked me to snuggle him till he fell asleep. Which I was more than happy to do, and he was dreaming peacefully in no time flat.

What a babe.

xoxo

When Running is Bad For Your Health

This is my ankle:



This is my ankle post-sprain:



Any questions?


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Sleeping Beauty's Nightmare

At 4:30 this morning, Anabelle came sprinting down the hallway to our room sobbing.

She had a nightmare.

She was wide awake from it, and wanted to lay there and tell us all the graphic details.

"Well... I was laying in bed, and then I found a skeleton playing under my bed, and he hopped out, and then he jumped on top of my dollhouse, and then, he tried to get in my bed to snuggle me and he wanted to MARRY me!, but I didn't want tooo! SO I tried to hide from him under my covers, but there was a giant octopus under there, and he started eating my blankets..."

It was the freaking cutest nightmare I've ever heard.

Oh, Shoot.

So, I'm suddenly obsessed with guns.

Well, not really. That could sound disturbing, so I take it back... kind of.

I was talking with Terese tonight, and rediscovered my overwhelming urge of late to go shooting. I want to learn to handle a gun... and do it well.

I know. I can't even believe I come from here and don't already know all there is to know on this topic and then some. I'm sort of surprised it wasn't an elective at my high school to tell you the truth.

My family isn't really a 'gun' family. My dad isn't in to hunting or anything... and my mom... lets just say she's a lover, not a fighter. Ha.

I don't want to be a fighter either, really.

I just want to try something new, and master a new skill.

I think im making this my official New Years resolution (better late than never?). Its my 'dare' to myself for 2010.

I'll keep you posted.

Two Four Tea

So.... guess who's just about four years old?

That would be my beautiful Anabelle Lee alright.

Her bff Addisen is one month and a couple days ahead of her... so this year, her amazing mother and I decided to collaborate our efforts, split the cost, and throw a double birthday bash right smack in the middle of both of their birthdays.

Kari mostly did the decorations, and I mostly did the food. We had a perfect excuse to spend a couple evenings together planning after the kids went to bed... and it was half the cost, and half the time. I would highly recommend it if you happen to be so lucky as to have such an amazing friend as I do.

I had been eying this adorable pink and green pastel plaid set of ceramic teapots and plates at Kmart since last Easter... and happened to be at the store on the day they were finally marked to $1/plate and $3/teapot. I doubt even a thrift store would have sold them at those prices, I was elated. So... that was our color scheme.

Kari made the tablecloth, and the napkins, and some adorable matching hair bows for party favors... then raided her highly organized craft bin of birthday party's past for the rest... and wha-la!:


A party was born.





Dawson was the only lucky gentlemen in attendenance. Isnt he dapper?

And our darling birthday queens:

We painted finger nails, dined on fancy finger food, and enjoyed watching all the kids practice their table manners.


Games included a home made rendition of "Pin the Spout on the Teapot,"


And musical chairs... Although some of the little dahlings (AHEM, ANABELLE!) had a hard time processing what 'you're out!' means without having a diva meltdown...


Daddy was right there offering his shoulder to cry on... literally... and a fast remedy to any case of the party blues (at any age) is, of course!... pink champagne cake from Madonna Inn!



Anabelle loves presents just about as much as her mom does, if you can imagine that...


It was a great group of guests for the girls... they both invited 2 friends, plus their siblings... and had each other of course. It felt like just the right amount of everything.

The take home treasures were dress up accessories including hand sewn hair bows by Kari... that girl has magic fingers for crafting. They turned out adorable.

What a sweet, well mannered group of friends my kids have in their lives.

They don't know it yet, but at ages 4 and 5, they have some of the most valuable assets for achievement in life... friendship and love abounding.

What a blessing.

xo

Boys

The wonder works of a boy and his dad on a lazy Saturday afternoon...

Hope you're not too alarmed.