Celebrating Charlotte

Char woke up bright & early on her third birthday.  Before waking, she of course was snuggled up in our bed & we were awake just staring at our three year old.  When she opened her eyes we started singing "Happy Birthday to you" & she said "no no no! It's not my birthday. Wait for Saturday." Hahaha! She stopped us twice before we convinced her that it really was her birthday.  She was so confused having a 4th of July party & then her birthday party only a few days later : ) In fact, on the 4th of July she kept asking "is this my birthday?" At the end of a LONG day she was a little out of control but I was giving her a bath anyway.  She stood up part way through & screamed "oh no!" Surprised I said, "what honey?" She exclaimed "We forgot my birthday cake!" Oh my, I couldn't help but laugh! There was a lot of celebrating going on in our house the past couple weeks! Charlotte quickly agreed that the celebrations should carry on & we headed to the kitchen for a glass of chocolate milk. 

We had some gift opening which she really enjoyed.  Between both sets of grandparents Charlotte got a  Leap Pad, a few games, an adorable pink carrying case & a set of headphones.  This gift could not be more timely as we are headed out soon on our road trip that includes approximately 50 hours of driving!  We have been letting her spend some time getting used to it this week so it is not a frustrating thing in the car : ) 

Uncle Scott sent Charlotte a set of wooden slice & bake cookies complete with a baking sheet & frosting. She wanted them open immediately so she could bake them for breakfast.  What a fun addition to the kitchen!

When they were done baking, she passed a cookie out to each of us including Bennett : ) 

Robby bought Charlotte The Donkey who carried a King by R.C. Sproul for her book this year.  We have really enjoyed reading it this week.  It has a lot more words than we thought but Charlotte sits through the whole thing...I guess she is growing up!

I was SO excited about her other gift from us.  Every time we go to the park with the Ziel family, Alex (who is 3) shares his scooter with Charlotte. I was surprised at how easy it was for her to ride so for about 6 months I have been thinking about how fun it would be to get her one for her birthday.  Robby & I did some looking/review reading & made the purchase.  It arrived while Rob was out of town so I opened it up & gave it a try while the girls were sleeping. Jenny was over & took a video to send to Rob of me zooming all around the kitchen.  Just for the record, it supports more weight than I total out to so it is still in good working condition : )   I love the picture below.  It really shows the emotion of the moment except for Char was excited.  Elo thought it was for her & Bella was like "what the heck is that new thing that is out to get me?"  We have been practicing riding in the house & should head outside sometime soon as she is getting pretty good! She just figured out last night how to lean to make the front wheels turn....very important!

Another really fun gift was from my Aunt & Uncle.  They sent Charlotte an Adirondack chair & couldn't resist getting one for Eloise too : ) This worked out well for us since Elo pretty much wants whatever Char has.  They are the perfect additions to our patio! It really is nice to have a place for the little people to sit when we are outside.  We have done some bird watching & rain watching this week from these chairs. 

While Char enjoyed some Angelina Ballerina & Elo took her morning nap, I set up our mini water park in the backyard.  "Mini" is the key word....water table, two chairs & our mini pool. Now that I think about it, she got the pool for her 1st birthday, the water table for her 2nd & the chair for her 3rd. I guess that made for a perfect birthday celebration! It was really nice outside with the temperature in the upper 80's & the sweet gift of a breeze. The girls enjoyed loungin', splashin' & kissin' while this mama was a watchin'.

The water park extravaganza concluded with a simple lunch. During lunch I told the story of the day that Charlotte was born.  It still makes me cry to remember her being placed on my chest for the first time. I loved that day & I made sure she knew that : )  Once the girls were up from naps and filled with a snack we headed to Sea World.  I did not take my camera because I saw online that there was a pretty significant chance of rain.  Come to find out, I was looking at not only a different city but a different state! Sea World was bright & sunny! Char was in charge of our plan of attack on Sea World.  We rode the Shamu coaster twice, saw the Shamu show & then ended with the carousel.  I love doing Sea World for 3 hours then coming home!

Macaroni & cheese was served for dinner per request of the birthday girl.  We put Elo to bed then snuggled up on the couch with Char & a few bowls of ice cream.  It was a pretty wonderful day.

We love our little three year old & are thankful for God's goodness to us in blessing us with such a special girl to care for.