Fit FOUR a Princess

This past weekend, we celebrated Lexy's birthday in style with a Princess Tea Party.

She invited five of her little 4-yr-old friends to come over to her house Saturday morning for a Royal Tea.
For the files: 2 out of the 5 girls were named "Nora". And that's not even a common name! Unfortunately, one of the Noras woke up with a fever that morning as was unable to come. :(
But we had fun regardless!

All of the girls came in princess attire and it was so cute to see them all dressed up.

Lexy requested that Bill be Prince Charming, so he got dressed up (in a shirt and tie), too. :)
She told me that I could be The King, but I just opted for Mom. :)

We made princess crowns....

And jeweled necklaces....

And put Cinderella in her Castle Window (the princess version of "Pin The Tail On The Donkey")....

And of course, we enjoyed a spot of tea, er... juice, scones, fruit, and PB&J sandwiches.

And what party would be complete without cupcakes?

Tori got in on all the action, too, although she didn't quite have the princess costume down.

A good time was had by all of the princesses.

Four

Looking back over the last year, it's hard to believe it's been a year.
And what a wonderful year it has been...
Your language has exploded this year--typical for 3-yr-olds, I'm sure-- and we have LOVED having real conversations with you. My mind is still baffled at the way you take in life, memorizing the details of how mom and dad do [fill-in-the-blank]. And then you turn around two minutes later and reenact the activity, motion, or expression as if it's something you've known all your life.

Or at least "since you were a little girl."

That is actually your favorite thing to say about ANYTHING that has happened past-tense.

"Mom, when I was a little girl, I used to....."

And more often than not, it was something you did just yesterday. You know, back when you were little.

But now you're big.
A big FOUR year old.

As I tucked you in to bed last night, I was telling you that this was the last time I'd tuck my 3-yr-old Lexy in to bed, and was excitedly saying that you'll be 4 tomorrow!!

But you weren't as excited as I had anticipated.
In fact, you cried.
"But, I'll never be three again!" (Insert tears rolling down face)

I couldn't help but laugh at the role-reversal we were having. Me.... smiling from ear to ear about how you get to be FOUR tomorrow.... who should be crying that my baby is not gonna be three anymore. And you.... in tears.... who should be full of glee about your big birthday.

Regardless of the tears, I know you will relish your roll as a big 4 yr old. You are a true "Big Sister" to every little one you encounter, whether friend or stranger. You love to crouch down to their eye level and talk to them in a high-pitched, sing-songy voice that is, apparently, How To Talk To Babies.

You are all about writing these days. Any paper and pen (or pencil, or crayon, or marker) you come across will instantly be put to use. And oh how you love to make notes! For me. For Daddy. For Grandma. For Tori. For your school friends. For the kids you met at the park (who we will probably never see again!). For the mailman. For anyone you meet, really. You are so friendly. I love the way that you've never met a stranger. (Although it also scares me just a teensy bit.)

We had a wonderful year together in AWANA Cubbies, learning about God and memorizing Bible verses. And what a treat it's been to have your ears perk up when you hear those verses quoted in sermons or sung in songs. "Mommy! That's my verse!"

You also love to sing, particularly the songs you have learned from Christian radio, which delights my heart. Your personal favorite is "Mighty To Save", which you have been known to sing at the top of your lungs as we stroll through the aisles of Sam's club or Target. The emotion that sweeps over me when I hear my little girl singing "My God is Mighty to Save, He is Mighty to Save!", proclaiming the truth for all to hear..... Simply breathtaking.



Your ministry continues at home through your outdoor concerts. You've created your own little stage in the backyard from which you belt out whatever song is on your heart. I can't help but smile when I'm in the kitchen preparing dinner and I hear you singing outside for the whole neighborhood to hear. If only we all had such passion and confidence.

We truly have had an incredible year watching you grow and learn. Daddy wants me to make sure that I document that you did your first math problem this year. 1 + 2 = 3. We're starting you early. In fact, you overheard me tutoring someone in Algebra last week, and when I said something like "x divided by 3 equals...", you interjected "I have an X in my name!" Mathematician in the making. :)

We love you and are so excited that God has entrusted us with your little life.
Happy Birthday Lexy Lou.
Four is gonna be a great year.

Stylin' Saturday

My hilarious friend Wendy has a feature on her blog called Stylin' Saturdays, which I have enjoyed reading (and relating to!) for the past couple of months.

Today happens to be Saturday.
A great coincidence considering the following:
Bill let Lexy get dressed all by herself this morning.

Then I ran for the camera.
You probably didn't realize that stripes and floral print match. And cowboy boots are always appropriate. Even when they are on the wrong feet.

What you can't see is the ankle-socks she's got on underneath the boots. Nothing says classy like ankle-socks, ladies.



But I think we'll still keep her.

Happy Mother's Day

BEFORE I WAS A MOM
Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got bloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Date Night

Babysitter: Free! (Thanks Mom)
Dinner out without kids: $17 (So much cheaper without little mouths to feed!)
Third Day concert (featuring Revive and Brandon Heath): $50 (And worth EVERY PENNY!)
A Night away with my wonderful husband: PRICELESS

All Tubed Up

Well, we survived the surgery this morning. Actually, TORI survived.
Thank you God.
She was a trooper! (As usual)**
We woke up at 4:30am to get ready to head down there.
A bit of the "airport anxiety" earliness applied here, too.
We got to the Outpatient Surgery Center at about 5:45am. Filled out some paperwork. And then waited. And waited. Meanwhile, entertaining a 21-month old girl with everything we could think of.

The hospital gave her a cute little stuffed bear. That was exciting for all of 2 minutes.

Then she moved on to the hospital phone and magazines. That held her attention for about 10 minutes!

Then it was on to Daddy's cell phone.... until she started calling people at the ungodly hour, so we had to take it away.

Really, we were just tired. No one should have to wake up that early. Ever.
(notice my watch says it 6:25am-- it's ten minutes fast, so really it was 6:15am)

Lovin' on my tired girl.

Finally, about 6:40, a nurse came out and ushered us back into the pre-op area. There was some discrepancy with the scheduled start time of the surgery. Our paperwork said 7:30am, but the hospital's paperwork said 7:00am. So we were kind of hurrying up just in case it was 7:00am, but thinking it was more likely 7:30.

We then began the fun game on entertaining a 21-month old in a HOSPITAL BED. We had a sweet nurse name Kai, mother of two little ones herself, who was super flexible in letting us get up and walk around.

It was very apparent that they'd entertained children once or 3 million times before.

They had puzzles. And stickers.

And bless nurse Kai, she let Tori's baby doll get her bold pressure taken too. So cute.

And the oxygen mask was a big hit. Baby doll got in on that action, too, although we didn't get a shot of it.

All of the staff was SO KIND to us. And everyone enjoyed Tori's joyful spirit. She definitely provided some much needed smiles to all of the other anxious patients waiting for their surgeries.

And then FINALLY, at 7:29 and 47 seconds, the doctor performing the surgery casually saunters in, as if it's no big thing. It probably was God's way of answering prayers, because by that point, I was more annoyed and frustrated than I was anxious. We had been there for almost 2 hours, and I was ready to get this thing over with already.

So we handed her off, which didn't seem to bother her at all. And about 25 minutes later, the doctor came to get Bill and I from the waiting room. Everything went smoothly, and the tubes were in. He mentioned that she had a lot of "thick fluid" behind her eardrums, which is just further confirmation that we made the right choice to proceed with the surgery.

She was really upset when we got to her-- lots of crying, and her body was sort of weak and limp-- but it only took about 25 minutes for her to come out of it. And I think the apple juice with a straw that the nurse brought was what helped her turn the corner. :) (Poor thing had not eaten or had anything to drink since 6:00pm the previous night. And this is my voracious eater!)

We got home at around 9am. She napped from then until 11. By noon, she was back to her feisty little self.

Thank you, Lord, for protecting my sweet Tori.

*Thanks to Grandma for letting us borrow her camera. Ours is in a permanent state of disrepair. :)

**I failed to mention that last week during her pre-op appointment, she had to have blood drawn at the lab. We had just come from the pediatrician's office, where she had a shot and didn't so much as blink. In fact, she smiled. The nurse couldn't believe it. So, we're in the lab and the lab tech's are all planning their strategy of how best to draw blood from her little arm. One tech said to the other "I'll hold her here, you hold this arm, and Mom, hold her body and her head really tight and don't let her move." I replied, "I'm not sure that is necessary... she's pretty tough..." But I followed their instructions anyway. And true to form, Tori didn't even flinch one bit. She watched the needle go in, she watched when they switched out the viles, and when they were all done, SHE LAUGHED. One tech looked at the other and said, "Did she just laugh?!? I think she just laughed!!!" That's my tough cookie. :)

Lexyisms and other notes

I feel like I am doing a terrible job recording the adorable (and not-so-adorable) things that Lexy has said over the last couple of weeks...

Purely for posterity's sake, here's a list of the ones I can remember:

During afternoon quiet time (and we use the word "quiet" very loosely), Lexy was sitting at her table playing play dough. Daddy unexpectedly popped in before he headed to the golf course for practice. As he was getting ready to head back out, he looked in the room to say goodbye to Lexy really quick, and in the most deadpan voice you'd ever hear, she says, "I didn't get my hug yet." Bill and I both starting cracking up. It probably was a "you had to be there" moment, but it was funny. ;)

Yesterday at school, the circle time question was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The mom helper came up to me after school to tell me that Lexy said "I want to be a Mommy when I grow up." Apparently the other answers ranged from "Princess" to "Spiderman", so Lexy's answer melted that mom's heart. And mine when she told me. :)

A while back, we were getting ready to go run some errands-- can't even remember what specifically we were going to do, but Lexy was excited to go. I had both girls dressed and ready, and, as usual, was still getting ready myself. I had changed out of my pajamas into yoga pants and a t-shirt-- which on any other day could have been my pajamas, since that is a typical "pajama" outfit for me. But on this particular day, I just felt like being comfortable, so I was going to wear my "comfies". As we were tending to the last minute details before we walked out the door, I remember seeing out of the corner of my eye that Lexy had opened up my closet and was looking from left to right through my wardrobe. I think she had a little commentary going, much the same as I do for her when we are choosing what she'll wear for the day, but I wasn't really paying attention. So, I finished gathering all the essentials and announced "Let's go!" As I start walking towards the door, she gives me the funniest sideways look, sweeping her pointer finger up and down at my outfit, saying out of the side of her mouth, "Are those your pajamas??" As in... "Um, Mom? Hate to be the one to bring this to your attention, but do you realize you're about to walk out in public in your pajamas? Don't you think you'd like to change first?" Hilarious. I still crack up thinking back to her face as she said it.

We're in the stage of life that everyone we know is having babies... A detail that is not lost on Lexy, who announces almost daily that she's going to have a baby. The other day, the baby was going to come "in the fall." The due date varies. :) But she is very concerned about being prepared for the baby's arrival and is constantly plotting and planning. Specifically, she keeps telling me that she's going to have to sit in the middle seat (without a car seat) so that her baby can have room for his/her car seat in her old spot. Last week, she announced that she was going to have THREE babies, and she was planning to name them Sarah, Josh, and Billy -- a la The Cannons. (Only Billy is the DAD in that family. Not quite sure about that.) And you can tell that math runs in her blood because she pointed out that her three babies are NOT going to fit in our car, so we'll have to get a bigger one. Roger that. We'll get right on it.


In other un-Lexy related news, Tori is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday morning. She is finally getting tubes in her ears! Although I was super resistant to the idea of surgery early on, I have had a year to think about it, and all signs are pointing towards HAVE THE SURGERY, so that's what we're going to do. We have to be AT the hospital by 6am (should be a fun morning!). I've been told that the whole procedure will take less than 12 minutes, but I can already assure you that they'll be the longest 12 minutes of my life. If you think about it, please pray for all involved on Tuesday. I'm not worried, but there is definitely an element of risk whenever anesthesia is involved, so I'm trying not to be too cavalier about it either. It's a fine line to walk....between not freaking out, yet not being too unaffected. I choose to commit it to the Lord.

That's all for now. We're headed to the farm this morning. It's a cloudy day-- much relief from the hundred-degree days we had early in the week. Looking forward to the cooler temps as we pick strawberries! I'd love to say I'll post pictures later, but the camera is still broken. We're trying to decide whether to fix it or just get a new one. Stay tunned.