Caroline's 3rd Birthday!

Our sweet girl turned 3 this weekend! It was sort of nice to have her actual birthday on her party day - all the craziness is over in one day! This year she had a ballerina party at Children's Dance Foundation in Homewood. However if you asked her on any given day, she might tell you she's having a roller coaster party??, a princess party, a jumper party, a popcorn party, a pizza party, or whatever else she was feeling at that moment. So I was a little nervous that she would be disappointed when we actually got to the party. But, the wonderful people at Children's Dance Foundation did not disappoint! At first some of the girls, including Caroline, were a little shy and slow to participate. But once their teacher got started, they had a blast. They have a few minutes to just run around and get some energy out, then there was a man playing the piano, while the teacher did some warm ups with them. Then, she used an Angelina Ballerina book to incorporate dance movements throughout the story. She read a little, which they loved, then stopped to let them practice what Angelina was doing in the book. VERY CUTE! Then we had cake & ice cream, busted a pinyata, and went home! It was perfect and fairly stress free. Thanks to all our sweet family and friends for getting out on such a rainy day to come celebrate Caroline's party. She had the BEST time...

Caroline woke up and was ready to put her tutu on first thing - she was wild!

We asked her that morning how old she was, and at first she said 3. But then said, "I'm not 3, I'm 6!" So true - a 6 year old trapped in a 3's body sometimes.

Giving Ellison a big hug when she arrived.

Glad she loved the birthday crown this year. I never know when it's going to be a struggle.

Please notice who is in the VERY MIDDLE of the circle and LOVING it! Rutland had just as much fun as all the girls.

Caroline actually let everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to her this year. Major progress!!

Blowing out the candles...

Taking a curtsy after blowing out the candles!

Makes it all worth it!! Love you little bug :)

Always has to swipe a lick before I cut it - she is notorious for this at other peoples parties.

T-Ball Party

So, we made it through the sweltering heat of t-ball season, and I will say I think Caroline learned a few things about playing a team sport, which is all we really wanted. She had the most patient coach and sweet friends on her team. Her team party was the other night at the park, and they passed out trophies to all the kids. Caroline's trophy is proudly displayed on her dresser in her room. Fun times...

"Shear" Terror

So, I come into the den Sunday night after cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and sit down for 2 seconds to catch my breath. I noticed something on the couch...um, that would be my child's hair!! About 4 inches of it!! My mind starts racing - why is her hair on the couch?? Falling out? Brother pulled it out? And I suddenly remember her asking to practice her cutting on some scratch paper. She has used scissors before and is pretty good at cutting (they are safety scissors of course). So, I really didn't worry too much when I drew her several lines and left her at the coffee table to cut while I finished cooking dinner. It never crossed my mind that Caroline would cut her own hair! I panicked when I saw those blonde locks and called for her. She innocently came running. When she saw me holding the hair, she put the brakes on and would not look me in the eye. I had a short break from reality and was just saying over and over "why would you...cut your hair....why...cut hair...why??? She got really upset and started crying. Christopher came to see what all the fuss was about and to snap me back into reality. I put Sissy in my lap and looked at her head to find the missing hair. Luckily, it is a small section. Unluckily, she only left about 1 inch on her head, so it will take a long time to grow back. My mother assured me every child tries at least once to cut their own hair and I should be thankful it's not that bad. Lesson learned - do NOT leave child alone with any scissors!! I guess she wanted to give herself a new style for her birthday party on Saturday :)

At least it's right in her part, so it sort of blends in with her hair that is pulled back - for now!