Anabelle's 3rd Birthday!

Our little "Miss Mess" turned 3 a few weeks ago. Instead of having a party this year, we celebrated with a day of Anabelle's favorite fun activities.

-We ate breakfast at Panera (Girlfriend loves chocolate chip muffin tops!)

- We went to the mall puppy store and the play place

- We let her pick her own cake at the Target Bakery

- We took her to the toy store to "adopt a baby"

- We ate Chinese takeout (her fave), cake, and ice cream and opened presents at home

Click Pic to Enlarge

I was thrilled for months about surprising Anabelle with the "baby adoption". The whole experience was so cute and hilarious! A local boutique toy store has a Newborn Nursery where girl's can choose a lovable companion, participate in a little "pediatric exam", help fill out a birth certificate, and learn to swaddle and change diapers. So precious! In place of a party (and in celebration of the coming of our own baby sister) we decided to let both Evie and Annie adopt a baby. Annie adopted a blonde and named her Elisabeth May ("E-wibef") and Evie adopted a red head and named her Pearl Grace. Both girls have really enjoyed having their own "newborns", and I think they will grow to love them even more once they experience having a real live new baby in our home.

We had such a special laid back day - such a special way to celebrate 3 wonderful years with our girl! We love you Anabelle May!

-isms

For my first "What's up Wednesday", I want to document some of the girl's most precious recent "-isms". I wish I did this more often (for my sake and their's) to keep a record of all those funny little things they say and do.

Evie-isms

- About a week before your birthday, you came to me and said "Mom, this is the song I want you to sing to me at my birthday... "Happy birthday Dear Evie, Happy birthday Dear Evie, it's your birthday... forever and ever... Happy birthday Dear Evie!"

- You LOVE to be "fancy". You spend a lot of time getting fancy, and about the same amount of time admiring just how fancy you are. You have spent your play time for the past 5 days hosting the fanciest of Fancy Nancy tea parties, and we have all had to pretend to eat a LOT of "cake" - lovely!

- Even though Anabelle is 2, you generally introduce her as your "baby sister" followed by an enthusiastic "Isn't she just a precious little newborn?!!!"

- You have a fascination with newborns and pregnancy, in fact, you pretend to "have a baby" about five times a day on average. It is very normal for us to see you walking around the house with a baby doll in your shirt.

- You also tell us all sorts of things about your "husband". His name is most often either "Mr. Chauky" or "Mr. Thomas". We were in a jewelry store looking at engagement rings with a friend not too long ago, and you spent the whole time occupying the sales staff with stories about Mr. Chauky and what sort of ring he is going to buy for you.

- The other night we were watching Toy Story 3, and I was crying at the end, you took my hand and said "Don't worry mom, my husband and I will build a room for you at our house and you can live with us." How do you understand so much?!!! Well, let me just say, thank you, and I am looking forward to the day when I pack my bags and move in with you and Mr. Chauky.

Anabelle-isms

- You have NEVER liked going to the Dr., and on an unrelated note, you have recently begun a fascination with playing "bad guy". So this morning when you were playing with your doctor kit and I asked "Anabelle are you a doctor?" you responded "Yea, a bad guy!"

- All of your babies are currently named "Too". When we ask "Annie what is your baby's name?" you respond in a whisper "Too, Baby Too".

- You spend the majority of your time perusing for treats - opening cabinets, climbing on chairs, and rummaging through the pantry for any and all of your favorites. Multiple times a day, you submit requests for candy corn, brownies, cookies, chocolate, sugar, and Coke. Our answer is nearly always "no", but I'm thinking that we should have named you Buddy the Elf.

- You also spend a lot of time requesting to take "a bubooo baf" bubble bath

- You love animals! Especially, puppies, monkeys, and piggies. You spend a lot of time in character as a puppy. You also love it when Evie pretends to be your puppy. You pet her head and continually repeat "Boo boy, boo boy" which of course means "good boy". Evie will calmly inform the rest of us that she is "actually a girl dog, but Anabelle can call me a boy if she wants to" :)

- In your Christmas stocking, you got some sparkly Fancy Nancy cupcake perfume. You often bring it to me, shaking your arms enthusiastically, and in your famous deep voice request "A Nishy Nishy!" aka "A Fancy Nancy"

- We have adapted from telling you that it is "time for a nap" (as that phrase up sets you so) and we now inform you instead that it is "time for a snuggle". Sounds slightly British I know ;)

- You have sort of funny taste in entertainment. The strangest of your favorites include Yo Gabba Gabba (or Um Bagga Bagga), The Grinch (the one with Jim Carrey), and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Hmmmmmm...

And here is a little something sweet about both of you...

Every night at bedtime, I tell you something that is true from the Bible - a truth about God's love for you. I take each of your little faces one by one into my hands and I usually say, "God made you, He loves you, and He will never ever leave you". Sometimes I tell you a biblical truth that applies to something specific that you are going through, but when I am finished, I always say "that is true". The two of you have come to depend on this as part of bedtime, and it blesses me to see how you yearn to have God's truth pored into you. Annie, each night you stretch out your hands and sweetly ask with anticipation, "Somping choo?", and then you put your hands on my cheeks and listen intently. Evie, you often say afterwards, "Now let me tell you something that is true" and then you deliver a sweet truth to me that speaks right to my heart. You are both precious blessings to me and I love you.

The pics of Evie are from this past weekend when she had time to enjoy all of her birthday gifts, and the pics of Anabelle are from a craft fair that we went to last month.

Anabelle's Beach Party Part II

As promised ;) ...The beautiful beach and some fun balloonsA nice picnicof sandwiches, fresh corn salad, chips, and watermelonBagged kids meals of PBJ, Cheez-its, and sea creature jelly popsBrownies on a stick - perfect for the beachWould you like one?A bucket, shovel, and beach ball for each little friend"Happy Birthday to You" over a slice of watermelon

Lovely

See Also...

Anabelle's Beach Party Part I - The Birthday Girl

Coming Soon... Part III - The Special Moments

Anabelle's Beach Party Part I

Anabelle had so much fun at her beach birthday party - can you tell? ;) It's the perfect place for a 2 year old to enjoy being... TWO! Happy second birthday you little Beach Princess you!

See Also...

Anabelle's Beach Party Part II - All the Little Details

Anabelle's 1st Haircut!

My baby girl is beautiful! I love everything about her - even the little "she mullet" she's been sporting for a few weeks now! But as you know, all good things must come to an end - even a great "Cindy Lou Who Brady Doo". No more "business in the front/party in the back" - Baby bees delicious! And yes, I did save a precious little curl :)

link to Evie's 1st haircut

Annie May Turned 2!

One week ago today, Miss Annie May turned 2 years old! I can hardly believe it! We went to a few of her favorite places... to Starbucks for a Strawberries and Cream Frap, to Toys R Us for a Cozy Coupe, to the puppy store for some kisses, and to Al's Pizza for dinner and cake!It was a great 2 year old sort of day!

Adorable

Naughty ;)

Affectionate

Beloved

Exquisite

Lovely

Little

Enjoyed

Anabelle's First Piggy Tales

This picture is from a few weeks ago and just couldn't go without sharing - sweet baby!

Baby Beauty and The Baby Beast

Mr. Bingley went to the groomer for his first haircut today! I took this "Before" shot when I dropped him off this morning (he looks kind of like Ben on Easter ;)!!!) And 2 hours later... viola, he does have a face!

From Beast to Beauty (?)Ok, ok, here is an actual beauty...But when you put them together it's a little hard to tell which is which!Bing: "I'll naw on your toesies" Annie: "I'll yank on your face" - that's pretty much how it goes!Ok, so they're both beautiful, although I'm sort of partial to the human - sorry Bingley's real mom(I hope she doesn't read blogs) and they're both for sure little beasties! I think as long as I keep plenty of Jelly beans and Snausages on hand everyone is going to be just fine ;)!!!

18 Months Today

Anabelle May, you are 18 months old Today!You can be such a serious girl, we often wonder what you're thinking.You are 20 lbs of pure sugar - rarely stingy with your kisses!You love, love, love your "Beby" doll!You love to "scare" us by shouting "Bee!" (a.k.a. "Boo!")You think that EVERYTHING needs to be tickled! You're our little Irish looking girl - sometimes with a temper to match :) You also love to ... dance, sneak Coke, laugh at Sissy, take a bath, talk to "buppy" (puppy), still have your "ba-ba", be with your daddy, eat, watch Yo-Gaba-Gaba, wear necklaces, pretend to talk on the phone, swipe q-tips all day, snuggle, pretend to snore, carry plastic grapes everywhere, bounce on the little trampoline, and to pull ALL of the Kleenex out of the box!

I love you Annie!

Trick-or-Treat 09

The girls are sound asleep in their beds, and I'm watching History Channel and sneaking their treats. My idea of a perfect end to any day! We started out the evening by stopping by our local Publix for "Monster Bash", while I wouldn't so much call it a "bash", it was sort of funny. The bakery gave out cookies, the produce department gave apples, the pharmacy gave "Live Strong" bracelets, etc. I thought it would be awesome if the deli gave out chicken legs, but Sweet Tarts are pretty cool too. While we were there, I found something with the veggies that I just couldn't live without......a carrot baby! Super cute right? My little bunny and her carrot! I couldn't resist having my mom snap a quick pic of us in the produce department! "That's the tastiest carrot I ever seen!" (spoken like the Claussen Pickle stork) Yummy - kiss, kiss, kiss!!!After Publix, we were off to Nina and Pappy's for dinner and Trick-or-Treating in their neighborhood. Annie was so funny! She spent most of the night holding a mini Hershey bar to her ear and shouting "HEY!" She had to take a call ;) She also threw candy out of the wagon while clapping and waving - so cute! Evie left each house exclaiming, "I got candy, they gave me some candy!" One neighbor gave her a little cell phone full of candy, and another gave her some Tinkerbell trading cards, can treats get more awesome than that?!!! The girls were cute and sweet, it was a nice night. Now, for all of you who have grown fuzzy teeth over the night and are feeling totally junked out, here is an easy recipe I wanted to share for a cozy fall snack!...

Mushroom Spread on French Bread Toast

Ingredients:

a little olive oil

1 large package mushrooms (any kind)

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic

1 block of cream cheese

1 loaf French Bread

(I am an "eye-ball it" sort of cook, so bear with me in the directions!)

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a medium pot and start to warm on medium heat. Chop the mushrooms and 1/2 onion and put into pot. Press and add garlic clove. Cook until onions are caramelized. Place entire block of cream cheese on top and cover with pot lid to allow it to melt. Once it has melted, stir everything together. Use a hand blender or regular blender to blend everything together. Toast some slices of French bread and top with spread - yum!

This recipe makes a lot of spread, it took me 3 days and a few friends to eat it all. It's easy, fast, cheap, filling, and good! Enjoy!

Bless Her Heart!

See this boo-boo? It's a whack on Annie's little head and a whack on her mommy's heart! Last night while Evie was in the bath, Anabelle slipped in a puddle on the bathroom floor as she tried to pull up on the outside of the tub. SMACK!!! She bled and cried like crazy. I called Ben in a panic, I don't generally panic, but last night I panicked! Evie followed us to the kitchen in tears exclaiming, "Oh she's bleeding, bless her heart! Bless her little heart!" (such a sweet big sissy - bless Evie's heart!) By the time Ben got home, the bleeding had stopped temporarily, but it kept reopening and bleeding again over the next hour and half. We finally decided to take her to urgent care for stitches or glue. Annie HATED the urgent care doctor, he was great, but she hated him. Ben and I had never seen her so angry before. Annie is not cool with even having her nose wiped, so you can forget checking out a boo-boo! When the doctor suggested that we take her to the hospital to be sedated for stitches, we asked if we could just hold her down while he glued. I honestly think he just wanted to send us away because she was hurting his feelings, I truly felt for the man, but we did not want to have her sedated unless absolutely necessary. Her cut is not all that deep, it's more wide and shallow. The whole wrestling/gluing portion of the night took about five minutes, a super heart wrenching five minutes!!! Anabelle is my cautious child of the two, I would have never guessed that she would be our first real injury. We've been parents for almost 4 years now, last night we agreed that we're doing ok if this was our first "big thing", but I certainly hope this is it for a while! Bless her little heart!!!

Anabelle's Real Birthday in Disney

On the Monorail at 10:27 am, Annie's exact birthdate and time!Pooped out and hooked on the bottle, bless her heart!With their Prince Charming at Cinderella's Fountain The four of us at the castle

It was a magical first birthday sort of day!!!