Me Bee is FIVE!

 A party fit for a princess is what my girl wanted and here are some pictures to prove that she was happy as punch. She has been SO EXCITED for her birthday.  She couldn't wait to wear her gold crown and gold shoes and gold dress.  I put them on her hours before the party and she would just stare in the mirror and smile.

 Five is a BIG age and one that I have been dreading, but on the party day, I was as happy as could be.  No sadness-- just gearing up for a special day.  I was so happy that all our family was healthy and that Amelia felt great.  That in itself was a wonderful present. Amelia lined these princess up and RE-LINED them up a million times before the guests arrived.  She had such a blast with that.

 Amelia said, "I bet Gammy and Gampy with arrive first!"  And they didn't disappoint and here are THREE happy girls to see Gam.

 Amelia was very specific about her cake and the lady did a fabulous job and the cake was so delicious!  Loved it.

 Bestest friends of all time.  Steph had the girls in these adorable party dresses with such cute princess buns.  It was just too much. 

 The birthday princess was very into her presents.  Sitting on her throne and opening them just as fast as humanly possible.

 I love Elise's pose here.  Just as a sidenote, she was so good during her sissy's party.

 She was over the moon with her new birthstone ring from Gammy and Gampy.  It fits perfectly and definitely makes her feel very grown up.

All our family being at the party was so important to Amelia and so special.  I love that we are all so close and that my children get to reap the benefits from that.  Such wonderful role models and relationships for them to watch and see how important it is to love each other.  Happy, happy day.

Elise Mae: The Little Things

The above picture is one of Elise's favorite spots at the library.  She sits beside these statues and has full conversations with them and reads them books.  It just cracks Amelia and I up.  Sometimes she keeps up this charade the entire time we are there.  Just laughing with them, talking to them, and having a grand ole time.  Elise can play by herself and come up with games much better than Amelia ever did...or even now.  She can occupy herself doing the cutest and silliest things. 

And as much fun as it is to celebrate their differences, I love seeing similarities between Elise and Amelia at corresponding ages.  Around three, Amelia became smitten with her cowboy boots and wanted to wear them everywhere.  So, it just makes my heart smile when Elise picks them out for every outfit, whether they match or not. 

 Mae Mae loves doing worksheets and is one smart cookie.  She hates writing so far, and even though she can write her name, she almost NEVER wants to practice it.  Her answer, "Maybe when I am a little older; I just love to play."  Her love for babies is still as strong as ever, but she has shared all the blankets that she wraps her babies in with Francine.  Just love my precious Leesey Bug so much and wanted to share a few little things about her.

Meet Francine Sparkles Halsted

I love dogs.  Specifically BIG dogs.  Ross and I told Amelia long ago that when she was seven she could have a puppy.  She never asked again.  Talked about it often- almost every day; but, she never asked us to change the age.  Never had to be reminded of the age.  Just always talked about that magical day when she turned seven and would get a dog.  That is the back story.  So, if everything is going great, buck the system, right?

For some reason, I just felt like she was ready and that we as a family were ready for a puppy.  I researched and researched.  Ross and I made lists and talked the issue to death.  We finally realized that although both of us love larger breeds, it wouldn't be a good choice for the girls, given their ages.  SO, we had to decide if we could handle a little dog.  We found the breed we thought was our answer and began looking.  I found a Havanese breeder right away and we just had to wait for our puppy to come home!

We surprised the girls and said we had an early Valentine's Day gift.  They were shocked.  Totally.  And I bawled.  It was just perfect and everyone was so happy and the girls were so surprised.  BEST DAY EVER!  They named her Francine Sparkles and this had Ross and I in stitches. But we had agreed that we would let them pick the name on their own and so we stuck with it.  As of today we have had her six days and Francine seems like a perfectly normal puppy name, haha.

We didn't need this dog to be happier.  She hasn't taken away me needing to discipline the girls or show more grace to Ross.  Francine Sparkles isn't a magical tool, nor is she a necessity.  However, she already has a special place in our hearts.  She is teaching the girls more about love.  She is showing us even more what a softie Ross is.  She is allowing me to loosen up my reigns a bit.  She is infusing smiles and laughter in every crevice of our day.  She is a blessing to us and we are delighted she joined our family.

Oh, and I am exhausted.   :)

3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR

Somehow I never posted about NYE and I just had to go back and do so, because it was with my favorite family!  Derek, Steph, and the girls came over for a fun celebration.  I love how excited they are to see each other each time they are together.  I hope that they always have that special closeness and all feel like sisters in a way.  This was also special because before the kids were born, or when they were still tiny, we always spend New Years with Derek and Steph, so this was just like old times.

After a dance party, delicious supper, punch, a NYE toast, tons of confetti throwing and horn blowing, jammies, puppet show and bed, Derek busted out the track suit that he has worn for seven (?) years on every single New Years.  Hilarious that he packed it---this just cracked me up.

We played games and ate snacks and had a great time bringing in the new year together.  Love my sweet sister more than anyone.

The next morning we lounged and cuddled and then bundled up for scooter riding, a walk adventure, and some park playing. 

 

Without a doubt the BEST way to bring in a new year---with this awesome family.