Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Daddy only had two requests on his birthday. One request was to go to the beach (it was a BEAUTIFUL day) to take pictures for Baby Phoenix's room, and the other was to go to Home Depot. I didn't think these requests were too hard to fulfill, and yet we never made it to Home Depot! That's okay; he went the next day and bought a new grill. Overall, I think Daddy's 30th Birthday was fantastic!

Anyway, the beach was beautiful and we got some great pictures while there. Here's a look:

Christmas in Ohio

Christmas in Ohio was, as always, busy and the trip went very quickly! We spent Christmas Eve with Uncle David, Masako, Hannah, and Shane, and then the day after Christmas with extended family in Lima. All the time in between was spent hanging out with your Texas cousins, Keagan and Kohen.

You were definitely spoiled this Christmas! Some of your favorite gifts were your new art easel, your Rapunzel baby doll, and your dress-up costumes. Typically, if you were AWAKE, you were wearing a costume. It was so nice to visit with family and friends because we probably won't make it back to Ohio until after your baby brother is born!

Baking cookies in your new aprons!

Posing with Papaw & Tessie on Christmas Eve.

Posing with Mona & Sully on Christmas Eve.

Opening presents on Christmas morning!

Sweet Kohen was super-excited about Santa visiting!

Check out that cool easel!

You two wore your costumes the entire day! Was it Christmas or Halloween?

Great Grandma Mary and Great Grandpa Ron came for dinner.

You loved playing Shoots & Ladders with Keagan and Uncle Rousie!

A holiday tradition at Grandpa Rita and Zeda's house: playing the player piano! You kids LOVED it!

Photo op with Great Grandma Rita and Zeda the Great.

Picture with Mommy and Daddy (and Baby Phoenix).

Sweet faces and good friends!

You and Keagan loved playing with Grandma Rita's canes.

On to Aunt Lysie's house to celebrate the holidays with the whole clan!

You love your Aunt Lysie and she spoils you rotten!

You're a Princess Ballerina!

In October, you started taking ballet! You go to ballet class every Monday and have learned many new dance moves already. Your favorites include the plie´, the arm positions, the side gallop, and your tip-toe walk.

Watching you during dance class has been very rewarding. I'm so proud of how well you listen and follow instructions. Thirty minutes is a long time to maintain self-control, especially after a long day of school! We can't wait for your first recital in May!

Holiday Fun!

As predicted, this Christmas season has been the BEST EVER! You are all about the lights, the trees, the shopping, the music, SANTA, and Dudley, our elf.

Every time we get into the car, you are anxious to see what houses are decorated and what the lights look like. At home, you countdown 3-2-1 EVERY TIME we're about to turn on the tree, and then you celebrate when it comes on! When we're out-and-about, you're singing Christmas songs. Your favorites are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Jingle Bells. Honestly, your ability to remember all of the lyrics is quite impressive.



Every year, Great Grandma Rita sends you a Gingerbread House to construct. This is always a fun and MESSY activity, but you LOVE it!



Dudley, our elf, has been keeping a close eye on you and reporting to Santa your behavior. Each morning, you run around the house to see where Dudley is hanging out. You understand that Dudley can not be touched, and if he ever falls from his spot, he has to fly to a new one while you close your eyes and count to twenty!


You were lucky enough to visit Santa TWICE this year, AND he sent you a letter in the mail! You were so excited when you got the letter in the mail, and he knew that you were being a good girl! He also knew that you were going to be a big sister and that he needed to visit you in Ohio.

Because we were going to be in Ohio on Christmas Eve, we wrote Santa a letter and asked him to visit your house in North Carolina a few days early. We celebrated a modest Christmas one morning, and you loved your new table and chairs and your puzzles!

Big Girl Bedroom!

We have been preparing you to move into your big girl room for quite some time now. We didn't want you to feel as though you were being kicked out of your nursery to make room for the baby, so we started moving your toys upstairs and spent more and more time up there playing. You really were excited for it to become your "big girl room," and once we got everything moved, you were ready to sleep there!


I thought you were going to need to transition to your big girl room, so I had you take a few naps before sleeping there overnight. One problem. Your big girl bed is SO comfy and I would always fall asleep with you! Daddy didn't think that was helping in the transition, so I had to break that habit (though now that you're adjusted, I still sneak in a few minutes of shut-eye in your super-cozy bed).
Boy was I wrong! The first night in your big girl room was a HUGE success! You went to sleep with no issues and only woke up one time. You called for me because you were scared to come down the stairs by yourself, but once I came up to get you, you were fine. You just needed to potty! So after a mid-night potty break, you went back up to your big girl bed and slept there peacefully the rest of the night!

It only took you about a week to get comfortable coming downstairs by yourself. Now, whenever you have to go potty, you come down to go. Most of the time, you ask to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy at that point, and sometimes we let you! If it's after 6:00 a.m....we're all about the snuggles! Before 6:00 a.m? Back to your bed you go! This system has worked very well for us!


A little background on your bedroom furniture: your bed and dresser are antiques! They have been in Mommy's family for generations and before it was your bed, it was Auntie K's bed. Daddy refinished the bed and the dresser (it used to be a cherry color) and you are all set with furniture that looks brand-spankin' new!

Your Daddy HATES clutter. In his opinion, if it isn't being used, it doesn't need to be in the house. Mommy's opinion, however, is that if the clutter (AKA "toys) is organized, then it's fine. So, we compromised. He designed and made a rolling trundle platform on which we've organized all of your toys. The design has worked very well so far, and you seem to completely understand that everything now has a place. In fact, this morning I put one of your puppets in the wrong bin, so you scolded me by saying, "Mommy! That doesn't go THERE. It goes HERE," and moved it to the proper bin!

Overall, you LOVE your big girl room! You're getting more and more comfortable with playing up there alone. We plan to get a video monitor to put up there so we can see what you're doing at all times because from what we HEAR, we know it's interesting and entertaining!

Birthday Party Day!

To celebrate your 3rd birthday, we went to Port City Gymnastics for some bouncing, climbing, swinging, and jumping. You had a great time with all of your friends!

Posing for a photo before your friends arrived!

You loved bouncing down the trampoline...

....and into the foam pit!

Your friend, Madelyn, was a pro...and check out Everlee's skills!

Daniel LOVED jumping into the pit as well!

Here you are with some of your school friends, Violet & Brailey.

You were pretty good at the rings, too. Love that leopard tush!

Cupcake time! You requested Rapunzel cupcakes!

Happy 3rd Birthday, little lady! We love you!