And Then She Was 3

Today is the day...I fall in love with a 3-year-old. Okay, so Ellia's birthday is not for another three days, but we did get to celebrate it yesterday. I love planning birthday parties! I get to make lots of lists (lists and I have a close relationship), and I get to put my design skills to work (probably more work than actually necessary.) The theme of the event: Puppies! And no, she did not receive a real puppy as a gift. One German Shepherd around here is more than enough dog for us. Here are some photos from her party.

The Invites

(minus our home address and phone number,

just in case any creeps happen upon this)

Puppy Cake

(idea courtesy of Martha Stewart)

My sister-in-law, Lili, gets the credit for making

these totally adorable puppy cake pops.

Party Favors

Bean Bag Toss

Grandma Rexene

(Way to be photogenic, Ellie)

Grandma Lupe

Currently her favorite book. We love children's books,

so our kids receive them as gifts from us for

just about every gift-giving occasion.

Despite having no time to fix my hair before

the party, I knew I'd regret not getting

a picture with my second-born.

The birthday girl has already clued me in on what I can be expecting this year:

· Fits of rage when she can't accomplish a task, followed by cries for help, followed by more fits of rage that she "can do it [her]self!"

· An increase in my milk budget--This girl can drink more milk than any kid I know!

· "I told you so" proclaimed (by her) throughout the day

· Repeated reminders to not suck her thumb

· Smiles upon smiles--She never fails to amuse me

· Hours of entertainment as she dances (sometimes literally) to the beat of her own drum

As Kai lan would say, she makes my heart feel super happy!

The day after the party we were blessed with another gorgeous afternoon, so I snapped a couple of photos of Ellia in one of her new outfits. Of course, the camera couldn't resist my other stunningly beautiful daughters. (Pardon my bragging.)

We are already seeing signs of a future shoe fetish,

not unlike her Grandma Lupe

Little Sprouts and the Sunscreen Queen

Helloooo sunshine! And where there's sunshine, there is me with sunscreen in holster. I figure that during summer months I spend at least 10 minutes a day applying sunscreen to the kiddos, or to their pale counterpart (a.k.a myself.) That's over an hour a week! I don't even get to spend that much time napping each week. (Average weekly nap count: 0) But I consider it time well spent. We have been taking advantage of this lovely sunshine by working in our garden. It's something the whole family can be involved in, including Fiona (if you consider eating dirt gardening.) It's also one of the few times I ever get to see Carlos be organized. My OCD self can't help but smile each time I look at those perfect little rows.

Ellia found a "rock baby"

Our little sprouts

And speaking of little sprouts, Fiona has recently sprouted her first two teeth. Just when I thought she couldn't possibly get any cuter. Here she is clapping. You may be able to catch a glimpse of one of her new pearly whites.

The Bath Towel Revolution

Today is the day...I use my new bath towels. Why on earth am I blogging about towels? I have this neurotic (some may say endearing?) quirk which possesses me to buy things, but not use them until the perfect occasion comes along. This is pretty much limited to clothing and home decor items. I am currently working on decorating almost every room in my home. Note that I said 'decorating', not 'redecorating.' We have lived here for over 3 years and I have yet to entirely take on the task. Sad, I know. This is mainly due to this quirk I mentioned. I have many items in closets, just waiting for their debut. Why? I like to wait until I have everything to complete a room before I put anything out. I'm sure it drives my husband nuts. But tonight, in compliance with my new motto to live for today, I broke out the bath towels (tags still attached) that I got for the girls a year ago. I know I'm a freak. Baby steps, right? I'm seeing more blog posts in my future filled with projects completed, rooms decorated, and items emerging from their closet prisons.

In other news, our family has had a busy couple of weeks. Here's what's been going on lately.

· T-BALL ·

Ava at bat

· SPRING FAIR ·

Ava's Preschool Dance Class

Pony Rides-Could that smile be any bigger,

or any cuter!?

Who doesn't love the big slide?

· FAMILY & CHILDREN FESTIVAL ·

Note to self: Charge camera battery. These quality shots were all taken with my phone.

Ellia wanted a picture with the "Potato Head"

· FREE FAMILY SATURDAY ·

The first Saturday of every month the art museum has a free activity for kids. I have been meaning to take the kids there for far too long. We finally made it!

Luau Party

Making jellyfish

Making Sand Castles

Just had to throw this one in

And to finish off the week, Mother's Day! I enjoyed the extra affection today, but other than that it was business as usual. (Good thing I LOVE my job!)