last week i…

Posted in kiddie-do, let me let me update ya, love and happiness by ElaineMarie

did some things that were NOT birthday related.

we finally got the girl out of the house more. we ended up at firefly one day and it turns out firefly now has sing-a-longs. it was great fun watching the kiddos jump in front of the microphone. here’s darla’s turn, where she stood in front of the mic and looked proud but did not sing one syllable of the song. maybe she’ll get it the next time….

did some puzzles, mostly by myself. darla does not like puzzles for some reason. she likes dumping them, turning them over and sorting but not putting them back together. more for me i guess.

i found the perfect set of sheets for the tent bed at salvation army. i tried to encourage a tea party in said tent but, alas, that required too much sitting still in one spot for my girl.

i got darla a shake on her last day of being 2. just because.

triple reused brown bags to celebrate aunt colleen’s birthday. these bags were from our take out lunch, turned art project for daddy + darla, turned last minute wrapping paper idea for auntie’s 30th birthday gifts. after that we were satisfied with tossing in the recycling bin.

and that’s a wrap on last week. bye!

27Jan2012

birthday morning

Posted in kiddie-do by ElaineMarie

a few snaps of the birthday morning:

first glimpse of the three year old

ring pop for breakfast. you can get away with anything on your birthday.

birthdayness

thank you hugs and kisses all around for bday presents

we’ve had a good morning complete with family visits, CRUMBelievable pancakes (pancakes with sausage crumbles baked inside. mmmm mmmm), presents and orange soda pop. Three is starting off pretty fantastic.

thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes coming miss darla’s way!

27Jan2012

it was three years ago…on this very night…

Posted in Momma Needs a minute..., parenting apparently? by ElaineMarie

it’s 12:54 am and i’m up, because this is the only time of the day i can get for myself. and because i have been working on preparing for darla’s birthday. technically, it is her birthday because three years ago, down to the minute, she came into the world.

oh how a mother never forgets that first minute.

she’s three now. it’s so cliche, but i can’t believe it. i think i’m lucky because i don’t sit back and think “where did the time go?” I have felt every minute of these three years roll past. i think what happens for most of us parents is we spend so much time looking forward and preparing for what is next in our childrens’ lives that these moments, birthdays and other monumental occasions, stop us in our tracks and make us be present.

i think about how happy i’ll be to see her become an older child and put her inborn independence to good use.

but i never stopped to think that she’d actually be three. then four. then five. and then her running away from me will mean more than just me chasing her down in a mall. it will mean her not wanting my kiss good bye in front of her friends. it will mean her wanting to spend more time with others and less time with me. it will mean i will have to chase her down for attention instead of the other way around.

so, now she’s three. and darla is going to be GREAT at being three. and i’m going to try my hardest to remind myself to be present for these next 8 months because she’ll be starting school in the fall and the great migration away from me will officially begin.

and that’s why i’ll have to just get me another one…

26Jan2012

last day as a 2 year old

Posted in kiddie-do, parenting apparently? by ElaineMarie

today is darla’s last day as a two year old. ( i double checked. sometimes the days can get lost around here.) this morning i asked her to draw two pictures. The first is of all the things she did as a two year old. The second is of all the things she’s going to do as a three year old. here is her artistic interpretation with some commentary:

My Life as a Two Year Old by Darla Marie Wright

“i runned away a lot. then i ran in circles. small ones first. then i bumped my head on the table and all my hair fell off. then i joined the circus!!!!!”