2.6.12

OH MY!

Cutie Cakes is

TWO!!!

 

she had an absolute blast celebrating

herself

it was cute

she paraded around all day

in a tiara & purple painted sparkly nails

We are so blessed to have this cutie in our lives!

**more to come**

2.4.12

4-year old birthday parties

are in full swing

Cutie Face and one of her preschool buddies

had a blast

pretending to be tweens

just camped out chatting & laughing with each other

eeek! too much!

Balanced Life

“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some & think some and draw & paint and sing & dance and play & work every day some.”
--Robert Fulghum

Cutie Face turned

THREE

on August 8th

(or, as she likes to say, the Day the Olympics Started)

In keeping with our 4-gift theme

(want, wear, need, read)

we bought her a balance bike

(we placed it in the "need" category as in, she needs to learn how to ride a bike and, hopefully through that accomplishment, gain confidence in herself)

 

With a big boost from J, she eagerly tried it

 

when it came time for the actual balance by yourself

 well...she wanted to trust her daddy

 but that kind of faith doesn't come easy, either

 Little Cutie Cakes watched and waited

and then it was her turn!

if you look closely, you can see that Cutie Face was thrilled to allow her little sister have a go on the balance bike:

 

It was a win-win by the looks of excitement on both sisters faces

and i think J might have enjoyed himself, too

lil miss = big miss!

On March 5th my twin gave birth to my first niece....THREE years ago, that is!

i can hardly believe it's been three years but this is most definitely the third birthday party we've had for her. A sweet family-only, small princessy dress up affair.

The big girl cousins were a little antsy to get the party started so Uncle/Daddy passed the time reading some books

I mean, who can blame the girls for being antsy when they had this cake to drool over?

dancing princesses and all

the whole decor was awesome

Cutie Face was all about passing the time with books & an Easter hat

the Cakes was just fine passing time with her Poppy

as more family rolled in

and fun stuffy animals came to play

it was finally time to celebrate the special birthday girl!

eating ensued

and presents followed (hooray!)

crazy surprises followed

pictures were snapped

 

dressing up happened...again and...again

cuddle breaks occurred

and giggles (and hats!) were shared

we love you sweet, funny, adorable Lil' Miss! 

We can't wait to see where God takes you in your fourth year of life!

Betty B wannabe

My Grandma and the Cuties' GiGi (maker of the famous security blankets the girls are always seen with) is not just a knitter. Actually, knitting is a side hobby that she just happens to be good at. 

What GiGi (aka Betty B) is really spectacular at is making cakes. My Grandma is a professional cake baker! She has made all of her grandchildren's wedding cakes and countless birthday cakes for her grands as well (not to mention the thousands of cakes she's made for customers and friends!). 

The twin and I used to love to watch her decorate and she'd always let us decorate our own 8" circular cake when we visited. 

Sadly, I should have paid more attention to her lessons because now I have daughters that would like decorated cakes for birthdays and special occasions!

I know you're thinking...uhh, didn't they have  Cutie Cakes' cake made by a bakery?

Yes! BUT 2 days later, Cutie Face turned 2 and that oh-so-crucial "half". 

I signed up to bring snacks for her preschool class on the day of her half birthday. Since she's a summer baby, she won't get to celebrate her birthday in school with friends so I figured a half birthday cake would help make up for that.

the tricky part was making this cake without eggs--

one of her classmates has a severe allergy to them 

which is why this eggless cake looks...a little flat

That didn't stop Cutie Cakes from being super excited about it!

but maybe that's just excitement about the lollipops

oh and as much as i adore polka dots 

and as much as the ones on the cake looked planned...

they're really just there to make up for my sorry attempt at decorating!

clearly I could still use a few lessons from talented Grandma B!

Though not planned, Cutie Face had a present waiting for her when she returned home from school.

I review products for a natural baby goods blog and one item arrived on her half birthday--Zylie the Bear--a stuffed bear that doubles as a dress up "doll".

As Cutie Face told J later that day, she is a very lucky kid. Looks like Zylie is a lucky bear, too!

Cutie Cakes at ONE

Dear Cutie Cakes,

You are ONE!

No one can believe it, definitely not your mom.

You are so animated and absolutely into everything. It is strange to have to actually babyproof a house. Your curiosity for life and quest to accomplish your mission gets you into many...precarious adventurous positions. 

For example, this is where I found you when I accidentally left the door open to our laundry closet:

You're too much but I love it!

I could watch the way you slide open the play car door, climb in, stand up and squeal with delight all day long. The joy and wonderment you get from a sense of accomplishment is very fun to witness. 

You are very much a ham and giggle just like your sister--i love that.

you're really not into walking yet even though i know you can do it

The reason: you're smart enough to know that walking means

 you'll be toted around less!

Musical! Oh! you LOVE to sing and you really can!

You are very blessed to possess that attribute of your Daddy's!

We swore we wouldn't do it but we did--we've somehow been more lenient with you than with your big sister. You get away with crying for something. For example, you still cry out in the middle of the night--with Cutie Face, she was sleeping 12-hour stretches at 4-months old. You, my dear, still end up in our bed for a midnight nursing session. It's baffling and understandable at the same time--we don't want our baby to grow up just yet!

While that baby rearing aspect of your life is very much part of the baby phase, we've given you more mature options when it comes to food, DVD watching, and the like. You've eaten nearly all finger foods since 9-months old...an attempt to keep with the baby weaning philosophy and give me a break from making and feeding you pureed food. It was NICE! 

We let you watch Little People DVDs with your sister and Curious George episodes. I really can't believe that we do that but I think you'll be okay :) The great thing is, you get the most enjoyment out of Baby Signing Time DVDs just like your sister so I know you are processing and understanding something that we put in front of you!

You know exactly what you want and you definitely get frustrated when you do not get it. I swear at times we're already going through the "terrible 2s" but then your dad reminds me that you don't know how to express yourself yet...which is why we need to practice our signing! Though there are some key words that you do know: mama, dada, ball, BA (balloon...definitely different than ball), more (more like "mawh"), and a few words that you've only said once and probably by accident (dog, thank you, etc.)

Like your sister, you L-O-V-E the blanket that your GiGi made you. You're quite taken with dolls as well as stuffed toys--and your newest lovey is a Kitty Cat from Grandma

it gets dragged around with you everywhere

I love that you're a love bug like that! I pray that you continue to show love and empathy and kindness toward people and animals!

You're also such a joy that we didn't even know you had your second double ear infection! We found out at your 1-year "well" checkup visit with your doctor :(

of course...there might have been signs...

but as the second, slightly more neglected child, you've found an amazing way to thrive and be joyful while doing so. As your Poppy says, you are an absolute delight and we praise God for your presence in our family!