the party

so for beth's birthday, we took her to a bounce house in the morning (that was the family celebration), and then home for a nap before a few friends came over for the real birthday party. having read online somewhere (as i was deciding to give beth a party just 3 or 4 days before) that a good rule of thumb is to invite as many friends over as the number of years the kid is turning old, i commenced to do it. this is genius, i thought. i can handle 3 other little girls at my house for a couple of hours... surely i can come up with something to keep them entertained that long before they get bored and start crying because they want to go home. being as her birthday is in march, all activities needed to be inside, which freaked me out a little bit. especially considering 99% of birthday games and activities on pinterest are outdoor games. but i determined that 3 is good, i can do 3 in my house. remember, this is my first real birthday party too.

and so, the calling began... "oh hey, uh, it's lindsay. i don't have formal invitation or anything, but i was wondering if your daughter could come to a birthday party for beth that i'm putting together for her in a couple of days... yeah, i know, i'm totally on it... but if you could somehow squeeze it in, that would be awesome... it would really mean a lot to her..."    groveling works friends.

we made out pretty good and ended up with 4 friends, which worked out perfectly. we played some balloon games, made bead necklaces, decorated cupcakes with the amazing sprinkle tornado i found on clearance at michaels, of course had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. thankfully at the end, i was running out of time, rather than things to do. whew...

and beth? well, she was in heaven. having friends come over to celebrate with her put her on top of the world. and the fact that they brought her presents too? girl couldn't have asked for more. after all the build up to that day on march 9 when it would finally be her birthday, i don't think she was disappointed. i think the expectations were met, perhaps even exceeded.

ps: thanks to friend sarah who took many of these photos





successful 3 year old birthday party with happy girls and over-delighted birthday girl? check.

i am accomplished.

little miss has a birthday

yesterday beth turned 3. after the longest wait of her life (you'll recall she lost and wanted to find her birthday after hyde's sweet birthday bash two months ago), it finally came. she was so excited. i admit, so was i. and we had a really awesome day. decorations, bounce house, party, presents, cake, and all. it's crazy how fast it goes by. i remember the details of the day she came so clearly. and now she's this beautiful young girl who's stolen my heart with her laugh and love. sheesh... more pictures of the party/festivities to come shortly.

happy birthday little miss!

as she sleeps

i don't know what it was, but i could have stared at her all night. in the few moments i sat on her bed just taking her in, i kept seeing her childhood disappear before me... a child who constantly wants to play with, help, snuggle with, love and be near me. i am worried that these days of innocence and (somewhat) dependence will flee far faster than i am ready for and tonight i so desperately wanted her to stay just as she is right now forever.

i try to take it all in stride - it's true what they say, that kids just get better and better as they get older and that's proven to be true with mine as well. watching her grow has been amazing. surreal. so deeply rewarding. and of course it's all a part of life. but the reality is that i fear there will come a day when she doesn't love me as much as she does now, or that she will find friends to take my place in our hide and seek games, or that she won't need me anymore when i will so much still need her.

in this moment, while i sat and stared at this little girl before me, i would have given anything for time to stop and hold still. for just a little while longer.

the hair cut

it was time. i had been fighting it and fighting it. but ultimately, it had to be done.





so i put him in his high chair with a few things to play with, took out the longest clippers i could find, and buzzed away. neither of us liked it. he kept hitting the clippers with his hand so i had to hold it down while trying to shave his moving head at the same time. on my first ever little boy hair cut. not a good combo.




can you tell from my face that i am just as nervous as he is? "listen little man, i have no idea what i'm doing, but i'm sure it will all turn out just fine. trust me..."



(credit to beth for the above two photos)




i miss his curls - they were so cute, and i now i feel like he just looks older which is bittersweet for me. i've gotten used to it now (it's been a couple weeks), and really, it did need to be done. he's still the same charming kid with a big ol' smile and a total tease. that's the part i hope never changes.


and we may have gotten some hair in the mouth, woopsie!


sorry about that buddy!



a nice shot of the oven. don't think i've mentioned that on the blog yet, actually. yes, i am in fact carrying another one. due in the middle of may. super excited! and super ready, like, right now. still over two months to go though...




beth decided that she wanted to help... i told her she could help comb. thank goodness she was satisfied with that. hyde, not so much...


and actually, a pretty solid snapshot that epitomizes their relationship. if you only knew...



and i did okay, right? for a first time?



generally speaking, we made it through without any major disasters. that was the real triumph. and he, a fairly good sport. just the first of many to come, son. brace yourself...