Happy 3rd Birthday Avery!

Dear Avery,
What a delight you are! I love being your mother. You are a firecracker--full of sparkle and energy, dazzling.

Your birthday display highlights some of the things you love. The books "Madeline" and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom." You {exasperatedly} love how dad starts every book with you by saying, "I think this book is too scary." A boot from the set you wear in all sorts of weather, a bit a of a trademark for you. "Mary Poppins," your favorite movie, full of music you love to sing and to dance with. A baby picture of you in the swing, something you still adore and ask to do multiple times a day. Your Tinkerbell lunchbox; you remind me of her, flitting about from place to place, and a fiery spark along with your sweet personality. Your "Avery: The First 2 Years" book. You love reading it and looking at your pictures, and you got another book this year, all about your 3rd year. A box of Macaroni and Cheese--yum. A picture of you a year ago, with concern all over your face. You are more lighthearted now, but still very conscious of the underdog.

You asked for a tea party birthday, so we had Carolyn and Kate, & Payton and CJ over. You ate Cheetos--compliments of Warren--crackers and cheese and orange smiles, and apple juice, all on my China set. Then you each got to choose your own frosting colors and decorate mini-cupcakes. You wanted a "big, blue cupcake." Once I showed you a teapot cake to see if you would like that, and you reminded me that you wanted a "cupckae like the one [I] made for Tutu."

You keep me on my toes, always keeping me humble and realistic about my parenting abilities. You love to answer, with a mischievous grin, "I don't know" when I ask you, "Why do you think?" You don't love to stay in time-out, and you definitely don't have an "inside voice." You have a booming singing voice and great dance moves. You love to be naked, and cold doesn't seem to bother you. Bathtime is a favorite with you, as is a cup of water before each nap and bedtime. You love to help me mix and bake. You love to sample the batter or dough even more.
You have a twinkle in your eyes that melts me and a sincere heart that disarms me. You are every sibling's best friend.
I love you Avery.

Mom

Abigail's Dance Recital

Abigail loves to dance anywhere, especially on our rug at home and on our backyard stage. It is delightful to see the added grace that pre-school ballet class adds to her moves. She was so excited to wear make-up for the recital, by the way.

Nativity Role Requests

I asked my kids what they wanted to be in the Blake Family Nativity and this is what they said:

Warren: "I want to be Joseph" (his second choice would be a shepherd and his third choice would be an angel)

Abigail: "I want to be Mary" (her second choice would be an angel)

Avery: "I want to be monkey" (her second choice would be a monkey)

I included this picture since it illustrates the allure of the monkey. For Halloween, Avery had a really cute butterfly costume, very much like Abigail's, but in blue and purple. After wearing to to one party, taking off her wings, taking off her tutu, taking off her antennae--she only had her leotard on--we got home and she asked, "Mom, can I be a monkey?" I thought about what was in our costume bin, and said, "Yes." So we dug out the monkey costume and had a happy little monkey all night long. Avery flipped the long tail and loved it. Not to mention it was SO COLD that night and she stayed nice and warm.

Avery also asked me yesterday, "Tan I be a monkey when we do Chritmat Caroling?" (Can I be a monkey when we go Christmas caroling?) I told her yes.

(This is my neighbor with my kids; he was dressed as a redneck for Halloween, he is very respectable looking in real life :)

Generous Hearts

This picture is from last month, but it is such a happy memory, so I had to include it. Abigail is really in to having tea parties, and we spontaneously had one with Abigail and Avery's good friends. We used my real china and Abigail served crackers, carrots, pudding and apple juice, I think. The cute thing was that it was Kate's birthday, and Abigail didn't know that, just that it was close to her birthday. So, she made sure a candle was lit for her to blow out. When we found out it was her birthday, we turned on special "princess" music and we all sang to her. She loved it and they all loved it, even though they weren't all the center of attention.
This morning, Abigail couldn't find her lunch box, and without a moment of hesitation, Avery said, "Abigail, you can use mine." Actually, it sounded more like, "Abidail, you tan ude mine!" Avery emptied the whole thing out and sent it with Abigail. It was so sweet.

Laundry Gnome and Pretty Pilgrim

While moving laundry today, Madeleine and I discovered this forgotten hat. And now I have a laundry gnome. She really liked it and talked very excitedly to herself in the mirror for a long time.
Below is Abigail's pilgrim hat. It was embellished all over with drawings of red-cheeked pilgrims with broad-brimmed hats, rainbows, rain, sunshine, flowers, and striped in the back with pink and black.