Anticipation builds!

Girlies are so beyond excited for Christmas, it's not even funny. Well, actually, it is funny... and cute. The second Faith wakes up every morning, she announces the new countdown until both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They are ready!

Maddie stayed home from school today, and it was a wonderful day with my girls. It always feel like a gift in itself to just be able to relax at home with my 3 best girlfriends and have them here the three of them together. It was ironic what they decided to construct today. Maddie decided that since they've been busy playing with their Princess dolls that they needed a big dollhouse that would fit them. She made one herself out of a box and decorated it with Christmas bows. She and Faith got out their markers and drew a picture of a Christmas tree too to hang beside their make-shift dollhouse.

They played with that all day. The funny part is that I myself spent all of last night putting together their big present this year... a dollhouse that is big enough for their Barbie-sized princess dolls. It's funny how you see the excitement on their faces as the anticipation builds all month long for Christmas, and at the same time, how our anticipation builds just thinking about how their faces will light up when they see their Christmas gifts. We are really excited!

Spent the day outside and then the afternoon making cookies for Santa. It was a fun day!

And, this was graham cracker Christmas house fun this past weekend:

Peaceful days

Enjoyed such a relaxing weekend this past weekend. We didn't do much of anything besides making graham cracker houses, and the doing nothing aspect was literally the best part. I am so thoroughly looking forward to my time off at home with my 3 best girlfriends over the holidays. If only our favorite Daddy-o were off for Christmas with us..

December and an art sale already

Projects out to wazoo these days. Between that and TRYING to do Christmas shopping online (or, rather, practicing the art of putting items in your online shopping cart, and then 1+ hours later removing them all and heading to bed frustrated!) this online journal of mine has really fallen by the wayside.

Sufficed to say, I don't NEED my online jotting down of notes on my three girlfriends, but I do so love this way of being able to fill in the fuzzy outlines of the memories later on down the road in life.

Anyway, girlies have been busy with their set-ups as per usual. Nene got Faith their 1st ever Calico Critters for her 5th birthday, and these girls just adore them. They've had the Playmobil dollhouse in the living room for 2 weeks now, and the squirrel and cow families go back and forth between that dollhouse (their supposed "home") and the smaller dollhouse (which is their vacation home in Disney!). Faith and Abrie were busy playing all sorts of things the other day last week too, and they were having so much fun. They colored some more outfits for Faith's life-size paper dolls and pretended to go to a ball with Rapunzel and Ariel, and then were parading around with blankies on their heads that were supposed to be their astronaut helmets. They literally pulled every food item out of our cupboard then for their "astronaut food" and Dan had to vacuum up a big pile of cocoa powder that fell out while they sat with their cocoa astronaut food:

Maddie has been talking about wanting to do some sort of sale for the longest time. They had so much fun at their bake sale 2 summers ago, and had been wanting to do another one. Maddie is my dreamer of my 3 girlfriends. She thinks up ideas, and wants to make them happen right away. She is always getting notepads and notebooks out and jotting things down when she gets ideas. Well, she decided on Wednesday that she wanted to do an art sale this weekend. She and Faith went through all of their folders that I keep of their artwork, and they made piles of pictures that they didn't mind selling. Maddie hung out in the hallway outside their bedroom in the nighttime and worked on signs to post on our way to school that following morning. I just couldn't tell her no. She was up at 6:30am on Saturday morning wanting to get dressed and ready for her big sale. She brought their little table and chair upstairs to the front door (we told her it was way too cold to sit outside), and put out all the drawings. Dan and I were cracking up at her set-up.. she put a Barbie phone on a little table as her "secretary phone" and a little radio jukebox ornament for "musical entertainment." Her prices were a little outrageous, but she did have 2 customers and made $26! She and Faith were SO excited. They have been saving all their pennies for their Disney fund, and ran right away to put their money in their envelope.

And, Abrielle is just talking like crazy. Her new adorable thing that she says all the time is, "Oh, hunkey dorey!" from "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street." It is so funny when she says it! She sings all the time too, and learns songs just as quickly as her big sisters. She amazes me at how well she can sing the lyrics of songs.

Chapter books

Finished "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" a couple weeks ago with my girlfriends. They loved it, and so I got the movie (the old version with Gene Wilder) from the library and they liked that too.

Tonight before bed we finished "Indian in the Cupboard." I think this one was Maddie's favorite. She and Faith just loved it, and Maddie particularly enjoyed it. It's fun to see what they think of some of my old favorite books!

Ocean party for a 5-year-old Flop

I'd say Faith-y's birthday party this year was quite a success.

It was a LOT of fun! Of course, half the fun is preparing for the party and having them help with the decorations. Girlies made the 'ocean in a bottle' craft a couple of nights beforehand, and they had so much fun with it:

Girlies helped hang the ocean decorations the night before:

Maddie and Faith "painted" some ocean pictures outside with wet sidewalk chalks. They just love doing that, even though I don't necessarily wet the chalks on purpose, but rather forget to bring them in during the torrential downpours;)

A new birthday tradition aside from the birthday videos that has started is a pillowcase dress that I order for the birthday girl. Abrielle had a Bambi pillowcase dress for her Thumper party this past spring, and I secretly ordered Faith an Ariel pillowcase dress for her ocean party. It was supposed to be kept secret until her birthday, but I couldn't help but show her the day before when it arrived in the mail. She absolutely loved it, and I thought she looked adorable:

Faith herself engineered the entire menu for her big day. She was so cute and said she wanted pizza again (a 2nd straight year for this pizza fiend), and "seaweed (spinach dip), clams (clam cookies), and ocean cups (blue jello with Swedish fish)." I somehow managed a small fish cake too:

Faith had so much fun at her party! Tia Rosa got her some adorable outfits and the sweet ocean book that she always checks out of the library. Cousins, aunt Lisi, and Uncle Nate got her some awesome life-size Rapunzel and Ariel paper dolls with outfits and accessories that you can color. Perfectly right up Faith's alley. AND, fairy underpants and a Rosetta doll! She was in heaven. Cousins all made a seashell 'fossil' with air-dry clay and the hit was an ocean trivia game that played like a game of Jeopardy. The weather fortunately was BEAUTIFUL on Friday, so we all walked down to the duck pond and spent a good while playing at the playground and walking around the pond.

It was a perfect day!

My 5-year old baby Faith

I just can't believe that Faith is 5 years old.

I just can't.

My girls are all quite easy to please, but Faith is definitely the most laid-back of her sisters. She had only one request for today, that we please visit the historical society. I thought that was cute that of all the things she could have asked to do, she wanted to go with Abrie AND Maddie (last time we went it was when Maddie was in school) to the historical society to play in the children's area.

So, we visited the historical society this morning and the three of them had a blast. They played so well. It's especially cool because we're the only ones ever there, so they have it all to themselves:

Faith was so excited to turn 5. She's been looking forward to it, and thought it was the coolest thing that she would already be 5 at 5:04am which meant she would wake up this morning as a 5-year old. She was so excited to watch her birthday video this morning when Dan got home, and open her birthday presents from us. We got her the toddler Snow White doll she'd been begging for (this Snow White joins the posse of Snow White dolls that we already own in this house!), and sissies got her a Silvermist fairy doll. Oh, she was in heaven. I am slightly worried though that having Silvermist has now touched off a "Silvermist needs some fairy friends" initiative for Christmas-- they were already asking today to edit their Santa lists to add fairy dolls.

Faith is very much looking forward to her ocean birthday party on Friday. She's essentially having the same birthday party as last year-- she requested another ocean/Ariel party! She's too funny. So, we've been busy for weeks making our decorations and jotting down ideas. The three of them worked on an ocean craft the other night, and it turned out great. Faith came up with ideas all her own for things to eat, etc so she is excited. One of my friends from work heard me saying that I didn't know how I would ever be able to make a beluga whale or narwhal cake that Faith had wanted, and she took it upon herself to make a whale cake for Faith! It turned out cute, and we just tweaked it a little:

I just adore this little Faith-y of mine. Her love for the ocean, her obsession with Snow White and a certain cowgirl named Jessie, her sweet little voice, and her huge heart. I don't know how in the world I've blinked and my turkey baby has turned FIVE, but I am definitely looking forward to this year of being 5 with my Flop.

Of books and imaginations

Imagination?? My girls aren't lacking in that department!

Faith and Abrielle were cracking me up yesterday morning. I had the laundry hamper downstairs while I was folding laundry, and Faith decided to use her blankie as a pizza. She and Abrie would help "stretch" their pizza dough across the hamper (which was their pizza pan), and then they'd pretend to call me and ask me if I wanted a pizza. What made me laugh the most was that Faith said her name was 'Papa John' and Abrie was 'Bruno' (we have an awesome pizza place around here called Bruno's). I would pretend to eat their pizza, and say 'Magnifique!' Faith said to me, "Momma, we are not French pizzas. We are Englishes!" Too funny.

This is Bruno and Papa John:

Maddie and Faith have playing a lot lately that Abrie is their baby. Abrie of course eats up this role and gets to be tucked in to bed with a pillow and a blanket. Her fake sleeping is quite adorable!

********

Girlies were so excited yesterday to check out the new "Bumblebee Boy" book, a great follow-up to the awesome "Ladybug Girl" series of books. They love the new book about Bumble Bee Boy and his baby brother!

And, we are one chapter short of finishing "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." They just LOVE it.

Locks sent with love

My big girls have been asking for over a year now if they can cut their hair short and donate it to little girls that have cancer and need it more than they do.

Well, they cut their hair yesterday. We saw a sign that a new Great Clips near us was cutting hair for $3.99, and so we decided the price was right.

I couldn't be prouder of my two big girls. They have read so many books about kids and parents with cancer, and one of their favorites is "Sophie's Lovely Locks." They have also known 2 little girls that have passed away because of childhood cancer- little Alexa, whom we knew through an Air Force friend of Dan's, and Alexia (crazy name coincidence) from Maddie's dance class when she was 4 years old. Alexa passed away at the age of 4, and Alexia just passed away this past August. Alexia would have been seven years old, and they both had Stage IV Neuroblastoma. Needless to say, these 2 girls still have a place in their hearts.

I was gently asked yesterday at the hair salon, "are you ok? You look like you are going to have a panic attack." I really did feel like I was going to have a panic attack. After all, I just love my girls' beautiful hair. I can't help that feeling, and I think every mother has an attachment to their daughter's hair. But, when I saw Maddie and Faith sitting there so proudly without any hesitation and saying so confidently, "I want to donate my hair!" I felt the pride in my heart quiet the anxiety.

Gorgeous fall day

Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for my Sunday with my 3 best girlfriends.

Dan has been working a lot of overtime lately, and yesterday he slept for 1 1/2 hours. He is crazy. I don't know how he does it, and so today we decided that we'd spend the day outdoors so poor Daddy could have quiet for sleeping.

Girlies spent the entire morning playing Cars and then Ponies. They had quite the elaborate set-ups going:

Faith has been wanting to go up to the creek, and Maddie agreed this would be a great day to ride her bike there. Of course Abrie brought along her doll stroller and was as happy as could be.

We finished up our afternoon at the "instrument" playground, and I couldn't believe we had the entire playground to ourselves! I'm still not sure why there wasn't anybody else there on such a beautiful day?!

Earlier this week...

Faith loves to clean. This is the girl that put an ironing board and an iron on her Christmas list when she was 2 years old. Well, let's just say she's in 7th heaven with our new (*finally, after 9+ years of our poor ol' vacuum cleaner) vacuum cleaner. She helps me vacuum all the floors, and Abrie is content to sit in a chair and put up her feet;)

My two buddies also got around to doing their skeleton craft this week... the day AFTER Halloween. They loved it, and I was even impressed with how well Abrielle did. Of course, Maddie wanted to do one when she came home from school too!

If only there were a Neverland

We were reading and singing the "Puff the Magic Dragon" book before bedtime tonight. I should have known where this would lead for a certain little Flop who happens to be ultra-sensitive about "growing up" these days (que the memory of a certain other little girl named Maddie who used to be the exact same way at this age and younger... I vividly remember a time at the apartments when 3-year old Maddie came up to me in tears out of the blue saying "Momma, I don't want to be a teenager!").

Anyway, Maddie and Abrie came out looking for me about 10 minutes after they had gone to bed. They had been in there singing the song to each other, and Maddie told me that Faith seemed sad. I went in and asked her what was wrong and she started bawling: "Why does Jackie Paper have to grow up?? I wish nobody would grow up. I don't want to grow up, Momma! I want Jackie Paper to always be with the dragon!"

Oh, my little Flop.

A Mr. Lightyear follow-up

Just as a quick comparison...

The many costumes of Halloween 2011

Halloween Pt. 1 (Maddie's school celebration on Friday Oct 28th):

Maddie was so excited to dress up as Dorothy for her parade. Faith and Abrie like going in costume to watch their sissy, so Faith was a cat and Abrie was a "cute bunny, Momma" (in her words). It's always so fun to see Maddie marching with her class. She looked so cute, and her sisters and Dan and I are always so excited to see her. I stayed afterwards to help during the Halloween activities, and it was fun but slightly disastrous at the end. I should have known that this would happen since she only likes me coming to school to help if she gets to go home with me afterwards (last year she loved when I would go in to help with kid's writing every week, but HATED when I had to leave her after I surprised her for lunch one day). It is the worst feeling in the world to see my little girl crying because she just wants to come home. At the very least, it was an early dismissal day and so she only had to stay another hour after I had left and she came out happy when we went to pick her up that afternoon.

Halloween Pt. 2 (Star Wars day at the library)

The characters from Star Wars visited the library again this year. I was so excited that I was off again for it, and the girlies were really looking forward to it! The snow started that day though, so we couldn't stay too long because it was getting worse while we were there. And, the Shock Trooper plowed over Abrie twice (by accident!). But, they did have a good time and met a cute little girl named Tiana (which Faith thought was the coolest thing in the world to have that name, and Maddie thought she was so cool because she is homeschooled!). The 4 girls were quite the entertainers while everyone waited for the Star Wars characters to get there (delayed because of the snow) and the newspaper photographer actually took a picture of Abrie dancing that made the paper's website. The photographer just loved Abrie!

Abrie dressed as Minnie, Faith was Cinderella, and Maddie came up with her own costume-- a 'pirate princess:'

Halloween Pt. 3 (Trick-or-Treat night)

Our power was restored as I was getting Jessie, Buzz-y Boy, and Rosetta ready for an early Trick-or-Treat (I refused to go out in total darkness, and had told them we would only be able to go while there was still light outside). Needless to say, all 5 of us were super excited! Dan enjoys Trick-or-Treat night just as much as these girls do! He was excited to be able to take them out at night.

Faith has been dying to be Jessie for the longest time. She just ADORES Jessie!! She was beside herself waiting to wear her costume, and was so excited to have a yellow hairbow just like Jessie. Abrielle was the cutest Buzz Lightyear ever!! I really have to go through old pictures and compare Maddie, Faith, and Abrie as Buzz. That costume was Maddie's 1st ever dress-up costume since she was so in love with Buzz Lightyear at the ripe age of 21 months. Abrie was so funny in the costume and loved wearing the wings!! And, Maddie was dying to be a fairy and we borrowed the Rosetta costume from Ella. It was perfect!