Happy Birthday Lyds!!

Little Lydia is three!!   It's hard to believe she's been part of our lives for as long as she has when it feels like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital.

We've been talking about her birthday for months.  Originally she wanted a kitty cake, but a few weeks ago (around Easter) she changed her mind.  A Blu party, inspired by Rio, captured her imagination.  This morning she and I made bluebird cupcakes while Sophie napped.  She was mostly a big help in the beginning... until dipping her fingers in the cake mix became her priority.  Anyway, they came together nicely in the end, and Lydia seemed really excited about them until Jon came home with balloons.  At which point the cupcakes could have vanished and nobody would have cared!  Really, the night could have ended right then and both Lydia and Sophie would have been beyond happy.  You should have seen them!!  Sophie couldn't stop smiling and refused to let go of her balloon.  And Lydia.  She kept telling Jon and me that she had a pink balloon.  And that Sophie's was purple.  And that's all she wanted to talk about.  She ran around and around worrying about her balloon, and when she was separated from it so that I could do her hair she started crying.  I had no idea that a balloon could make such a difference to the birthday girl.  All the difference, apparently.

Anyway, it was a fun evening with family, and Lydia was sweet and excited about all of her gifts.  It cracked me up to hear her announce, "it's Twilight Sparkle!" When she opened Aunt Cathy and Uncle Caleb's gift.  She knows her My Little Ponies.  From those ponies, and the many movies and books she's familiar with, this little girl has an incredible imagination.  And now, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Frazier, she has her own baby doll so that she doesn't have to wait for Sophie to nap so that she can play with hers!  She's grown so much since her last birthday.  I loved seeing her share the little beanie stuffed animals with Sophie that Aunt Jess and Uncle Derek gave her.  Sharing.  Such a hard lesson to learn!

 It seems like every day she learns new words or memorizes songs or rhymes.  She loves to tell me that Soph and Tophe rhyme.  She'll sing primary songs in the bath and sometimes at lunch.  Today she started singing, "Hi, my name is Joe.  I have a wife and three kids and I work in a button factory..."  She's also a little artist.  She draws faces really well.  Always upside down for some reason...but they look great when she's done, so the crayons from Grandma and Grandpa Blackhurst will be well used.  And she still loves being read to as much as she always has.  I love reading to her before she goes to bed at night.  But my favorite part of the night was watching Lydia run back and forth across the sidewalk in front of our house.  She loves to do that every day, and she's fast!  Even our six year old neighbors have commented on her speed.  Her bloody toe didn't stop her.  Didn't even phase her. If given the option she always chooses to go barefoot.  She's one tough cookie!  Happy third birthday Lydia!!  We love you!!