Happy Birthday Sophie Kitty!

 It's hard to believe that nearly a year ago we were worried about Sophie's speech. She's come a long way. Occasionally she likes to make up her own words and define them for me, and I catch a glimpse of what I thought communicating with her was going to be like. But it isn't. The imaginary words are kind of fun. More fun when I can pronounce them the way she wants me to, but fun nonetheless. And the fact that she speaks really well and is constantly adding new words to her vocabulary is a huge relief.

And for the most part I'd say that today was a fabulous birthday. Lydia treated Sophie like a queen. She's always really good to Soph, but she was especially thoughtful today. She wrapped a present for her at preschool and was so excited to give it to her (Sophie's opening it below; it's an egg Lyd's decorated at school). She kept talking about her guests arriving after dinner, and how they were coming to celebrate Sophie (Sophie prayed for her guests when she blessed the food at dinner) and she kept Sophie's "big" present a secret.

Sophie woke up to find a string of Hello Kitty balloons hanging on the wall. She told all of us that the pink ones were hers, the green ones were Mia's and Lydia got the purple ones.

 

She picked out a beautiful dress and some lovely tights to wear for her party later and approved Mia's outfit before we got to sit down together. While Lydia was at school she and I read four of her current favorite books together: Wiggy (a tale of a tail that wigged instead of wagged), Miss Nelson is Missing, Owen, and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.  She helped me do laundry and then we picked up Lydia. She got to jump in a bounce house outside and watch Bolt while Jon and I decorated her cake and cupcakes. She'd requested a pink cake and so Jon frosted her cat cake pink, but when she saw it she asked why it wasn't brown like most cats. She said she still liked it though. :)

Right before things really got started Jon measured Sophie to see how much she'd grown since last year. Several family members took guesses ranging from an inch to four inches. Soph grew a solid three and a half inches since turning two!

When the party finally started and her guests had arrived, she was so fun to watch opening her presents. She gasped a lot, got confused about which Grandma was which when she went to thank them, and lit up every time she opened a gift. She blew out her candle without too much trouble. I think she got it on her second attempt, and she ran around outside with her sisters and cousins and Uncles.

When Jon brought her big present (a bike) up from the basement, she hopped right on it. I think she would have taken off if she could have. She also carried her little gray kitten around with her most of the evening. The cute little thing was the perfect addition to her kitty party.

She invited Lydia to come in her castle, and agreed to let Mia come in another day. Though she wasn't allowed in, Mia loved looking through the windows at her sisters and giggling at them. And giggle she did, lots and lots.

The only reason today was not a full on success was that sweet Sophie went to bed with a fever. For sure not the way anyone wants to end a day or spend a day, but especially not on your birthday. Hopefully she feels better tomorrow.

Three looks good on you Soph! Cant wait to see what adventures await you this year!