lucy jane turns 3!

lucy had requested to make kitty cookies earlier in the week, so we took advantage of eloise's nap thursday afternoon & baked :)

& followed it by lu making each of her own thank you's for her birthday guests- she used princess stickers & drew pictures on each one!

my backseat completely filled with balloons! i snuck into lucy's room once she was asleep thursday night & filled in with big birthday balloons for her to wake up to :) thursday night as i was putting her to bed, she said to me, "when it's my birthday, will you help me blow out my birthday candles?"

birthday morning! lucy woke up to balloons, pink flowers from daddy & daddy went into the office late, so he could make the birthday girl's very favorite breakfast- pancakes! lu requested a trip to science city-

& we finished with lunch downtown with daddy, aunt chalon & uncle dave before heading home for naps. we had a big evening ahead!

21 week bump in the midst of the birthday fun :) kicks continue to get stronger & more frequent!

we headed to meme's after nap- auntie amy & family had arrived & lucy got to open gifts with everyone-

afterwards we headed to meme's surprise 60th birthday party!

waiting for meme to arrive with noisemakers in hand-

such a fun, special evening for my mom with her closest friends & family!

saturday was lucy's pink lemonade princess party at the farmstead! the weather couldn't have been more beautiful- 70's & sunny. it was truly a celebration fit for a princess!

burlap "princess lucille" banner than we're moving to her new room :)

setting up-

prince & princess headwear-

lu's pink lemonade cake-

meme made all of the pink lemonade cupcakes with pink lemonade frosting!

aunt alli & eloise-

auntie amy, eloise amy & a sleepy milo-

big kids-

make a wish!

my sweet lucille jane

pink lemonade sugar high!

happiest 3rd birthday to the sunshine who changed my life forever on september 25, 2012 at just 6lbs 10oz. i love everything about this person- her tender heart, sweet spirit, excitement to start each day, eagerness to be a helper & love of books, art projects, music, babydolls & learning new things. i love that she could sit & draw pictures of tornadoes for hours. i love that she sings jingle bells all year long because it just makes her happy. i love that she asks questions [SO MANY] & seeks repetition. she fills my days with joy, royal tea parties & lessons on going easy on myself & prioritizing life. she may only be 3, but she's lived in my heart forever!

xoxo, 

-ivy

jon's parents have the girls this morning until nap time at 1. this is my first time ever being away from eloise during the day like this for someone other than jon, or my mom for a small bit of time! i finally feel like she & i are both at a point where this can be successful, given that nursing is down to just twice a day. i'm so grateful for the opportunity to finish laundry & run some last minutes errands in a timely manner before our big weekend- not the usual story of my life :)

lucy is big into telling her own bedtime stories these days. she'll say "this one is called..." [really it's "talled" because her C's are still T's:)] last night it started with "once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a princess named lucy..." & they usually end with scary snakes, bears, or witches. she loves to be frightened! she's also started calling eloise "el" ... she'll say "come on, el! come on!" wonder if it'll stick? 

jon finished the barn door in our bedroom- jon took this a few days ago & since then he's added hardware. so impressed with his carpentry skills! i told him i'd like every door in the house to be transferred to this, please :) & now that we have this door, he can shower in the master bath in the mornings. he's up & out of the house so early, that he's been showering in the guest bathroom, which is soon-to-be lucy's bedroom's bathroom. we needed a fix!

monday, both girls were still on the back-ends of their colds & the only benefit was 2 hours of afternoon calm in which they both napped :) while lucy hasn't really "napped" since january, she's pretty easy to get to take one if we tell her that she's sleepy/cranky/sick/will be staying up late for something special & that she'll feel better when she wakes up. i'm not exaggerating when i say she's a dream child with her flexibility, although as her mother's daughter, she definitely prefers routine :)

celebrating aunt alli's birthday on monday night! terrible picture quality, but you get the idea. the girls were bouncing off the walls excited :)

tuesday was the perfect zoo day with the jansen boys!

& yesterday morning as i was cleaning up the breakfast mess in the kitchen, the girls brought their chairs inside from the deck & placed them facing the dining room window. i didn't touch this little set up! lucy asked eloise ["eh-weez"], "do you wanna have a sleepover with me tomorrow?"& eloise promptly responded, "yup." 

headed to a makeup dance class, as we have to miss this upcoming saturday for lucy's birthday bash! 

little girl- big studio

& i attempted to sneakily snap this picture of eloise, who had found her favorite princess wig & put it on. as i went to take the photo, she threw her head back & yelled, "cheeeese!"she is such a ham. her personality is loud, endearing, & so different from lucy's in many ways. not quite sure how we're planning to keep up with her rascaliness through the years! she's my tiny, spirited fancy gal :) & a total drama mama!

my mom's birthday [60th!] was yesterday & she spent the evening with the girls & me. jon's out of town until tonight, when our family starts to arrive. we gave my mom a fairy garden kit, which i know she & her grandkids will so enjoy together through the years. big birthday celebrations this weekend! the next time i post, my lu will be THREE!

xoxo, 

-ivy