Brooklyn turned THREE

Brooklyn turned THREE yesterday. Happy Birthday to her!!!
Please feel free to join me for a little pictorial of her day.

When she was just 5 months old (Max's age) she came to be my "first" baby while her Mom went back to teaching school. That whole first year I had her AND Jayce everyday. She was SUCH a good little baby that it was totally easy to have her (and so was jayce). She grew and developed this total drama queen personality, even at a year old. I had funny stories to tell Jenny every day. That first year FLEW by. Then came the second, and she just got bigger and bigger, her hair grew longer and her smarts got smarter. She filled my days with smiles and help. Maggie was with us that 2nd year and I really came to rely on little Miss Brooklyn for all her help. Now, suddenly we're at THREE. How did this happen? That sweet little baby, funny little toddler has turned into this pretty little, dramatical princess:

She showed up resplendant in turquoise from head to toe. Please note the totally awesome jellies she's wearing on her tootsies. Apparently she'd told her Mom all morning that she couldn't WAIT for her crown. When Jenny tried to offer her her princess crown that she already had at home, the answer was a firm NO. She was waiting for her BIRTHDAY crown. She was remembering THIS:

Last year when she showed up she got this crown and a balloon. Her wee little brilliant mind remembered that. She slays me. Anyway, I guess I've begun a tradition. New crown and balloon each year.

So, on Monday Brooklyn picked out some lipgloss at the store. I told her it would be for her birthday. She was ECSTATIC when she finally got to open it and start applying. She has an obsession bordering on OCD with lipgloss. Anyway, she and Maggie (note the crown, we wanted her to enjoy the day too) ran straight to the hall and began applying like crazy.

Perhaps I'm not driving home the point enough. So bad is her obsession, that I finally had to impose an hour rule. Every hour I'd allow her to hold and apply the lipgloss. Otherwise, she would just endlessly put it on, each color, over and over and over again.

That morning at 6:30 a.m. when Dixie and I ran to Wal-mart (shutup) after our workout, I picked up a coloring book and crayons. I'm sorry, but how adorable is THIS little picture. Of course, I took this JUST before world war III broke out over who had ultimate control of the book. But at least there was a moment.

I threw some cupcakes in the oven so we'd have them for her birthday celebration with the cousins. She got to help me frost them.

Displaying the finished product, all ready to go to our lunch date. Did I mention she never stopped asking all morning long if she could eat one yet. No matter how many times I said no, or explained why she had to wait, she'd still come back like she'd never asked before. What is it with their tiny little brains that just does NOT hear what we say?

I got all nutty and decided we should meet up with everyone at Peter Piper for some lunch and fun. I'm here to tell you, what a great deal. They totally have a lunch buffet with yummy salad and all you can eat pizza for $4.99 adults, $3.99 kids, and any child 3 and under is free. Hello, so cheap!!

The kids had lots of fun, even if there were only two rides to go on. Brooklyn was pleased as punch, not that it was her birthday, but that all her cousins were there and she was out of the house and playing.

I think Maggie was a bit confused on the finer points of Skee ball. Oh well, she sure is cute.

Here they all are, minus Max who somehow just never gets in the picture. From L to Right we have:

Owen, Dane, Morgan (who was having fun I promise) Brooklyn, Jayce and Maggie. I'm soooo happy that there is this bunch of cousins all relatively close in age. They just love eachother so much and have such a good time together.

FINALLY the blessed cupcake was hers! She enjoyed it so much she ate another, while Jayce was wholly uninterested in his.

Last but not least I leave you with this pic of Maggie, truly enjoying her cupcake goodness. That girl definitely loves to eat, if she's in the mood.

All in all it was a grand celebration day for Brooklyn. It is amazing to me to see how much she has grown and changed over the last year. She is so smart, silly, maddening, adorable, funny, TALL, cute, naughty, frustrating and fun. I can't imagine my days without her and her million questions and comments. And for what it's worth, neither can Maggie. When Brooklyn is not around, she is missed.

Happy Birthday you little stink bug!