Happy Birthday to me!

I had a wonderful 37th (gasp!!) birthday.  I woke up to my 3 little buddies singing Happy Birthday on my bed.  The day was busy with Leah's dance class, meeting my parents for lunch (new teapot and yummy coconut green tea from my Mom & Dad), dentist appointments for myself and Leah (yes, a dentist appt on my birthday...Leah did fantastic for her first visit), Jillian's rhythmic gymnastics class, and then home for dinner with my 4 favourite people.

3 happy kids and an ice cream cake - what more could a girl ask for?

I was spoiled by my wonderful husband as usual.  A new pandora charm for my bracelet to represent something new and exciting in our lives (more to come on that later).  Along with a new stereo with a dock for my ipod and a learn-to-knit book I've wanted...upon hearing about this one my sister asked if I had turned 57 instead of 37, ha.

I love the little boxes :-)

What comes in the big boxes is fun too!

The kids never outgrow wanting to play with the packaging...

I love how much fun my kids have when the camera is on them - I never get tired of the candid shots we take...

I was also blessed with many Happy Birthday wishes from many friends and family.  It was a great birthday!

party time

 Leah had quite the birthday weekend. 

On Saturday we had her birthday party at our house with a few friends from her preschool class.  Tinkerbell was the birthday them (Leah LOVES Tink).  I had fairy wings and wands for the girls, and pirate dressup stuff for the boys.  We played with the parachute, had an obstacle course with the tunnel and tried to put the sticker on Tinkerbell's flower.  Three years old is still a bit young when you are in a strange house so not everyone wanted to fully participate in the organized games but everyone had fun in the playroom nonetheless, and Leah had a fantastic time.

 Leah requested a purple Tinkerbell cake...

On Sunday Leah's best friend Keira had her birthday party (they share the same birthday!).  Leah also had a cake at this party and blew out candles (she was quite the pro at blowing out candles). 

After the party we hit the mall and I surprised Leah with a trip to Build-A-Bear.  Kyle and Jillian have done this numerous times but Leah has never picked out a bear here.  So I figured it would be a fun thing to do now that she's 3 (plus I had a coupon!). 

And then it was time to blow out candles on a cupcake after dinner, and the birthday weekend extravaganza was complete.  Now Leah has some shopping to do with all the birthday gift cards she received!

Three

Three years ago our family changed forever.  I remember when I was pregnant with Leah I spent many moments wondering "what have I done?".  Kyle and Jillian were getting older and were such a good pair, playing together and getting along as good as siblings can.  Even strangers would ask me why I was having another child after hearing I had a son and daughter.  It just seemed to buck conventional wisdom to add more chaos into our lives.  All I knew is our family did not feel complete until Leah was born.  Being Kyle and Jillian's mommy certainly had me fulfilled (and busy!).  But the very instant Leah was born she had a special place in our family.  I remember giving birth in the evening and there was a little more time left in the hospital visiting hours.  So Jeff drove home fairly soon after Leah was born to bring my Mom, Kyle and Jillian to the hospital to meet Leah.  Kyle and Jillian were in love from the very moment they met her...

Leah has a great relationship with both Kyle and Jillian.  It's different with each of them though.  With Jillian, who is just slightly more than 3 years older, she has a fun playmate.  They both enjoy playing with Barbies, watching princess movies, doing arts and crafts and playing dressup.  Her relationship with Kyle is special because with a 7 year age gap there isn't any sort of sibling rivalry between them.  Kyle is always happy to carry her around and let her sit on his knee and he's always willing to help her out.

I can hardly believe the amazing little girl this baby has turned into.  Leah is caring, affectionate, confident, sweet, strong-willed, funny and loves to make everyone smile.  She loves Dora, her stuffed animals (especially her pink bunnies), baby dolls, soft blankets, dancing, gymnastics, and running around with her big brother and big sister.  She loves to be a part of whatever we are doing, even if she seems to be too young, she's happy to participate in whatever way possible. 

Happy Birthday Leah!