Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday, Leah!

 
My princess turned 4 this past Sunday. Four! It's so cliche to say "my how time flies," but it's the truth. I look at Leah and realize that she's no longer a toddler (though I admit she outgrew that title long ago); she's a pre-schooler. (And when I think how she only has one more year before kindergarten... well, I don't want to think about that.) Like any mom, I think the world of my baby girl; she amazes me by how much she knows and how much she's learning every day.

Since her birthday is March 10, here are 10 items that make Leah special, amazing, a joy, a blessing... you get the idea.

1. She's kind, loving, and considerate. (She told Hunter he could help her open her birthday gifts.)
2. She's creative and imaginative. (When asked why she ripped the hair off her toy's head she replied,
     "Because God didn't want her to have any hair." Who can argue with that?)
3. She's learning how to read.
4. She loves ice skating... but only with Daddy. (More details below.)
5. She enjoys doing school. If she's awake when I'm prepping school for the next day, she asks to do
    school right then.
6. She's focused. She could sit and work on art projects all day long.
7. Her favorite colors are pink and purple (like most little girls, I suppose).
8. "Yeah, sure" and "Oh, yeah!" are two of her most used expressions.
9. She still prefers Mommy and Daddy's company to that of her friends (probably because we play
    whatever she wants to).
10. Her favorite game is "dogcatcher". (Basically, it's chase. Scott is the dogcatcher, and Leah and Hunter
     are the dogs -- Lady & Tramp, respectively-- that try to escape from the pound.)

To celebrate Leah's big day, we had both sets of grandparents as well as Great Grandma over for lunch and cake. (Leah didn't want a party with all her friends.) I'll let the pictures (and accompanying captions) narrate the weekend's events. All in all, Leah received all the attention and love that she deserves.

For some reason, she wanted a lion cake. I opted for cupcakes, as they were a bit easier to decorate. I surprised her with pink and purple lions. After all, I had to include her favorite colors somehow.

Leah's birthday flowers. She chose the multicolored roses this year. Not sure how the florists did it since each petal is a different color, but the effect is beautiful!

At her first ice skating lesson Saturday morning. Everyone went to watch... but I guess she was a bit overwhelmed by the class (coaches and kids she didn't know) and upset that Daddy wasn't out there with her, so the class didn't exactly work out.

Guess who was much happier and eager to get out on the ice once Daddy laced up his skates?

Love this girl!

Happy Birthday!

Leah received a doll with a dog. The dog barks and the doll talks, which fascinated Hunter. When Leah opened another gift (another doll), Hunter immediately pressed down on the box in an effort to make it talk, too.

Saturday afternoon (after naps/ rest and the party): time to play in the small patch of snow leftover from last week's storm.

Notice the one gloved-hand here...

and the removal of said glove here. "I don't need no stinkin' gloves to play in the snow! I'm tough!"

And now we STOMP on the snow!

So, about the helmet. Leah had been riding her scooter (a gift from her uncle, aunt, and cousins--- THANKS!) prior to playing in the snow. Rather than taking it off, she just left it on. You know, in case anything might fall on her head.

Her miniature snowman.