3rd Birthday

Birthday brunch on Saturday with G & G, Uncle Ben &
the Tanners!

Thanking Daddy for breakfast

MaryAlice was oblivious to the overload of her birthday.  Not only do we share a birthday, which I was okay with before my grandpa died on "our" day.  The day was already overloaded being the girls last day of school and a carnival to celebrate.  I cleverly decided to call the carnival MaryAlice's birthday party, but it ended up being far more than I could handle on one day.  I told Andy a few days ago that I officially moved my day to July 2.  It's possible to share with my baby, but not with that and Grandpa's birthday.

Andy took MA and I out to breakfast and then dropped us off at the mall while he got a haircut.  MaryAlice was  a spectacle with her "birthday girl" shirt and skirt.  She did surprisingly well since I quickly hauled her into Younkers to pick up a black dress for the funeral and a card at Hallmark... w/o a stroller to lock her in place.  It was an act of God to find a dress on sale for $20. I needed to get a card for Grandma, so I had to take her to Hallmark... not a kids store as it's over half breakable!  I whisked her in, picked up a card and was trying to distract her while I paid by talking to her about her party.  She got super excited, so I had to calm her by telling her she needed to take "a little rest" (nap) before we could go to her party.  This is when she laid down in the middle of the store and commenced fake snoring as she said,  "I rest here so I go to my party!"  We gathered a crowd and brightened a tough day!

Lying down on the floor in the middle of Hallmark

I know I have pics from the party somewhere, but I can't seem to find them.  The whole day was such a emotional day that I barely remember any of it except for the card several of the ladies (moms/faculty) at school gave me with a gift certificate.  It was so unexpected and thoughtful that it moved me immensely.  What sweet ladies!  I needed to tangibly feel loved that day and they sure did that for me.  It got me through the carnival with a smile and home before I crashed in my bed...

"You can stay with me now"

check out the outfit... she has Annabelle's tank
under her shirt

got to love the pose

seriously?  

too cute!

She refers to this piece of  tupperware as "the baby-sitter"
b/c she can sit in it

Belle was climbing over her to get into her seat,
but she wouldn't let go of "Anna-B" as she calls
her... much ot Belle's dismay

Playground fun

she climbed up on her dresser

She walked around like this for at least an hour!

This child kills me!!!  We stopped by McDonald's for ice cream after watching Gretchen's soccer game.  Of course the closest one had the playground, so MA was off to play!  We ate while she played, and of course at three, we've been working on coming when called.  We've spent a lot of time at various playgrounds and we've progressed from full on losing it to short protest.  We're improving albeit slowly and no where near perfect.  We actually did the whole call for her last week and head to the car.  When she spotted us ready to pull away she came running.  We "high-fived" our excellent parenting knowing we had to celebrate our successes to get us through all the humiliations :)  We thought our walk away approach would stick, but boy were we wrong!

You will not believe this one!!!  We walked away and left her in the playroom while a host of McDonald's guests waiting in astonishment at the brilliance of our parental skills... We stopped outside the door expectant that she'd come running, but saw a man and his family burst out laughing hysterically.  Without skipping a beat, she turned to that family and said, "Now you can stay with me,"  and headed back up the slide!!!

We are amazing parents!  Nothing like a good dose of humility to finish the evening!

quotes of Christmastime 2010

"Who's that MaryAlice?" Daddy asks as she points to Santa? 
"That's Noah," she says without skipping a beat.  (Annabelle called him Moses when she was that age)

While holding the shepherds from my breakable figurines of the nativity scene...
"You need to go potty?  I help you, otay.  You have panties on?  Good.  (While suspending them over the toilet seat) psssst. Oh! Good job.  You get treat.  You get M & M.

Pointing to santa in the mall we ask MA who it is and without skipping a beat she says, "That's Merry Christmas."

"Smile Mommy, I take picture... of your butt"  (I'm fully clothed sitting on the bean bag chair)

"Mommy you want to go in a fish with me?" she says.
"What are you, Jonah?"  I ask
"yes, I Jonah.  Can I go in a fish when I get older?" she asks. 
I don't respond right away.
"Oh, I older. I can go in fish.  I Jonah," she says with a giggle

MaryAlice-isms

June 2011:  3 years old
MA:  "There's something not right in my room"
DAD:  "What's not right?"
MA:  "Something jumped into my tummy"
DAD:  "What?"
MA:  "A little punk.  I can't sleep with a little punk in my stomach"