Bye Bye Binky!

Old habits can be very hard to break, especially when it is something you have been doing your whole life, but I knew that now was the time for Lily to get rid of her binkies.  That's correct, my four year old would still use a binky during her naps and at bedtime.  Please don't judge me.  I saw that this was her source of comfort and couldn't bear to take them from her, but this day has long since been overdue.

So we went around the house collecting Lily's binkies and placed them in a box to send them off to someone who needed them more than her.  Sophia even threw one of hers in for good measure...

Lily chose the paper to wrap the box in and even picked out the bow...

She actually seemed eager to send them off and signed her name so that the recipient would know they were from her...

Once the box was wrapped, we placed it on the front porch and waited for Frosty the Snowman to come get his binkies (because we all know that a snowman can't live without one)...

Lily said one last goodbye...

I was pretty certain that the eagerness she was feeling would have faded by the time she had to lay down for bedtime.  She did cry for a few minutes, but then quickly fell asleep.  She slept through the night and when she woke up at 7:45 this morning, she happily proclaimed that "Mama, I slept all night without my binky and guess what, Frosty came and got his binkies."

Maybe old habits aren't so hard to break after all!

Postponed Party

We were supposed to be celebrating Lily's 4th birthday today, but the weather didn't want to cooperate...

We thought that by this afternoon the icy roads would have melted away, but even Joe, who is used to icy roads, deemed it too dangerous to drive.  So I had to be the one to tell Lily that we were going to have to change the date of her party.  She seemed to be fine with it, as long as she could go outside and make a "'No Angel"...

The ground was much too hard to make a snow angel, but there was just enough snow to make the tiniest of snowmen...

and that seemed to be enough for Lily...

After the snow had turned their little fingers to icicles, we thought it was only fair that Lily get to open one of her birthday presents, which our neighbor was nice enough to bring over...

Although I had dreaded telling my Lily that we weren't going to be able to have her party today, I was certainly surprised by her maturity in dealing with it.  Just another example of how my little girl is growing up!

All Things Disney

With the excitement of our upcoming trip to Disney World right around the corner, our lives have truly become all things Disney.  Lily has always believed herself to be one of the long lost princesses, but now, even more so, those beloved Disney characters been even more present in our house.

The girls had their choice of any pajamas they wanted and this is what they chose...

In an attempt to get Sophia interested in potty training, we let her choose some big girl underwear.  Even with all of the Elmo and Dora underwear around, she still went with Tinkerbell.  I think she was happy about her choice...

I can't blame the girls for their excitement and I should be honest and tell you that I am just as excited as them.  There is no better place for two little princesses than the Happiest Place on Earth.  I just can't wait to get there!

Snow Suits

So far this winter in Arkansas has been cold, very cold.  There have been many days spent inside because of the less than stellar weather and I don't blame the girls for dreaming of warmer weather.  

However, I still found this to be an odd sight... 

Bathing suits and snow don't generally go together, but if the thought of warm weather and sunshine helps them get through the cold, then who am I to tell them any different??

Pony Up

I knew this day would eventually be here, but I didn't realize that it would take two years for it to arrive.  

The day has finally come that I can do this to Sophia's hair...

Not that this is something that I would want to do often, but she seems to like it...

Thirty Plus Two

It is that time of year again.  I knew it would be coming soon because after all, it seems to show up every 365 days.  Nothing ever seems to change except for the number.  It goes higher each year and this year, it has reached 32.

Today is my 32nd birthday and as Lily said, "Mommy, you're really old!"  Funny thing is, I really don't feel very old.  In actuality, today I was feeling really loved.

I knew thirty-two wouldn't be so bad when I was greeted with these this morning... 

and given hugs from them...

and when I played silly games with her...

and when I saw how beautiful they have become...

and when he treated me to a special dinner with my family...

and our friends...

Then I got to eat this...

and then he surprised me with these...

and then I received these from family and friends...

His made me laugh...

Theirs made me smile...

and, as always, hers made me cry...

But they all had one thing in common.  This 32nd birthday would be one I never forget because you all made me feel SPECIAL.

If this is how thirty-two makes a person feel, then I welcome it with open arms.  May this be my most wonderful year yet!