and then she was three : time flies when you're having fun

as i rocked him to sleep tonight, i lingered with ben a little longer than usual.  i rested my head on his and listened to his soft rhythmic breaths as he drifted off into a dreamland....one probably with lots of bananas and lots of colored balls ;)  i snuggled with him in his darkened room and held him tightly...trying to imprint all of the little details of the moment into my brain.   the way his bottom lip puckers when he sleeps, the way his chubby little fingers grasp mine, those soft sweet cheeks i love to kiss...

my babies are growing up and time seems to slip away before my eyes.  birthdays, like the one ben's big sister had this week, are cause for celebration.  major celebration if you ask my opinion.  but they also remind me just how quickly time flies and how badly i want to grab on to these moments....to soak them up and drink them in and never let them go.

emma claire turned three years old this friday.  she told me mid-week in no uncertain terms, "mommy i want a cinderella party!".  big shock there as she is all about pink and princessy things these days.  work has been so busy that i had put off the little details of the day until the week drew to a close. i had brainstormed in my head but hadn't committed to anything.  we literally put the party together in 12 hours.  total.  between trips to target, michaels, what have you....she got herself a princess party.  it was a little hodge podge and thrown together but it didn't matter.  surrounded by family and dear friends and lots of LOVE we celebrated this little lady of ours and all the wonder, joy, and excitement she brings to our lives.  the star gift of the day was a new pink yukelele (emma is a huge music fan and has been recently wowing us with her breakdancing skills) from our favorites, nina and nags.  she promptly named her yukelele "tookie" ("two"-"key").....the name flew out of her mouth so fast it was like she'd been planning for this moment all her life.  i love this kid.

as a side note, i learned that my husband is quite good at painting mason jars and that ribbon garlands take way longer to make than is reasonable.  and that if all else fails, there are always cupcakes. publix cupcakes.

emmabean, my sweet little thing....you shine so bright and have such a sweet gentle spirit.  your commentary on life keeps getting better and better and those wicked dance moves, well....you're gonna have to teach us a few steps pretty soon.  the way you love art, and music, and dress up....and your little brother....well, it's just more than we could ever ask for.  you are pure magic and at three years old, i can already see you are going very very far in life.  we love you more than all the stars.  happy birthday!

{thanks again to you, miss nina for your stellar photography skills.  seriously, i cried looking at some of the moments you captured}.