Happy Birthday Snapper!

Our lil baby is three years old today! It's been quite a ride so far and we're loving you and your spirit. Some of the things about you that I truly cherish, are your empathy and loving heart. Oh and your love for animals :) Mia, you're so much fun and make us laugh till we're crying. You are the best thing your dad and I have ever done. We're in awe of you and all you do everyday. I love your voice...well, not when you whine. You pretty much talk any chance you get...showing us the world as you see it. Lately, you've been calling me 'mom' and daddy 'daddy-o'. You're very aware of everything around you and are super smart...you get concepts that we can't believe. So, sometimes it's hard for us to think of you as only three years old. You're super fab, baby and we love you!

here I am a couple of weeks before you were born

with your daddy on your birth day...about 20 minutes old with me the following day

our baby at a year old! at your first Daddy Daughter dance

I thought you were so grown up at two!...and so did you :)

here you are at three...or a few days before. your smile makes my heart happy
Happy happy birthday sweet girl!

Fairy Tea Party

While enjoying Ethiopian food last week with friends, I mentioned that Mia had finally seen Peter Pan and was in LOVE with Tinkle Bell :) Courtney's daughter, Izzy and Erica's daughter, Devin are totally into fairies and princesses and the mamas were thrilled that they had another little girl who was just getting her feet wet in the fairy world. Well a Fairy Tea Party HAD to be planned! So on Friday, Mia dressed in her fairy finest, carrying blueberry scones, went to her first Fairy Tea Party.

Wow! What a spread!!! Courtney went all out!!! The mamarazzi was in full force for this too cute event. I found that Mia enjoys dipping her scone in her peppermint tea. All the little girls...and Devin's bro Joey, all dressed up at a tea party was beyond precious! Then Courtney blew up an air mattress, covered it in pillows for their Fairy Pad..so they could watch the Tinkerbell movie in style. the movie was well done and the girls were delighted to hang on their fairy pad while the mamas chatted and ate crumb cake (thanks Erica!)

Ohhhh then it was discovered that Mia's birthday was a mere 4 days away! Well! The girls ran around decorating Izzy's room and pulled out a Melissa and Doug birthday cake in Mia's honor. I think the older girls were more into it than Mia, because all attention went to Courtney and her laundry basket filled with snowballs...um, rolled up socks. Snowball FIIIIIGHT!!!! We ended up staying so late that the dads came home, but brought pizza with them. This was a Fairy Tea Party that Mia will never forget!

and true to form, I just can't pick my best shot...which one do you like best?

More best shots here

Will Snuggle For Food

for more Wordless Wednesday shots, hit the cute pink button below :)

4 Shots

Another day without daddy, and we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Bonnie to the RESCUE! We met their family down at Waterloo for breakfast....a yummy yummy yummy breakfast.

Before they got there, Mia and I had a few moments alone. I took four shots...the one of the tree was Mia's idea. While sipping her lemonade, she looked way up then asked if I'd brought her camera. Nope. She paused and then asked if I would take a picture of the tree...it's beautiful, she said.

Holiday Cookies 2008 (aka Sprinkle Time!)

Mia and I baked up some holiday cookies...regular sugar cookies in the shapes of candy canes and trees then some gingerbread men. Mixing, rolling, cutting out and baking the dough was fun...so I thought. Then came the SPRINKLES!!!!

I'm not sure when the last time was that we had that much fun! Mia's sprinkle theory: icing, sprinkles for me, sprinkles for cookie, sprinkles for me...eat cookie!

In the time it took Mia to decorate one cookie, I did about 25! She's serious about her sprinkles. We may have to have a sprinkle intervention...scroll down to see why! What's even more hilarious was when she 'found' sprinkles on the rug and told Niles (our dog), 'NO! those are MY sprinkles!!!' and then ate a bunch more! tis the season :)

New Photographer in the Family

This is Gwen, my two year old niece

(with a sticker on her nose)

At yesterday's Dog Party playdate (a post about it will come in the near future...no worries), Gwen, sat in my lap and was interested in my camera. Now, this girl has been around cameras....her mama has one just like mine :)....so, I held it for her, showed her were the button was and enjoyed her excitement of watching her click away, and click away she did...I had it set on continuous shooting, so she got about a gazillion (ok, 22) of her pal Che. Gwen also took a shot of Mia that took my breath away. It's simple, but, I feel, so beautiful.

Here's her artistry: