Lizzie is THREE

It's crazy to think that our little Lizzie-Lou is already three years old! Time has flown by so quickly, particularly this past year since Bryce was born (he will be ONE in two weeks and I can hardly believe it!). Lizzie has grown exponentially over this past year and it has been so much fun to see her come out of her shell and watch her cute little personality shine. We love her so much!

Here is a quick re-cap of her past birthdays:

(in the hospital as a newborn)

(1st Birthday)

(2nd Birthday)

We decided that we didn't want to throw our kids BIG birthday parties until they were three. So her first two birthdays were celebrated with only family members. This year, however, was another story. Lizzie has been talking about her birthday for months now. She kept reminding me that she wanted to have a Green Eggs and Ham cake. And that she wanted a party where all of her nursery friends could come. So we went along with her wishes and invited a bunch of her friends and their families over.

The party was actually the day after her birthday (Friday the 13th). And I was so busy having fun that I didn't take a single picture. I know, what kind of Mother am I?! I really had a great time thought. We ate BBQ food (hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.), and all of the kids played on our playground the entire time. It was a little crazy with so many kids on the playground, and although there were a few tears, there weren't any major injuries. After playing for about an hour and a half, we ate the Green Ham Cake and Green Eggs Cupcakes that I made and then Lizzie opened her presents. She got TONS of presents and we are so grateful for everyone that came and made her birthday so special!

As a side note, me made WAY to many hamburgers. Holy Cow. Jon and I have been eating hamburgers for nearly every meal since Friday night. I only have one per meal, but Jon has had up to 4 per meal. Needless to say, I hope that I never see a hamburger again! :)

I was originally thinking that the party would be both inside and outside, and so I decorated the inside of the house a bit. No one ended up coming inside, but it doesn't really matter because Lizzie has been having a blast with all of the balloons!

The cake was really easy to make, surprisingly. I baked it in two bread pans and then carved, stacked, and glued it together with icing in an effort to make it somewhat resemble a ham. It was pretty fun!

Pretzels with green eggs (melted white chocolate with an M&M in the middle). They tasted pretty good!

I really love my husband! He is a man of many hidden talents. He bought some plywood and traced out a bunch of Dr. Seuss characters. Then, using a Jigsaw (that Jon's Dad gave us -- Thank You!), he cut the characters out! My duties were to simply hold the wood steady as he moved the saw and sand around the perimeter of the finished product. I then fixed it up a little by outlining the lines in black, coloring the hat red and the ham green, and paining the face, plate and feet white with a paint pen. Oh yeah, I also had to glue his arm back on. :) Lizzie loved the Sam-I-Am!

The good thing is that I can use this to decorate Bryce's room. I have always wanted to turn his room into a Dr. Seuss room but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. So we are going to finish cutting out the rest of the Dr. Seuss Characters and use them in his room somehow. I'm excited!

On Lizzie's actual birthday, she happily woke up to this sight:

And then she opened up her gifts:

(A Dr. Seuss counting book from my Mom)

(The Hungry Hungry Hippos Game from us)

(This is definitely a game to be played when Bryce is napping. His little fingers kept going for the marbles!!) :)

(A giant Green Eggs and Ham floor puzzle from my Mom)

(And yet, another puzzle, from us)

If you haven't guessed by now, Lizzie ADORES puzzles. She can't get enough of them! And I love them too because she can focus on a puzzle for quiet a while and it gives me a much needed break sometimes! :)

After Bryce's morning nap, we went to the mall with Grandma Over, Darlene, and James. They invited us to eat with them at Red Robin. I brought the kids lunches because I wasn't planning on eating out. So Lizzie ate the PB&J that I brought for her, as well as a few french fries, and some of Darlene's milkshake. Right before we were about to leave, Lizzie accidentally dropped the milkshake on the floor underneath the table. My stroller was also lying down under the table and the bottom of it was baptized in milkshake! But I took it to the bathroom and washed it off in the sink. :)

Eating lunch...

After lunch, Lizzie wanted to go home. Grandma Over gave her a bag of gifts for her to open up at home. Lizzie is so spoiled! Actually, the parents are spoiled. Because when Lizzie gets things from Grandma, or other people, it's less stuff that we have to buy for her! Thank you, Grandma Over, for the clothes that you bought Lizzie!

And she also got some Leggos,

and an awesome "Cake-Decorating" play dough set. She loves the play dough set! And so do I, actually! It's pretty enjoyable, as far as toys go. :)

Lizzie's birthday went well and I'm so glad that she enjoyed herself so much. She wore herself out! So much, in fact, that on Saturday night after Dinner (around 5:45) she went into her room all by herself, got into bed all by herself, and went to sleep. She didn't wake up until 7:00 the next morning! :) She hasn't taken naps during the day for nearly a year now, but I wish that she would. Not only because it would be nice to have some quiet time all by myself, but because I really think that she needs the rest!

Our little Chunkster:

I love this little guy so much! And Lizzie does too, although she is having a hard time admitting it lately. She gets pretty upset when Bryce ruins her puzzles or takes her toys away from her. I often here the phrase "Take Brycie-Boy into another room, Mommy."

But I also see her hugging him and giving him kisses. And whenever he isn't around, she is always looking for him and asking me where he is. And she loves making him laugh. She is such a great big sister!

Oh, before I forget, I want to record just a few funny things that Lizzie has said lately:

*Ever since Bryce was born, Lizzie has watched me change his diaper and she has noticed that he looks "different" than her. The other day they were in the bathtub together and she poked his private part. I scolded her and told her that it was a bad choice to touch Bryce there and that she shouldn't touch his private parts. She looked down at herself and said, "Mommy, I don't have a private part.". Should I be bathing the kids together? Any suggestions you Mom's out there with kids of different genders? :)

*One of Lizzie's favorite things to do is to sing the Happy Birthday Song. Lately, however, she is very selective as to who we sing it to. She prefers us to sing Happy Birthday to "Bryce's STOMACH". Yeah, my child is crazy!

Anyway, Happy Birthday Lizzie-Lou!!!