Can she really be 3?

Time for a little tribute to my girl, now 3 years old!
(Yes it's true - we had a grand old party and the only picture I took was of the cake - ha! It is the part Bel was most preoccupied with - her favorite conversation topic the last 2 months has been "what kind of cake should i have?" when the day finally came, she made it with me, ate the batter with me of course and as soon as I put it in the oven proceeded to ask me if it was done every 30 seconds, then every minute, until I very sternly told her not to ask me again it will be done when you hear a loud beeping noise that doesn't stop. And you can bet she excitedly came running to find me when the timer went off. Then she watched me frost it, told me how to do it, chose and put the candles on herself. It was an incredibly sweet and satisfying twist on the story of the Little Red Hen.)

She did party with her dear friends and even our sweet McClure boys who landed a few hours away from us in ohio (thanks for making the drive!!!)

Since I don't have any fantastic photos to share I will dazzle you with a dose of Bel's humor and toddler logic...

Bel's solution to any problem these days is "just pretend mom"

Exhibit 1 :

Mom - Bel did you clean up your toys?
Bel - yep
Mom - really? I still see them all over the floor
Bel - just pretend mom

Exhibit 2 :

Mom - Bel will you go potty please?
Bel - no, pretend I'm ariel
Mom - ok, but ariel still has to go potty too
Bel - nope because ariel has a tail and no bum

a few other gems from my genius little girl...

i can cuz i'm big (this everyday in every variation - and don't try to tell her she can't or she's not big)

can i go to nursery yet? (that's right, cried every time we dropped her off for the last 18 months and now that she's the only kid in nursery, she's decided it's pretty fun)

girls go pee and boys go poo (this as she's taking a poop herself)

i'm not hearing this, i don't want to hear this (calmly and matter of factly as she walks away from me explaining my latest disciplinary action on her)

Power of Life! (this at the top of her lungs while pumping her fist into the air - I have no idea where this came from - anyone? anyone?)

It is interesting for me to think back on the past 3 years - Belén was born a short 10 weeks before Ryan and I moved away from family, friends and familiarity. I was trying to work from home, Ryan was putting in a shload of work hours that summer, followed by a demanding school schedule starting in the fall and the major life changes just came in a big bundle. It was the begining of our grand family adventure and there have been a lot of hard moments, a lot of struggle, confusion, stress and loneliness. There were definitely times when having Bel was the hard part, she was the challenge of the day (or night) but mostly... she is what saved me. She has been my companion when Ryan couldn't be, she has come to love and appreciate him almost as much as me, she enjoys the foods and activities I do, she has gotten me out of my comfort zone, she has sung and danced with me, she has made me laugh at crucial moments, she has talked to me when I needed conversation, she has taught me dozens of valuable life lessons, in short - she has been my most needed friend and companion - and for that (and so many other reasons) I will always love my Bel.

one whole year

Exactly a year ago this minute I was holding my fresh, still purple newborn son in my arms and I couldn't resist the urge to dedicate this minute to him.

Today he scoots, growls, smiles, laughs, makes all of us laugh, loves bel, baths, bubbles and eating everything we will give him (except peaches), he loves playing the piano and guitar or listening to his dad play guitar, he is a champion napper, not a huge fan of strangers, digs riding in shopping carts with his sister and will crumble into tears and bury his face on the floor if you tell him no or take something away from him. He has added new depth and excitement to our little family dynamic and we love him like crazy!

Happy Birthday Jack!

first haircut

sweet little jack is so handsome but...
he had a fierce case of old man hair - wispy, patchy, different lengths - so it was time for a buzz and by golly does he look great!
not to mention he's a huge fan of sitting in the sink and playing with electrical cords.

For my favorite

After I met ryan he quickly became my favorite…
my favorite date
my favorite hand hold
my favorite hug
my favorite kiss
my favorite shoulder to cry on
my favorite ski partner
my favorite friend

Now it looks like he’s someone else’s favorite too.

and today he’s our favorite birthday boy
I love you honey !

thanks for sharing so many of my favorite parts of life
happy 30th!
(don’t worry –you’ve still got it and I’m not talking about gray hair)

Happy Halloween!

Music Lover

This is jack listening to Ryan play the guitar - he lights up and looks in the direction of the music any time he plays.

The first of many "my dad is my hero" moments

(my apologies for the awful lighting and photo quality - this was one of those times i just had to jump up and capture the moment with what i had)

things change

when i was a kid and we would drive through the salt lake valley with my parents, they loved to point out all the things that had changed in the 20 years since they had lived there, entire swaths of land that were now filled with neighborhoods, businesses and the like. they would show us the houses they grew up in and tell us stories of the people they grew up with.

it hasn't been 20 years but this week me and the kids are on a visit to utah, where i grew up. we usually come back once or twice a year and there are always things that have changed. ned and cindy have 2 new kittens, my parents have painted the upstairs in my childhood home, my friends have shorter hair, longer hair, bigger kids, different jobs, and always there are more houses and businesses in the vacant lots where i used to play.

some changes are sad, some interesting and some don't really matter all that much. it's strange that in my head i imagine and half expect things to be the same each time i return - i hold the same picture of the people and places i love so much. some things i prefer to remember as they once were and other things need to be updated in my mind's eye.

for as long as i can remember, my mom will sit down at the piano each night before going upstairs to bed and "pound out" a few songs. i've always loved hearing her favorite hymns and choice sonatinas tinkle through the bedtime air. tonight as i laid in bed, i heard her start to play a song i had never heard and i couldn't help it - i had to sneak upstairs and watch for a few minutes as she played a different song on her new piano. this was simply one mental picture that had to be updated.