Susannah-palooza part 1: the party!

We celebrated Susannah's third birthday on Saturday with a musical party. Our kindermusik teacher, Ms. Rosalind came to the party with her instruments and music and Susannah and our guests had a great time singing and dancing. It was the perfect party for our little musician! 

Here is a little pic of the pink invitations. 

 Mommy, Captain and Susannah before the party. 

 Just taking a moment to pose with some presents! 

 Singing with the farm animal finger puppets and Ms. Rosalind. 

 A little Ring-Around-the-Rosie! 

A little scarf dancing! 

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Taking a moment to pose for the camera! 

Happy Birthday Girl! 

 Blowing out the candles! 

 Hanging with friends on her big bed. 

 Lots of friends gathered around the table and enjoying the snacks! 

Sweet neighbors Abbey and Jordan. 

 Oh, and of course, this guy was there. He was making some noise with the rest of the kids! 

 At some point during the party, Susannah felt the need to put on some shoes. These were her choice.

 Lots of playing  house and sliding - and all with lollipops! Captain would hold the suckers while the girls did the climbing wall or used the slide... just to be safe!  

Aunt Nini came down to celebrate with us! 

What a fun, sweet day with friends! We are so thankful for our precious Susannah and all the people who love and care for her. God has richly blessed us with family and friends- near and far- and it is so amazing to see this little girl grow up with such wonderful examples of how to love and care for others! 

She is also learning that birthdays equal awesome new stuff, and she is pretty thankful for these fun presents! 

Stay tuned for Susannah-palooza part 2: the loot! 

Birthday Visitors

We had so much fun with Captain and Nana. 

We spent lots of time playing and we made a birthday trip to the zoo on Friday, too. 

Feeding the giraffes was our favorite part.

And then we had a little more wildlife waiting for us at home. Nana and Coleman stumbled upon this guy hanging out in our driveway!!!!!! We figured he just stopped by for a snack (notice that belly bulge) and to wish Susannah a "Happy Birthday!"

Party pics coming soon!

Susannah's School Celebration

Thursday morning was Susannah's big celebration at school. She has been waiting for this day for months and was so excited to finally have her "celebration!" When I went in her room early Thursday morning, she sat straight up and said, "This is the day for my celebration!!!!" 

We spent Wednesday afternoon making cupcakes for her class and we finished the chandelier ornament last weekend. Susannah wanted some hearts and an elephant to represent her. She was so proud to hang it up! 

Ella Grace travelled over from the "Birds" room to say wish Susannah a happy day!

 Mommy, Daddy and Coleman joined the circle to tell about Susannah's birth and name. Susannah did a great job of showing her newborn picture to all her classmates. They were so amazed at how she had grown!

Coleman loved being in the classroom. He really loved banging on the table tops with Susannah!

 Suz carried her picture around so her friends could see her. 

 Cupcakes were enjoyed by all! 

 Susannah was measured to show how much she has grown from 21.5 inches at birth.

 She was so proud to hang her ornament on the chandelier. 

We had such a sweet experience at Susannah's Celebration. 

Thank you, Sunshine Room, for such a fun morning! 

Happy Celebration Susannah Ruth!

Rockstars

Check out this little rockstar!

Sweet Susannah looks like she could be singing "Kumbaya" with that precious little angelic face. She is so focused when strumming on that ukulele and she is so interested in learning how to really play it.

You would never know what kind of company she was keeping!

This guy- he must be in the middle of "We're Not Gonna Take It! NO We Ain't Gonna Take It!" Isn't that what most people sing when wearing monster truck pajamas and sporting a mohawk?

We all like to be rockstars every once in awhile, and around here, that really means every day.

Busy Spring

We have been super-busy this April and LOVING the opportunity to be outside everyday. April in Greenville means beautiful weather, lots of yard work and the countdown to birthdays! I love the chance to open the windows and watch all the plants bloom. Signs of new life are everywhere. I think this is my favorite season partly because it is the season my babies were born. I can't look at our azaleas without thinking of the beautiful blooms the day we brought Susannah home from the hospital! Speaking of Susannah, I cannot believe our sweet girl is going to be 3! She is such a big girl- so curious and kind (most days), and full of surprises. She cracks us up on a daily basis with her creative little spins on everyday life. The other morning, she walked in looking like this and sighed, "Well, I'm going to the office!" She helps us not take ourselves too seriously :).Meanwhile, Liberaci has been working hard on his keyboard skills. He is such a little "Mad Hatter" in his approach to everything.
The Sunday before Easter provided the perfect opportunity for Susannah to wear her favorite twirly dress. She was wearing a little heart necklace that was mine when I was little, and she felt so big and important (it seems a bit redundant to say that since it's written all over her face).
Bathtime remains a favorite time of day for us. These sweet babies are so much fun. Pretty soon we will have a 3 year old and a 1 year old! Where does the time go?

Much Better

This little boy is on the mend! The tubes are in and working and

sweet Coleman has already been to a playdate at the park!

Thank you for praying for him!

Wildlife and a Tea Party

This guy was hanging out in our backyard neighbors' trees at dusk on Friday night. He wasn't bothering anyone, but he was probably gearing up for a big night of trashcan-tipping. We loved watching him climb the tree and survey the neighborhood. Susannah is still deciding on a name for him.

And.... drumroll please....... here is Susannah with her first fish! She absolutely loved fishing in Uncle Bill's pond! Matt is thrilled that his girl is an outdoors-woman. I'm just glad she was looking so stylish in the process :)

Speaking of style, on Saturday morning, Susannah and I went to our first tea party for Susannah's sweet gal-pal, Berkeley.

Cinderella showed up, painted everyone's nails, danced and sang for the little girls and granted wishes. Suz is never really sure about people in costumes, but Cinderella is a pretty big deal to her so she was willing to make an exception. As soon as Cinderella entered the room, Susannah stood back and checked her out with true skepticism. She squeezed my hand and whispered some "ooohs" and "aahs," before asking me what she really wanted to know. "Mommy," she whispered, "when is the prince going to be here?"

I like the way she thinks.

Of course, that Prince could be a little ornery... like this guy.

Say a little prayer for Coleman. He has a raging ear infection and will be getting tubes tomorrow morning at 7:30. Hopefully they will provide some much needed relief (for all of us!)

If we had 2 boys...

They might look like this!

Of course, you know that is our beautiful Susannah in the shark towel. She just likes to "borrow" it from Coleman on a nightly basis. It is perfect for twirling and she doesn't mind at all that it's a deviation from her signature color, pink.

She loves to dote on her baby brother. Holding him isn't quite the same anymore though. He is such a quick little mover.

Here is our new little neighbor! Jenny Wren is working hard on her nest these days. We are so excited about the possibility of baby birdies.

In other news, Susannah caught her first fish this weekend. More pics to come!