She's Four!!

Last week was Bella's 4th birthday. We had a great time celebrating! We kicked off the birthday celebrations with a birthday party the Saturday before her actual birthday. She chose to have her party at the Children's Museum of Wilmington this year. We LOVE the children's museum. Bella and Austin both have so much fun when we're there, so I was happy she chose this as the party location. They had a few themes to chose from, and of course, Bella wanted the princess theme. I tried to persuade her to do a more gender neutral party since she was inviting little boys, but she was pretty insistent on the princess theme. The project with the princess theme was making lip gloss. Surprisingly, the boys at the party were just as into making lip gloss as the girls! Everyone had fun playing at the museum, making lip gloss and eating cake!

Bella's cake. Fit for a princess.

Getting some love from Grandma before the party guests arrive.

Playing with cousin Layla in the "sand".

Austin played non-stop. He slept good that night!

He even drove a school bus...

Bella got to practice brushing teeth.

Reading a book with Grandaddy

Making lip gloss.

Singing to the birthday girl!

Make a wish!

The party guests enjoying some cake...

After the party, we went back to our house with family to open presents. Bella's present from Scott and I was a scooter.

The scooter was a hit with everyone!

The next day we got to ride the scooter outside some.

Nana and Papa gave Bella an art easel. She loves it!

On her actual birthday, Scott and I brought cupcakes to her school. She was so happy to have her classmates sing "Happy Birthday"!

But, I think she was more excited about the chocolate cupcakes with pink icing- Bella's favorite!

It's hard to believe that Bella's already 4 years old. These past 4 years have gone by so quickly. We've come a long way from those first colicky months when I thought that my new baby would never stop crying! Scott and I joke that Bella has been our high-maintenance child since the beginning. She's a little dramatic, hard-headed and sometimes I think her ears don't work... But I wouldn't change a thing about her. She's also sweet, considerate, energetic and so funny! I've loved having a front row seat to watch her grow and blossom into this amazing 4 year old and I can't wait to see what else is in store! Happy Birthday Bella!

Blizzard at the Beach

Okay, so to call it a blizzard is a bit of a stretch. BUT, we did get 4 inches of snow... IN WILMINGTON. So, I think it's fair enough to call it a blizzard. Especially since the entire city shut down. I was happy to stay home with Bella and Austin when I learned that their school would be closing early due to snow. I couldn't wait to get out and play with them. And thanks to an upcoming ski trip, Bella and Austin were probably the most well-prepared kids in Wilmington when it came to snow gear. It only took me darn near an hour to get them all dressed to head outside to play... And I'm pretty sure I broke a sweat in the process.

Bella loved the snow. She couldn't help herself and had to try and get a taste.

Frank also loves the snow. He may be 10 years old now, but he jumps around just like a puppy when there is snow on the ground! He and Bella even played soccer in the snow (and no, I'm not even joking, the dog kicked the ball all around the backyard with Bella).

Austin on the other hand? He could've lived without the snow. Maybe it was the fact that he had a hard time keeping his balance while walking in the snow in his boots, or maybe it was just that it was cold and wet. Or maybe it was the face plant into their play kitchen just before going outside that left a nice cut on his face and eye. Regardless, he preferred watching Bella and Frank play from the back porch.

Bella wanted to go down the slide just to see what would happen to all the snow on the slide as she went down.

Good thing there was a big pile of snow at the end- you slide fast in waterproof pants.

"Okay, maybe I'll just get a little taste..."

It didn't take long for the bank to close for the day too. We welcomed Daddy home and got him out to play with us!

We also built a snowman. Bella came up with his very original name- "Frosty". And yes, that's a beach bucket for his hat.

After we headed back inside to warm up, Bella looked out in the yard only to find out that Frosty had lost his head. It was quite the tragedy, but luckly Scott was able to reattach Frosty's head without much damage.

We all enjoyed our snow day. I'm looking forward to our ski trip next month, but once that's over, I'm going to be looking forward to warmer weather. Only 2 months until spring! Bella told me today that she's ready to play on the beach again. Me too. I'm ready to put our beach toys back to their intended use!