Three Beautiful Years

I am in disbelief as I write this post.  My big girl is three years old today.  I'm getting all *sniff* sentimental as I reminisce about the day Elyse Noelle was born.  Alas, I'll stop getting gushy.  If you want to read about the day she was born, you can find the story here.  Elyse has been asked several times what she wants for her birthday, and each time she answers "pink" (or red on some days) cake and ice cream.  When asked about presents, she nods politely and repeats her request for cake and ice cream.  What can I say?  She's excited!  I'm even more excited to shower her with some gifts when she's so unassuming :)



Elyse is in a VERY fun stage.  It really does keep getting better!  She is BEYOND amusing with her wild imagination, and we spend much of the day hearing her stories, songs, dreams, etc...  She loves to tell us things that she likes (and things she doesn't!), and she gets incredibly excited when her little dreams come true.  Lately, she's happiest when she's playing with her favorite toys: a backpack that carries her own photo album, a tube of lip balm in her pocket, or a small book of nursery rhymes.  I'm constantly in awe of how easily amused she can be when she wants to be!  With this fun drama comes DRAMA.  I am a bit curious as to how dealing with two little girls will be as they become big girls.  Elyse spends much of her day bossing around her little sister, and even when she acts excited to see Emily take a nap, she doesn't waste much time asking when she can go wake her up.

* Elyse still takes an afternoon nap, but it's almost always 1.5 hours or less.  When she does sleep more, she definitely has a hard time with her 7pm bedtime!

* She has been doing better at the table.. eating a bit more of her non-favorites, and she amazes me with how much she can eat of foods she loves.  She loves to eat fruit, yogurt, crackers, and ice cream.  Shocker.

* As girly as she is, she loves to rough-house.  She's fairly tough, too, when she wants to be!  She is constantly asking to wrestle, have a horsey ride, or jump on the bed.  She would love it if Emily would just cooperate and be a punching bag, but that is NOT the case.

* Some of my favorite times with Elyse are hanging out with her as I cook or bake.  She loves to pull a chair up to the counter and jabber.  The other day, she occupied herself with a teaspoon and a measuring cup full of water for almost an hour.  Seriously.  Why do we buy her toys?  She tells me all about what she's doing (usually making Hippet - her stuffed animal - some soup) and things she'd like to be doing.

* She is really into library books, photo albums, and cartoons.  She loves to think that she can watch cartoons all day, too :)  I must say, when she gets something in her mind, there is NO removing it.  It's very hard to distract her.

* Elyse's newest habit is tattling.  I admit, sometimes I get wrapped up in the humor of hearing the dramatic details of who did what, but this is going to be a hard habit to break!

* She's at that age where if I don't do my best to keep her occupied, she will definitely be bored.  I've noticed how much more she needs outdoor time, busy work, and even some good ol' chores.  I'm starting to understand why my parents always had something for us to do when we brought up the "boredom" complaint!  It's a fun way to look at the day, though, and I'm learning to enjoy it.  Elyse loves stickers, crayons, and markers, so art time is an easy fit :)

 I love this girl.  Jordan and I thank God all the time for bringing her into our lives.  Our love for her is such a reminder to us of how much our Heavenly Father loves his children.  God's little blessing to us three years ago has been blessing us every since.

Elyse Noelle, you are our beautiful little Christmas Eve present.  Even though we will have to spend years and years of your life reminding you that we remember Christmas Eve is your birthday, we cherish the memories of the day you joined us.  You bring us joy every day, and we pray that you will realize at a young age how much you are loved by God.  Happy birthday, big girl!  We love you!