Happy 4th Birthday, Alyssa!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl! Though I suppose she's not a baby anymore. Any parent will agree that children grow entirely too fast. Could it really have been 4 years ago that she was born? Four years since we first saw her precious face? Four short years that we've been blessed to raise her?  It seems like just the other day we were planning for her arrival, yet it's hard to remember our life without her. Now here we are, 4 years and a little 2-year-old brother later, and we're waiting to add yet another one to our family. 

These days with all the kids being so little can be hectic, sometimes stressful, and always very busy. But even though it can be overwhelming at times, I know that the years are flying by in a flash. If only I could stop the clock or at least slow it down for a bit. I want my kids to know how special they are, how much we love them. That's one reason why I have started to spend a special day alone with the birthday child. Last year, Alyssa and I had a lovely tea party.  Here is our mommy-daughter day this year (a day early so as not to interfere with Wednesday night church.)

After we dropped off the boys, we headed to Burger King for lunch. The kids are signed up for their birthday club and get a free kid's meal. Big spender, I know. Hey, I did pay extra for her chicken nuggets though; only the hamburger meal is free. Now that's love.

She also got to sit in Jake booster seat instead of her 5-point harness. It's always a treat to sit there when he's gone. She'll be so excited to open her very own pink booster today! Since we'll be getting a new little baby soon, Alyssa will be moving to the back of the van, where it will be difficult to climb back and buckle her. Besides, she's a big 4-year-old now. (Side note: I am so excited about not having to wrinkle up her poofy dresses with all those buckles!)

After lunch, we headed back home. My girly-girl loves getting dolled up. We applied some of mommy's make-up, curled her hair, and painted her nails. Don't grow up too fast, little one.

I was surprised when she asked to play the Wii. She had been talking about another real tea party for weeks. I guess the lure of being able to choose the games, instead of playing whatever her big brother picks, was too tempting. Plus, I let her be Player 1 -- bonus!

Such a precious, innocent face. Can she really be 4 already???

After our festivities at home, we went to Toys R Us and stopped by the front desk to get another birthday crown and a balloon. We also heard a personalized birthday wish over the speakers. Every time someone walked by, they said, "Happy Birthday!" And every time she responded with "Happy Birthd . . . uh, thank you."

She got a card and $3 coupon in the mail as part of the birthday club. We like to take the kids to pick out a small gift using that coupon. The only problem? All the smaller, more inexpensive toys are higher up on the shelves and the bigger, more expensive ones are eye level for the kids. Of course. We walked around for an hour - an hour, no lie - before she settled on a $5 clearance bridal dress-up set. She and Jake love to pretend that they're getting married. It was perfect.

Michaels is next to the toy store, so we just had to make a trip there as well. She is a crafty girl all the way. She'll often sit at the table making a mess creating some masterpiece. She loves to cut paper into tiny pieces with scissors or with paper punches. (She doesn't necessarily like to pick up the scraps, but that's a different story.) Her newest obsession is yarn. Not knitting or anything like that since her mommy never learned herself, but cutting it, tying it, taping it, leaving it all around the house. She was very excited to stock up on some new craft supplies for her birthday.

We ended the afternoon with a stop for Slurpees, for her and to surprise each of her brothers. She also got to watch a movie in the van while we headed back.


I am so thankful for the times we get to spend together. I will forever cherish the memories as I do the ones I have of spending time with my own mother. I hope that Alyssa and I will remain best friends as she grows just like my mom and me.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. I am privileged to call you mine.