Be Ambitious

Scarlett turned three on March 31st!  She's grown so fast and is such a personality that it's hard to believe her little body contains it all.  I was not able to be with her on her big day because my brother, John, was getting married in Idaho.  Robert did most of the big celebrating with her on the actual day and we had cake and family time together when I got back from Idaho.

You may think this is the longest post ever, and you'd be right, so I'll try to keep it moving with mostly pictures.

 While I was in Idaho Robert took Scarlett shopping for her birthday.  She chose a Tinkerbell outfit and...
 a Little Mermaid doll for the bathtub that changes colors.  Can you tell she really likes them? 
 It was also Easter weekend while I was gone so Robert did it all by himself, with the help of the Easter Bunny of course!
 Scarlett also opened her birthday gifts from family that Easter morning.  Pretty socks from Aunt Becca and Uncle Jr,
 along with Hello Kitty accessories and a Minnie doll.
 Beema and Peepa Ross spoiled her with a Minnie outfit and
 Disney Princess sheets.  My daughter has become the little girl I was worried she'd be.  All Disney princess and Minnie Mouse!
 When I got home I took her to the zoo for a girls' afternoon.  The aquarium is always the first stop.  "Look!  It's Dori, Mommy!"
 I love the jellyfish tank at the Houston Zoo.  It's a huge pillar filled jellyfish.  It's a favorite of both of my childrens'.
 "Look!  It's Nemo!"  Will that movie ever become out of style with children?
 Posing with Mommy in front of her favorite, the elephants. 
 After Nate got home from school we dyed Easter eggs for a belated Birthday/Easter party with some friends.
 Scarlett chose a big pink cake covered in pretty flowers.  It's one of the easier cake orders I've taken in the last few years.  I was happy to oblige.  She loved just starring at it.  It was one of the hardest things for her the wait to dig into.
 Once the party started we sent the Daddies out to hide the Easter eggs for the big hunt.  Robert took this job very seriously and was VERY creative.  Love the Darth Vader eggs!
 Eggs in the car grill.
 Are you ready, kids?
 Ready, set, go!

 Robert was able to balance the Vader eggs into the bark of the palm tree in the front yard.
 Giving a boost to reach those eggs.
 Easter family pic.
 The kids found a lot of eggs out of reach and decided to help give boosts to each other.
 After the eggs were all discovered we had a sidewalk chalk art-off.  It got pretty competitive and everyone got in on it.
 The Ninja Turtle is Robert's.
 The ugly happy face is mine.  My excuse is that I was drawing upside down.  I lost for sure!  No skills here.
 Back inside to have cake and ice cream.  Blow out the candles!
 Dig in!
 Dark chocolate cake with whipped ganache filling and buttercream frosting.  Don't forget the Blue Bell ice cream.  Mint cookies and cream is amazing!
 Time to open gifts.  Rise of the Guardians is one of the best kids' movies out there right now.  That's just my opinion, though!
 More accessories!  This is my girly girl!
Pretty clothes!  A girl after her mother's heart. 

It was hard to not be with her on the day of her birthday but I think we made up for it.  I hope she knows what a lovely addition to our family she is.  I just can't get enough of this little girl!

The other day I was putting away my laundry in my room when Nate came in, sat on the bed, and kept me company.  He was telling about all his best friends in numerical order.  He was thoughtful for a minute when he finished and asked, "Mom who are your best friends?"

I told him I had a lot of friends.  I feel very blessed to have so many great friends and the reason I have so many good friends is because I've lived so many places and met so many people.  He then replied, "But who are your best friends?"

I told him my best friend here on Earth was his Daddy.  He just smiled and said, "I knew that!"

Then I told him my second and third best friends were my mom and dad.  I said, "My mom and dad are some of the best people I know and I love them so much.  They've done so much for me and taught me important lessons my whole life.  I can tell them anything and I always have a good time when we're together.  It doesn't matter where I go or what I do, I know they'll always love me and be there when I need them."

Nate said,"You can be best friends with your parents?! I knew you could be best friends with your brothers and sisters, but I didn't know you could be best friends with your mom and dad!"

I told him he could absolutely be best friends with his dad and I.  I told him I hoped he'd count me as one of his best friends when he got older.  I also told him that there may be times when he's growing up that he doesn't like me and thinks I'm the worst friend ever but that would be okay because when he's older he'll realize that I tried to do everything I could to make him the best person he could be because I loved him so much.

So hopefully, in 30 years, Nate can look back at his life and know that I was one of his best friends just like my mom and dad are a couple of my greatest friends.