Happy Birthday Princess!

I can't believe our baby is three years old today! Yesterday, at daycare, they had a party for Isabelle. We walked in to streamers and a huge birthday sign. I brought cookies and candles, and she wore one of her Princess dresses and her Princess Tiara to celebrate the special day.

She already got a big train table from GeeGa and Grandpa, we set that up early so she could start playing with it. Today, she woke up to presents from me & Ed, and her party this year is at an athletic club called Big Vanilla. She has 8 little friends coming. Big Vanilla has a list of "themes" to choose from so we chose the only gender-neutral one they offered - Under the Sea. We had cupcakes made by our friend Patty. Ed & I made sandwiches in the shapes of fish and crabs and seahorses using cookie cutters. And we'll have goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish to nibble on.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful baby girl. Thanks for the best three years of our life so far.

She wore her Ravens purple beret...

…the kind you don’t find in a second-hand store.

Isabelle got a unique gift in the mail last week, just because her Aunt Susan loves her. Meandering around the streets of the Montmartre district in Paris, Aunt Susan spotted the perfect gift for our Littlest Raven. A perfectly purplicious beret befitting the most fashionable Parisian. Très chic!

Three going on Thirteen

We're just three days away from the Third Birthday. This week has brought a more-than-usual hectic schedule between me having a work training event this past weekend, an out-of-town guest for two nights, Ed trying to finish his third Grad class before vacation next week, preparing for the pending Birthday Party this coming weekend, me finishing up a creative writing class, ahhhhhh! Calgon, take me away...

My weekday mornings are chaotic under normal circumstances, and I only have one kid! But in recent months, Isabelle has been sleeping late, thus leaving us less time for the required routine (breakfast, getting dressed, finding coats and shoes). This morning, Isabelle apparantly woke up before my alarm even went off. Typically, when she wakes up before me, she comes into my bedroom and stirs me awake, alerting me to the obvious conclusion that it's time for breakfast, getting dressed, and going to school.

This morning, I'm not sure if she tried to wake me or not (I was admittedly in very deep slumber). When my alarm sounded, I performed my normal routine of slapping the snooze button in disgust. Isabelle sauntered into my room, informing me that she already put her clothes on, but now she reallllly wanted her banana and OJ-juice.

As I pried my eyes open, not quite understanding what she was saying, I saw with an unreal fascination that she had, indeed, put her clothes on already. (Note: This was not an outfit I had laid out the night before). She had actually gotten her little stool, pulled it over to her tall dresser, and went through three different drawers, choosing the pieces that any good outfit requires (shirt, pants, socks, shoes, and underthings).

She had chosen her Ravens purple long-sleeve t-shirt, a pair of blue stretchy play pants, matching blue socks, and her Ravens purple boots. She explained, quite pointedly, that her boots and shirt were purple-purple, and they matched! She then explained that she really wanted to wear her purple "Wild Things" shirt but she couldn't figure out how to put it on (ha ha). She was quite proud of herself, and I was speechless with my own pride.

I realized quickly that I've probably been "stepping in" a little more than I should. In our hectic morning routine, I often pull out an outfit and rapidly get her dressed for the day. I do this mainly because of time constraints -- she has been able to put some of her own clothes on for a while now (I just don’t have the patience most days). But, I have been remiss in allowing her the autonomy to try and "do it herself".

Even more surprising was the coordination and utility of the outfit that she chose. Not only did the colors and styles match, but she also chose a good play outfit for daycare. She could have just as easily ended up wearing a too-fancy dress or a Halloween costume.

We’re just three days away from the Third Birthday. Hey Doc, where's the PAUSE button on this time machine???

The Wickedest Witch of Selby

Halloween was a blast this year. It was a chilly night, but we had no rain like last year. Izzi and I were decked out as black and pink witches with full makeup to match. Our little witch got very into character, cackling her way all over the neighborhood. She wished everyone a Happy Halloween, she proclaimed "Trick or Treat?!?!" on cue, and pretty much said Thank You each time without being prompted.

One of the first few houses we visited, she went up to the door for her treats. She turned around to come back down the front walkway and tripped over some uneven bricks. She screamed in terror and pain and I thought she had really hurt herself. Hat askew, plastic pumpkin rolling down the walkway, and dress caught under her feet, she landed flat on her face. I picked her up and checked out the usual spots (knees, face, hands) for blood or raspberries. She was free of any glaring injuries. When she finally caught her breath, she finally was able to tell me what was wrong. "Myyyyyyy cannnnnndddddddddyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!". She was devastated at her spilled candy all over the brick walk beneath her. Hilarious. We picked up the candy and were on our way with cackles of delight and a bit of smudged face makeup.

The rest of the evening, we steered clear of any houses with big steps or uneven walkways. We had no more spilled candy tragedies for the remainder of the night.

We finally circled our way back to the community beach. The neighborhood association puts on a Halloween party every year with treats, a haunted hayride, and a costume contest. Isabelle WON this year for the scariest costume in the 'under 5' group. She got a big gift bag full of treats, coloring books, pencils, crayons, stickers, and light sticks.

The only bad part of Halloween this year is that it's over. Izzi did not like having to take the decorations down. But she quickly got over it, when we went to Factory Card Outlet to get the party favors for her friends who are coming to her Birthday Party next weekend.

The Wizzer Davaz

With Isabelle officially being a Witch for Halloween, she knows the Wicked Witch of the West from my favorite movie. Isabelle was introduced to the Wicked Witch of the West, on a birthday card we saw in New Jersey in July when we went to Auntie Gail's house for her Surprise 70th Birthday Party. Auntie Gail had received an audible birthday card (one of those cards that plays music when you open it) with the Wicked Witch on the front.

Isabelle LOVED it and so Auntie Gail mailed it to Edgewater a few weeks after her Birthday festivities were over. We still have the card and Isabelle loves to hear the music and see the green Witch on the cover.

Isabelle learned the catch phrase of the Wicked Witch, and cackles with delight as she recites..."I'll get you my pretty, and your little DOG too...". She wanted to see the movie, even if she is still way too young.

So I took her to the Library this week to pick up a copy. I popped it in, and the black-and-white portion just bored her, and she wanted a "new" movie on. Then the tornado hit, and she ominously remembered the sand storm that we got caught in this past summer (like FOUR months ago). She was petrified to say the least.

I fast-forwarded until we got to the color portion of the movie when the Wicked Witch shows up and delivers her catch phrase. Isabelle collapsed in a puddle of tears, she was too scared. So we had to turn the movie off. Maybe next year.....

When Ed came home that afternoon, she told him, quite ceremoniously, that she does NOT like that "Wizzer.....Davaz" movie. (There was a deliberate break in the two words).

W-h-a-t-e-v-e-r

Two going on twelve, that's our daughter right now. We decided to commit to a new regime in the Siler household. We will make time for Church every weekend. We are planning on sending Isabelle to The School of the Incarnation (the only Catholic grade school in our area) in three years for Kindergarten. I've already called, and the only pre-requisites are that your Parish Priest knows your family on a first-name basis, and that you send those pretty little envelopes in each week (preferably, you "bring" them in each week).

Isabelle can already recite the "Our Father" by heart, we do so every night before bed. We also tell God what we are thankful for each night before bed. She says Grace before each meal. So, she is well on her way, but we've been remiss in attending Mass the past three years of her life.

So this weekend was our foray into regular Mass attendance. (Isabelle HAS been to Church a few times, just not recently).

Let me start by saying that Isabelle was very very very well-behaved. She understood that Church was like the Library...you cannot talk. You can whisper if you need to, but you can't talk out loud. She was very excited to recite her "Our Father" with the entire congregation, and did so on queue.

During the Mass, I was deliberately responding at the appropriate times in a louder and clearer voice than normal, while looking at Isabelle so she could understand what the parishioners "should" be saying. I didn't ask her to say anything, I just wanted her to hear and see ME responding so she started to witness how the whole Mass thing worked.

At one point, during the Penitential Rite (Lord have mercy...Christ have mercy...Lord have mercy), she was sitting on the pew, and she rolled her head back and said, "What...Ever....GOD".

Ummm, WHAT?!?!?  She had never busted out a "what...ever" (snotty, teenager style) before this day and she decides to drop one in MASS?!?!?  Ed & I were horrified, yet found ourselves chuckling. I couldn't face my fellow Church-goers for the rest of the Mass.

I just hope it was a one-time thing. Although, that just means next week will bring something "new" which could be even worse. What....ever, Isabelle!

A Haunting Halloween

This is our first Halloween that Isabelle understands what is going on. She is excited about the candy, the trick-or-treating, the hay ride around the neighborhood, and hanging out with her friends. And she is VERY excited about dressing up in her costume.

We tried to give her autonomy with her costume choice, but she waffled worse than Brett Favre about what she wanted to wear this October 31st. Her top two choices were Witch and Butterfly, with a few lower-ranked choices in between (like, Princess, Ghost, Frankenstein, Ravens Cheerleader). Ummmmm, no, have you SEEN the Ravens Cheerleaders? Yikes.

We already had Butterfly wings that I picked up for $.50 at a yard sale in Spring. Izzi's BFF, Clare, has a blue tutu that would have worked as a second piece of the costume and I would have made her some antennae from arts-and-crafts supplies around the house. But, the Witch won out. She wanted to be a Witch more than a Butterfly (scientifically measured by counting how many times she mentioned each costume choice).

So we asked around, and found a costume to borrow (from Miss Trish, our daycare provider). Her daughter is 9, and had two Witch costumes to choose from.

So, stay tuned. You will soon see a few pictures of Isabelle, the "Wicked Witch of Selby" in her black and pink costume, a home-made magic wand, a long scraggly wig, and some face paint. We can only hope this year's weather is better than last year when it was chilly and rainy.

PS: Oh, and Mommy is going to be a Witch too. Daddy will not be wearing a costume, par for the course.