Princess Reese and Her Fourth Birthday Party

Every time I scroll through these photos my heart just kinda flops. Four years ago, I gave birth for the last time. The waiting was painful, because I was always an anxious pregnant person. For over a week, I was at 3cm dilated, and I thought surely she would be earlier than her brother (who was born five days before his due date.) Finally, when I decided to give up on all the natural methods of inducing labor, well, she came (three days before HER due date!) In five short hours from start to finish, Reese Elisabeth-Morgan was welcomed into this world and I'm sitting here today wondering HOW? How was it that long ago? How did she go from newborn to baby to toddler to KID, so fast?! 

Well y'all, this weekend we threw her a party, and it was a great one to say the least. Her actual birthday is this coming week, on the 14th, so you better believe I'm holding tightly to these last few days of her being THREE! 

Over the last year she has fallen in love with the Classic Disney princesses, so this year, that's what she verbalized wanting party wise. Last year, she had a Frozen themed celebration, and she was very clear that she wanted ALL the princesses for this one. We are so grateful to Proflowers to providing her with gifted bouquets, they were (and still are) absolutely stunning. The Day Lillies have made our home smell like heaven, oh my goodness! And we're also thankful for Sharis Berries for the complimentary strawberries, miniature birthday cake, cake pops and delicious cookies! As a blogger, I am most grateful for the lasting relationships that are built, and by far, those companies are two of my absolute favorite. 

Nords Bakery has done our cakes EVERY single birthday for both Pierson and Reese, and this one did not disappoint. Raspberry filled vanilla; our favorite!! And a Kroger Bakery win for the cupcakes. They threw in the princess ring cupcake toppers and the kids were in LOVE. We are so grateful for both bakeries for being prompt and doing such a great job with all that I envisioned for Reese's big day. 

Reese was so well celebrated and loved by all who came; though I missed my blood relatives immensely. My big brother Sean and his wife Beth, my parents, and my oldest brother Nathan--I am so grateful for my husband's family (who most of are local and able to come!) but you can't help missing your own mama and siblings right? :) Her friends from church are so good and sweet to her, and her cousins of course; we are very blessed by all! 

My mom sent her a Belle dress and when I opened it in the mail I literally almost cried. It is GORGEOUS. I decided to surprise Reese with it, and after everyone ate the desserts, I told her to come with me. I led her to my closet and asked if she saw anything that may be a surprise for her, and she shrieked, grabbing her face, "OH MY WORD!!!!!!" To say she was elated is an understatement. I dressed her in the beautiful gown and together we made our way to the family and friends waiting for her to open her gifts. 

She was so thankful for ALL the presents, and with each one opened she exclaimed all the squeals and giddy banter with those sitting around her. Really I can't express enough how thankful I am for the friends in our lives, and for everyone who came to shower our baby girl with love and memories! 

Last but not last least; it was time for the big surprise. Kent Bikes reached out to me about a month ago and offered to gift us with some bikes in their line, and I couldn't resist. The rest are coming a little later, but Reese received hers before her big party. We decided to assemble it and to have that be her very last present of the days. She got a bike last year for her third birthday but she's grown SO fast, that we knew it was time to get her a taller one. When I saw Pinkalicious being an option, I couldn't resist! Reese has SO many Pinkalicious books and even I am obsessed with her character. Thank you, Kent Bikes, for such an amazing moment we were able to capture. We can't wait to ride together as a family soon! 

Do you think she's animated enough? Ha ha ha!!! This girl, I tell ya! The life of the party, the most expressive and articulate three (almost four)-year old I know... there's never a dull moment.

Some current favorites of Reese's: 

-Her gray blanket, that she's had literally forever 
-Her bitty babies, Lizzie and Toby, both original American Girls of mine
-Drawing stick people with straight ("smiley") faces
-You are My Sunshine (still, from day one) 
-She adores all the cousins, but Idina, the middle kiddo of Asa's brother, is who she claims as her "best friend..." even though sweet Deena is four years older! 
-Princesses, clearly 
-Going to preschool; she's excelling and thriving by leaps and bounds!! 
-A BOY, named Mark (currently in her class, omg) who she refers to as her boyfriend? Oh heaven help me! We don't make it a huge deal however, since she currently goes to a Christian academy and I'm convinced every single tiny human in her class is wonderful 
-Cuddling
-Queso; YES...QUESO (that's our girl!!) 
-Going out to eat at restaurants (in particular, Chilis. Thanks, Uncle Clayton!!) 
-Dancing and singing and dancing and singing; I'm pretty sure she's half Troll
-Clothes shopping (YAAAAAAS! We will have so much fun!!!!!!) 
-Her dad's homemade 'Alfie Pasta' and all things pasta in particular (yup, she's mine!) 

Reese Elisabeth, we are so proud of you. There aren't enough words in this blog post or anywhere that can express my love to you. God knew what He was doing when He scared the heck out of me with you, and I am so glad that He did. You're a natural born leader, one tough cookies, and you have THE best laugh. You can make anyone smile, and you're an excellent friend. You're intelligent, brave, courageous and fierce. YOU, dear, are my princess, and the greatest one at that. Happy fourth birthday (officially in a few days), thank you for being YOU. While yes, I partially mourn the days of your babyhood, I also can't wait to see the good you will continue to do for this world. 

xoxox, 
Mama

Patching Hearts, Target Trips, and Finishing a Book

Currently I am steeping a very hot cup of tangerine tea, just lit some candles, and have my book Present Over Perfect open in front of me. I actually just finished it, and I don't know about for you, but this doesn't come easy for me! But now I'm sitting here with this feeling of, "what's next?" and, "how can I apply EVERYTHING Shauna said directly to my heart and life?" I underlined a LOT of sentences in this book, as I did throughout Uninvited. Like this part: 

Because that's what I've been searching for: a sense of my own worth. That's what we're craving: the sense that we matter, that someone sees us, that we are loved and valued. And so some of us try to earn it...

and she continued, 

It is only when you understand God's truly unconditional love that you begin to understand the worth of your own soul--not because of anything you've DONE, but because every soul is worthy, every ONE of us is worthy of love, having been created by and in the image of the God of love. 

I'm still dealing with a lot of emotional stuff, if you will. Mending friendships, letting some go, trying to live in the present and enjoy the season I'm currently in. Not being in the classroom right now (and having taught for five whole years) has me feeling disconnected, funky, like, "WHO AM I!?" but I am trying to be SO thankful I have basically the next seven months left of being Mom. It's funny how a life change like this can just leave me feeling so off, but I'm hopeful that I can rest in God's unconditional love because really and truly, that's what I crave. 

Alright, you tired of the deep stuff? Ha ha, me too! This week was good but today was kind of a doozy. We have all those, right? We couldn't play outside because it was freezing cold and spitting sleet, so I bundled the kids up and took them to Target, duh. They got cake pops, I got a giant vanilla latte, and we walked around for an hour. It would have been nice to have been able to smell candles and look at home decor the entire hour, but it basically consisted of me bribing them aisle by aisle with, "we'll look at toys next," and "if we go see this, I promise we'll go to art supplies next," and then finally, I was just doooone and really wishing I hadn't gone as close to nap time as I did. I later texted Asa and asked if he could please take them to the gym when he got home so that I could just have an hour of quiet. [Lord I wish I had his patience.....]

So here's some of the stuff we did this week! Valentines crafts, learning about the letters B and C, doing a sink and float science "experiment, and lots of coloring, per usual. Reese enjoys helping "make breakfast," so she helped me cook some eggs; we read a lot in Mommy's bed, I drank a LOT of tea, and in the mornings after we finished our bible story, I let them watch the animated version--they LOVED that. Oh, and I made frozen yogurt bites, which they kids are now obsessed with. If you haven't yet made those, you should try it. Just use a ziplock bag and dump some yogurt in it, cut off the corner of the bag, and squeeze into little dots on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes and you're good to go! 

Pierson is working on a computer intervention program that Asa's school uses, and he moved up an entire level this week--that's a big deal! It's his first academic "accomplishment" if you will, so today while at Target I let him pick a craft. He loves to paint and to be careful while doing art; I absolutely love that he chose this figurine painting set. He did the horse first, because he said he wanted me to put it in my 'office.' I told him my dream horse (a Bay) and by golly, he did an amazing job. Thanks, Kid, Mom needed more reasons to almost cry today! ;)  

Reese behaved well in Target and because I have a bleeding heart, I wanted to let her pick a toy out too. We went to the dollar section and she chose a Frozen notebook, right up her alley. Tonight I am hosting a women's night, where we'll actually talk about the book Uninvited and gorge ourselves on food and conversation. I'm super excited ProFlowers and Sharis Berries sent me some treats because the girls are going to LOVE these covered strawberries. So, that's it! Our week in photos. Our weekend ahead is very busy, and the plan is to go to MICHIGAN [sans husband, LORD HELP ME] next week; so I'm hoping for a little R&R somewhere between. 

Reese Elisabeth Turns Three

How did this happen? How did three years fly by SO quickly? September 14, 2013 our daughter decided she was ready to be born and in five speedy hours, she graced us with her beautiful self. We were surrounded by so many friends and family, and most importantly for me, my sweet Mama [and Dad and brother Nathan] were here for the whole thing! They missed my son's birth just by minutes, so with Reese, they decided to be in Kentucky an entire week before she came! We missed them at her third birthday party, but my goodness how loved this little girl is! 

For WEEKS she talked about having a "Princess" themed party but kept saying that she really wanted a "Frozen" cake. So I found a picture of the cake and she was so excited. Nords Bakery has been our go-to for our kids' birthday cakes, and they went out of this world with this one! It looked even better than I dreamed, and Reese LOVED it! I thought if we did simple pastel cupcakes, they would look elegant enough and they definitely DID, thanks Kroger!

Shari's Berries sent THE most delicious treats I think I've ever tasted, their cake pops being my absolute FAVORITE. Within seconds of Reese blowing out her candles and us cutting the cake, the hand-dipped strawberries and cake pops were GONE. [I actually told one of my nephews that I really needed the *last* cake pop because I wanted to save it and eat it later that night, ha!] They even sent Reese her very own mini cake, decorated so tastefully with sprinkles. [We enjoyed the treats so much and got SO full at the party, that we saved the mini cake for her actual birthday--photos to come since her birthday is two days away] ;) 

I remember the second my sweet girl was set in my arms, staring down at her as she so easily nursed, and I thought, "She's done it... She's completed our little family, and I am so in love." For the first few months she was quite possibly the easiest baby in the world, which is saying something because her brother was textbook Babywise. She had some funky spurts, maybe a little colic or just tummy sensitivity, and I'll never forget our first Christmas with her... it was the first Christmas I didn't make it back home to Michigan because she was sleeping so terribly and I was way overly stressed out. But really, she fit so well in our family--she was the cuddly baby I had prayed so hard for, she slept perfectly in my tired arms, and I held so tightly to every single month of her babyhood. 

Now here we are... three years later, and I'm holding perhaps even tighter to the toddler years. The LAST year we will have a toddler! As exhausting as some of those two-isms and threenager bouts are, how I love these stages!! Reese wore her Frozen Ana dress for her party this year and later that night I told my mom, "She was just SO happy the entire time." Everything about it really was just magical." 

ProFlowers sent us some gorgeous bouquets for this special event and everyone complimented how gorgeous they were. They also lasted for an entire week after the party and there's probably nothing I love more in my house than fresh, beautiful flowers. 

Some of my best friends and ALL of our local Kentucky family made it for the party, and I was just reminded of how incredibly blessed we are. Even my brother and sweet sis-in-law came from Nashville, which meant SO much to Reese (and ME!) The cousins all cheered her on as she opened gifts, and at the end, she opened her very special doll house that my parents sent her. 

Reese Elisabeth. Our little firecracker, our adventurous spirit. She's beautiful and brave, curious and intelligent. And I thank every single one of you who help us love her! 

Favorite Phrases:
"Mommy don't put your hair up!!!!!!" [okay this one is actually most despised phrase...but hush]
"I love you to the moon and back." 
"Are you sweaty, Daddy?!" 
"I like your shirt. I like your hair. You look SO pretty!" 
"I poooooooped!" 

Favorite Books:
Pinkalicious
Pat the Bunny
The Bible Storybook
Frozen Songbook

Favorite Songs:
Fight Song
Stand by You
Let it Go
Oh Holy Night
Silent Night
Sunshine
Moon Song [I don't want to live on the moon]