The 4th Girl in the Family

Poor, forgotten Snickers!

Here she is with Rachael and Grace, everyone smiling so pretty for the camera! Every week, Grace's VPK class has their show and tell and the items they bring in correspond to what letter of the alphabet they are studying. Grace came up with the idea of bringing in a picture of Snickers, and then we figured if Rachael was in the shot, she'd have two things representing S -- Snickers and her sister!

Snickers is a little over 6 years old now, and she's a great dog! She plays with the girls, lets them love on her, and she even tolerates their friends! She is still very much a Daddy's Girl -- she probably feels the strong "cat person" vibes coming from Mommy!

She may not get as much camera time, but we love Snickers just the same!

Mommy's Big Day

Yesterday was my birthday, so we decided to take advantage of Disney's "What Will You Celebrate?" promotion since it would be free for me. What made it even better was that we had taken Grace for her 2nd birthday, so I was happy we got to take Rachael right after her 2nd also!

Chris and I are Florida natives, so we know better than to go to a theme park when it's going to be crazy busy. We realized yesterday was a holiday, but not everyone closes on President's Day (it was rare for Chris to have the day off), so we didn't think it would be a madhouse. BOY, WERE WE WRONG! I don't think I've ever been to a theme park when it was that crowded!

As crazy as it was, though -- mishaps and all -- we still had a good time!

Rachael went on her first carousel ride, without screaming!!

Grace 's favorite part:

Aurora (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty)

Cinderella Grace's favorite princess, Belle

We also waited (and waited and waited) to meet Mickey and Minnie, and Rachael was very excited before we got up to them! Once they were at her level, though, she was so shy! Minnie even tried to play peek-a-boo with her a little bit! I think Rachael must've been a bit awestruck!

It was a long day, and I think it'll be three to five years before we try that again, but we did have a lot of fun! Seeing the girls get excited over things like that is a great gift any day!

Multi-Tasking

It was bound to happen. Today it did. A wee bit earlier than I expected though...

Grace got her first phone call.

Sure, she has talked to her friend, Faith, on the phone before, but it was usually because Faith's mom and I had already been talking. This took me by surprise. I answered the phone and a sweet little 4-year-old voice identified herself and asked to speak to Gracie.

It was a friend of Grace's from school, and Grace was so happy to talk to her since she had to stay home sick today!

In the picture, you'll notice a book -- Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop. That was given to her by her Grandma when she came over for a visit. She and Grandpa came for a visit specifically so Grace could read a book to them! In school they got to pick a book from the library, and Grace brought home Dora's Picnic by Christina Ricci. She brought it home, and pretty much read it cover to cover -- I had no idea! Sure, she had to ask about a few words (I cannot explain why brought sounds the way it does when it looks the way it does, which is why she will go to public school), but for the most part she had it down!

Now she's enjoying Hop on Pop, and she even told her friend she was reading a rhyming book.

Reading books. Talking on the phone.

Check back tomorrow, when I write about Grace's first time driving...

Beautiful Lengths

Almost a year to the day after Grace donated her hair to Locks of Love (click here for that post), it was Mommy's turn! I started thinking about growing my hair out around that time, and today my friend, Katye, and I made the cut!

If you're interested, before-and-after shots are here.

We are donating to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which uses the hair to make wigs for adult women who have lost their hair due to cancer. In the past year, a family friend and one of Chris' co-workers were diagnosed with breast cancer, both had mastectomies and underwent chemotherapy, so it kind of made it a little more personal!

A good cut for a good cause!