Three.

Yesterday my firstborn child turned three years old.  Three.  It seems impossible that it's been so long, but then I look at her and she seems so grown up to me.  She explains things.  She says things like, "This is ridiculous.  Isaac and Tabby have two kitties, Iris and Catfish, and we don't have any kitties!" And, while I break the silence in the car to ask her a question, "You startled me!" Like I'm talking to an 80 year old woman.  :) So in some ways, she does seem 3.  She certainly looks it! People have been asking me to verify her age for months now when she has proclaimed nearly everywhere we go, "Hi! I'm Collette! I'm two!" People tell me often that she looks much older.

 

A quick Collette Birthday flash-back :

I will write more about what Collette is doing now as a 3 year old, and I'm hoping to get a good video interview with her soon, but for now, I'll just recap her actual birthday.  (Her party will be in a couple of weeks; we are doing a joint party for Collette and Trey).

Lloyd and I decided that since we both had to work on her actual birthday-- LL during the day and me in the evening-- we would celebrate together as a family for breakfast. For something fun, I decided to make pink mini-chocolate chip Minnie Mouse pancakes:

When the pancakes were almost done, I went in to check on her and see if she was awake.  She sat up, looked at me and proclaimed, "It's my happy birthday! I'm three! My friends are here?" Ha! Well, I had to explain to her that it wasn't time for her party yet, but we were going to have a fun breakfast with special breakfast guests-- Grandma and Pap!

 

Ready to celebrate! Her pink Minnie {pan}cake:

 

Daddy bringing her her Minnie pancake while we sang:

 

She did such a good job blowing out her candle that she blew the candle right over! :)

(Please note her dino mug of coffee-milk next to her Minnie pancake. lol)

 

Uncle Andy, Aunt Taryn, and Tabby stopped by, and she opened her presents from us:

 

 

We decided to do a combined birthday/Christmas present for her, and got her a LeapPad by LeapFrog.  Even though she had never seen one, she knew what it was right away, and announced "It's a phone for me! It's like Isaac's!" (She plays games like the LeapPad has on LL's phone, and Isaac has a Leapster Explorer, which can use the same games and apps.)

 

She was able to spend the afternoon playing with her cousins at Grandma and Pap's house-- always a treat, and riding the combine with Daddy. 

 

 

My sweet 3 year old girl:

 

Happy, happy birthday sweet Collette!

You are a joy to us every day, and we simply cannot imagine our world without you!