Happy Birthday Auntie La!

We hope you aced your exam (sorry for calling while you were in the classroom) and we hope you were able to get out and enjoy the rest of your birthday when it was over!

Happy Birthday Eka!

She has a black cat named Lucifer (although Auntie La might argue that) and a magic garden that leaves presents. She lives at a pond (actually a lake) and has a cane that makes a great Mulan sword. She shares her popcorn and is always quick to offer a hug or help when it is needed.

Happy birthday Eka, you are an amazing grandmother and great-grandmother and deserve to have a wonderful day. We love you!

Happy Birthday Jumpin' J!

Jumpin' J we can't believe you are 2 already! Time has flown and you have grown from such a little baby into a wonderful cousin and friend. We hope you have a wonderful day and we will get together to celebrate soon!

Happy Birthday Uncle Dave!

LP helped me create a special celebration for Uncle Dave's birthday today. It was small, just the three of us for dinner, but it took the two of us most of the day to prepare.

Uncle Dave has been talking for months about a coconut doughnut that he is craving but can't find anymore. So LP and I set out to make a coconut cake to hopefully fill that craving for him. LP has been trying to keep the surprise a secret for him for two days, and didn't actually tell him that it was a cake until this morning (although she did keep telling him that there was a surprise for him, we have to work on surprises I think).

She was a great helper in the kitchen, cracking eggs, measuring sugar, and using the mixer, we had a great time working on it and I think the cake came out pretty good. I hope that Uncle Dave really enjoyed it, he has become an important part of our family and deserves a special birthday celebration.

Happy Birthday Christy!

Happy birthday to my little cousin Christy, who isn't so little anymore. I still can't believe that the little girl who would con me into making fluff-only sandwiches with marshmallows on the side has become such a beautiful adult.

We hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Happy Birthday Auntie La!

A very happy birthday to LP's Auntie La. I have a hard time believing my baby sister is 28 years old now.

LP and her Auntie La have a very special relationship. LP knows that whenever her Auntie La is around the fun won't stop. Auntie La is always willing to get down on the ground, roll around, get dirty, give horsey rides, be a jungle gym; whatever LP can dream up. And LP is the only person who can not only wake Auntie La up at 7 am without getting her head snapped off, she can get her to actually jump right up and be ready to play.

We hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad!

While a lot has changed in the the 60.5 years since this photo was taken, it definitely still looks like you! But where did that light, curly hair go? I wonder if LP's hair is going to end up as dark as yours when she gets older too?

We hope you have a great day, we will talk to you on the computer later, LP wants to sing happy birthday to you, and we will celebrate with you this weekend when we head up to visit. Love you!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Hoping you have a wonderful birthday, knowing you there will be something fun planned!

(And we have to get together soon, I don't have any recent photos of you so I had to steal this one off your facebook account!)

Happy Birthday Gillian!

A very happy 3rd birthday to LP's pal, Gillian. Gillian is the last member of their little group to turn 3, but being the youngest has never held her back. She and LP have been partners in crime during playdates since July 2006.



She has more hair now, but still always has her great big smile, big blue eyes, and happy, full of life personality.

Happy Birthday Bobu!

Wishing you a slightly belated, but very happy birthday. We hope you enjoyed your day yesterday and we are looking forward to lunch with you tomorrow!

Welcome Madalynn Jayne!

I have a new niece and LP has a new baby cousin! Madalynn Jayne was born at 10:06 pm at 8lbs, 14oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.

Congratulations Shannon, Mike, Hunter, Cole, and Ella. We cannot wait to see you all and meet the newest member of the family.

The Pirate Party

While we were in Disney World Lilypad Princess fell in love with Captain Jack Sparrow. When asked what kind of birthday party she wanted this year, she immediately chose a pirate party. So the planning began on a pirate party.

The weather decided to help us out, and instead of the showers they were predicting earlier in the week we had one last day of summer. We put out the tunnels (which fit the theme perfectly with the pirate ship), a kiddy pool, and filled the sandbox with gold coins for a treasure hunt. Uncle Dave created the perfect treasure chest cake. LP wore her beautiful party dress from Nana and ran and played with her friends all day.

click on any picture to see it larger


















Thank you to all our friends and family who helped make it such a special day. Dad, Anne, Lauren, Eka, and Auntie Diane- thank you for all of the help with the set up and clean up. Nana and PopPop, you were especially missed.

Happy Birthday Gavin!

A very happy (although belated) birthday to our friend Gavin. Gavin's third birthday was this past weekend, although we celebrated with him at his Thomas the Train party last Friday.

Gavin and LP met in music class when they were only about 5 or 6 months old. Playdates started that summer, before they even turned a year old. We have had the pleasure of watching Gavin grow alongside LP, into a happy, full of life, caring little boy. Although LP and Gavin don't have any classes together this year, we still try to get together once a week for playdates. We look forward to watching as he grows another year older and bigger.

Our first playdate, 10 months old July 2006


1 year old, October 2006


2 years old, October 2007


3 years old, September 2008

A Busy Birthday

Lilypad Princess had a busy third birthday today. She actually slept in late for once, then came in to jump on Lilypad Dad and I to wake us up. We started off the morning snuggling in bed talking about her birthday and plans for the day, then headed downstairs to get moving.

LP opened one of her birthday presents, a new baby who can get wet and a bathtub, and happily bathed her while I made her birthday waffles for breakfast. Then Alessandro and his mom joined us for a trip to the zoo.



This was the first trip to this zoo for all of us, it was small and old fashioned, but clean and intimate. We were only 2 fences and less than 5 feet away from bears, lions, and tigers, so the kids were able to get a great view of the animals. It was big enough that we never had to be near another group, but small enough that the kids were able to walk the whole thing. The biggest hit for the kids was not the animals though, but the playground in the center of the zoo. They would have been happy to spend the entire day there.









For dinner, Lilypad Dad and I took LP to a burger restaurant with summer music and atmosphere. LP loves this restaurant, and we had a nice dinner together. LP ended her day with vanilla ice cream with a candle and a round of happy birthday from us and the waiter.

Happy Birthday Lilypad Princess!

My baby girl is 3 years old today. I never knew that time could fly by so fast, or be so filled with millions of tiny moments that I would never forget.

She started off to tiny, so helpless. She has grown into her own little person; strong, outgoing, curious, fearless, compassionate, and loving. Watching her explore and learn has become my greatest joy. Although would love to stop time right now to always keep her mommy's little girl, I am also excited to see what she is going to learn and how she is going to grow and change and what kind of person she is becoming.

At 3 years old she is full of contradictions. One minute she is a big girl, dressing herself, jumping into the pool, or getting her own drink of water from the fridge. The next minute she is mommy's baby again, curling up on my lap and staring into my face with the same eyes that looked up at me the very first time I nursed her.

minutes old


1 year old


2 years old


3 years old (almost)


I love you baby girl.