you've had a birthday, shout "hurray!"

Somebody special turned 4 this month. Someone I love very very much. Her name is Jane. Jane had been waiting for her birthday for a long time. Like, since her sisters birthday in August. Yeah. She's been a little anxious and probably couldn't believe the day had finally arrive. Jane was rudely awakened the morning of her 4th birthday due to parents that simply couldn't wait to sing her HAPPY BIRTHDAY. The birth of children is definitely worth celebrating. So, we start with the traditional panCAKE breakfast. Pancakes smothered in colored cool whip. YUM. If you're lucky, the birthday girl might share a layer.

The first gift Jane was allowed to open was a little recorder (plastic flute). She proudly played her instrument for each visitor and phone call she received. It takes talent to play with one hand.

That evening we had some cousins over to help celebrate and open presents. She even got to blow out candles again. It never gets old. There is nothing like opening presents when you have a slew of cousins to share them with.

Jane is 4 now. Part of me can't believe she is already four, and the other part feels like she's been around forever. Jane is quite independent. She confidently to get herself drinks, snacks and even helps her little sister Ally in that department if I have said no but Ally insists. When she spills she tells me, "It's ok mom, it was an accident." She says the same thing when Ally spills something. It definitely helps me keep my temper in check. She gets herself dressed each morning and prides herself in being as unfashionable as possible. She loves to go to playgroup once a week. She calls it preschool and loves being with all her little 3-4 year old friends! Jane knows no strangers. She is friendly to everyone she meets and the first question she asks is, "what's your name?" followed by, "oh." That's all it takes and you're best friends! She loves to play games. Be it on the floor, on the computer or on the phone, she is a game junkie. She loves to make believe. Rich and I are so grateful she has a little sister to play "kitties, puppies and ponies" with. They will stay in true character form for days on end. We often wonder when the silliness will end, but then have to remind ourselves that one day, we'll miss having these little kitties around. So, we try to enjoy them while we can. We love to play hide-n-seek and Jane is getting better with her hiding spots. Especially when she has been sneaky (naughty) and taken the grated Parmesean cheese from the fridge. She grabs Ally, they hide in the closet and eat it as fast as they can. It's their favorite (very expensive) snack. It boils my blood every time. She has also taken to coloring and takes pride in using a vast array of colors and sometimes multiple hours or days to complete one project.

This princess project will forever remain unfinished. Jane was a little perturbed upon discovering that Ally had scribbled on the bottom. Ally just wants to be like her big sister in every way, much to the dismay of Jane. Jane loves to practice her letters. She received an awesome letter-practicing book from her cousins Ethan, Landon and Aiden (Thanks Darci!! (and Doug)). They have indentations for each letter making it easier for the child to see how to write the letter. She will do several pages a day and is almost done with the lower-case. It will be interesting to see her try and write the letters without the indented guidelines.

We sure love our Janer-bug. She keeps us on our toes laughing, dancing and learning how to be parents and guardians over such a sweet spirit. Happy birthday Janie.

the first snowfall

The first snowfall from the eyes of a child. Pure, innocent, and joyful. Perhaps winter isn't so bad afterall. If only it wasn't so cold. I become quite the hermit throughout winter. My toes are always cold and I frequently long for the warmth of my bed and the restfulness of sleep. I must be part bear. 

The first snow fall of 2012 happened in November. Before leaving for work Rich went to shovel the sidewalks and feed the dog and by the time he was done the girls were dressed in their winter gear (over their jammies) and ready to play. Being the awesome father he is, he said, "work can wait" and played for about 30 minutes in the snow. Our girls were in pure heaven. They built their first snowman of the season.

It was a lot of hard work. And sometimes, when you're out before breakfast you can get hungry for a little snack. Poor snowman.

I, serra, pledge to take the challenge.

when i sit down to write my family histories I have this feeling that I am releasing the trapped words within my brain. There is something therapeutic to writing. It has been decided that I am a terrible blogger, although I used to be quite regular. That was when I lived 800 miles away from my parents and had an exciting dating life. Since I got married and my parents have moved closer it seems I haven't blogged much. This is not to say I lead a boring life. Rather, I share my every days with someone, therefore I no longer feel the need to tell someone else about what's going on in my life. That portion of my needs is fulfilled by my husband. That being said, it still feels good to write. I look back on my nearly 7 years of bad (nearly non-existent) writing habits and feel sorry I have not been better. I feel badly that my children do not have a wonderful written history. I hope their life in pictures proves to be much richer.

One of my goals last year was to update my blog more regularly so that when I went to write my histories, it was easier.... I failed. Miserably. This year, I am getting more into photography so I am hoping to take on a new challenge. One I hope to not fail so miserably. The challenge is to take at least one post-worthy picture a week. That means, you should be hearing from me at least once a week. Or, at least once a month with atleast 4-5 pictures, right? I will continue to by my lazy blogging self throughout the rest of this year. Here's to hoping you see me the first week in January!