Eliza's First Day of 4K Preschool

Eliza started preschool with Miss Kristie's Little Fireflies today. She has been counting down to this day for months now, so saying she was excited is a bit of an understatement. She spent a good thirty minutes selecting the "perfect" outfit and asked if I would take a picture of her before she left. 

Before she hopped out of the car, she said, "I know it will be hard without me, but I will see you soon!" As usual, she was right. 

Eliza, you are the best. I still can't believe you are almost four and going to "big girl" preschool. We will miss you when you're gone!

Eliza on Sunday

Eliza loves watching me get dressed up. Unfortunately for her, that only happens once a week. When Sunday finally rolls around, Eliza is as happy as she can be. She bounces around our house as she anxiously awaits for me to announce that it is time to start getting dressed. She immediately runs back to my bedroom closet and selects the dress or skirt that she wants me to wear. Eliza also picks out the shoes that she thinks will "look most wonderful!" with the outfit of her choice. Sometimes, it's hard to break the news that I can't wear black shoes with a mustard skirt. The girl certainly has ideas! Lastly, Eliza will sit on the bathroom counter and watch me put on my make-up. I love how it makes her day when I let her put on some chapstick (which she calls her lip gloss). She is such a girly-girl sometimes (well, all the time). 

Eliza's most favorite thing, though, is getting herself ready. She chooses her dress the night before and places it on her bed (this includes her tights, shoes, and accessories). She is that excited about getting dressed up! Because she has such strong opinions on clothing, it is very difficult to even suggest that she wear a certain outfit. If she feels pressured into wearing something, she will have a breakdown. Nathan and I are trying hard to be okay with her wearing some outrageous outfits, but overall, she does a pretty fantastic job. 

When my mom was in town, she and I picked out a couple of new dresses for Eliza. I was worried that Eliza would have nothing to do with the clothing because she didn't pick it out herself, but when she saw the turquoise dress with polka dots, she was in love! She allowed me to add a little sash to the dress (which was a small miracle) and then ran to get hers pair of pearls. Finally, she asked me to give her a "ballet bun" and add her bow to her hair. I could tell she had a definite look in mind. When she looked in the mirror, she said, "Yes!" I love how expressive this little girl is! She was certainly pleased with herself.

I love my clever, and fashion conscientious, little girl. I am going to have to be on my toes to keep her impressed! 

(As a sidenote, she constantly tells Nathan and me that she can't wait to grow up so she can "share Mommy's clothes." I guess it's REALLY important to her).

A Very Merry Unbirthday!

Because my mom couldn't be here for Eliza's actual birthday, we decided to have a mini birthday party where Eliza could open the gifts from my mom and sister. Eliza was really excited about having an "unbirthday" and opening a couple of gifts early. Ruby came over and we gave each little girl a cupcake. Eliza couldn't wait to blow out the candles! I think it was her favorite part of the whole unbirthday.

 Ruby then got a turn to blow out some candles as well.

Eliza then opened up her gifts from my mom and sister, Marian. Sofia the First reminds Marian of Eliza, so she really wanted Eliza to have the costume for her birthday. As you can see, Eliza was pretty excited to get the costume, shoes, crown, and amulet necklace. She is a lucky little girl!

What We Do When Grandma Comes To Town...

Before Grandma Homa came, Eliza suggested that we make her room extra clean. I already had plans to intensively clean, so that was fine with me! Once we were finished, Eliza insisted that I take a photo of her "pretty pink room." She is pretty proud of her big princess bed (AKA my old bed that we decided to make her "toddler" bed).

 Once Grandma arrived, the party began! Ezra and Elliott were pretty excited to show their Legos, dumptruck, and puzzles to a new friend.

And, of course, any visit from Grandma means a trip to Chick-fil-a! I will use any reason as an excuse to get Chick-fil-a :)

 We also did some shopping together, which is always fun because Nathan absolutely hates shopping. Grandma got a new movie for the family (my childhood favorite!), a Jurassic Park shirt for me, and a couple of dresses for Eliza.

Nathan and I introduced my mom to In-N-Out, and she definitely approved. How could anyone not like In-N-Out?

 We showed off the cute Polo jumper we found at a garage sale for only a dollar (because Grandma appreciates cute Polos and Nathan doesn't) and played outside with chalk.

The boys then introduced Grandma to our neighbor, a horse they lovingly call "dog."

 Eliza showed off her artistic abilities and drew a picture of Ruby and herself. Grandma was impressed.

 Last, but not least, Grandma was able to meet baby Jane.

It has been a busy but incredibly fun week. We are going to miss my mom when she goes home!

Anniversary

My mom has been visiting this past week which has been wonderful. The kids love Grandma Homa, and I love having my mom around. Every night, she tells Nathan and I to get out of the house and go on a date. A couple of times, we have actually taken her up on the offer! We went and saw "Now You See Me" one night and loved it. We then went on a date last night and celebrated our anniversary.

We went to Outback, and Nathan said we could do anything I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to go shop at Target and eat cake from The Chocolate. Doing anything without kids is a luxury, and shopping and eating more are what I wanted to spend this luxurious time of mine on. I think I have my priorities straight. We got a couple of pieces of "The Husband" cake (fitting for the occasion), and I bought a Star Trek t-shirt that I have been admiring. 

It was a fun evening for me! Nathan said he just enjoyed being with me without any distractions and that he didn't mind the shopping and cake. He's a good husband :)

Family Photos, Round 2

Because my friend Wendy is so wonderful, she offered to take more pictures of our family while we were still in Othello. I got the disc in the mail today, and I am in love! Wendy is so incredibly talented. I feel like she perfectly captured our family.