Yippee Meredith is 3!

This says it all...

Meredith's first question of the day, "Mommy, did I turn three in the night?!" Her second question, "Can we have another party today?!" It goes without saying, Meredith enjoyed her birthday. Brandon said he plans to home school her for college, because we have a sneaking suspicion, she may be a party girl.

We had a pretty lazy day, and did whatever Meredith wanted to do. She gave me a breakfast order of chocolate chip, blueberry, and sprinkle pancakes. (Three separate kinds, not mixed. That would be gross. More convenient, but gross.) I surprised her with this pancake, which she thought was "fabulous!"

We played with all her toys, which all consist of small parts or require several costume changes. Meredith's already well-stocked dress up box, has now reached critical mass. We're going to have to abandon our cute dress up trunk, for a full on 20 gallon tub. There is nothing she loves more than slipping into someone else's shoes. Just remember to call her by the name of the particular princess she's currently embodies and all will be well.

Meredith fell in love with an outdoor playhouse a few weeks ago, and after a few phone calls to a couple of softies in Tennessee and some serious hinting to Daddy, the playhouse is in our garage. January birthdays and outdoor playthings aren't a good match, so we gave her a few things she could enjoy without risking frostbite.

I may have mentioned Meredith's obsession with all things royal, so Brandon thought she needed a castle of her own. Alex and Brandon are really into Alex's Playmobil http://www.playmobil.com/ castle, but it's gray, which in our house is code for boy. So, Meredith now has her own pink and white castle of 1,000 parts. Seriously, these toys make me want to cry. Our kids both love them and they spend hours playing with them, but unless you have a child who is into this stuff, you cannot possibly appreciate how tiny the pieces are.

The other big hit was a Cinderella dress. I gave it to her right before she went to bed, so after a few twirls around our bedroom, she noticed the skirt is embellished with glittery carriages. Meredith looked up at me and said, "Oh! Can I have a pumpkin carriage? A BIG one?! One I can ride in?!" I think we may be overindulging. Brandon told her she already had a coach, our van.

The sweetest part of the day, was Alex's kindness to his sister. Don't get me wrong, we had our normal dose of spats, but he really made an effort to make Meredith's day special.

Around noon I asked the kids if they'd like some lunch. They were very busy playing, and both declined. I uttered my now standard, "Last chance for lunch. This is not a buffet. If you want some lunch you need to tell me NOW." Nope. They were sure.

About 15 minutes later, I heard the fridge open and close several times and the familiar smack of plastic dishes hitting the counter. I went into the kitchen to find that Alex had made lunch for himself and Meredith. Not only did this little guy make a lunch...it was a well-balanced lunch! Turkey sandwich, carrots, a cheese stick, and he was making every effort to divide an apple with a plastic knife. Alex looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said, "We changed our minds."

Meredith normally complains about eating turkey sandwiches. She's a PB&J girl to the core. She scarfed it down and complimented the chef the entire time. I looked over at her sandwich, and it was three parts mayonnaise to one part turkey, which if you're under ten and don't know what cholesterol is, why not?!

When I took Meredith up for her nap, we opened her bedroom door to find her entire room decked out in balloons left over from the party. Alex tied them to all four of her bed posts and had the bouquets lined up on Meredith's headboard. She was thrilled! Alex came in after he heard the squeals of delight and said, "I wanted to make her room like a party." I'm telling you, I almost lost it in her room. Alex can be such a challenge sometimes, but he has a heart of GOLD! He even danced with Meredith and humored her as she called him "Prince."

Now, if he could stop running in place and threatening to run away every time I give him an answer he doesn't want to hear, we'd be set!