2007-05-28 Natalie's Update

Happy Memorial Day! We hope you all had a great day. We had LOTS of fun, but are all worn out from the birthday activities. Brian and I stayed up late last night blowing up balloons and decorating the kitchen with streamers. Brian decorated the table with all of Ava's zoo animals. She kept saying that she wanted to go to the zoo again, so we had the zoo come her. It was really cute. Ava could hear us in the ktichen and kept peeking out of her room. It was after 11PM when she finally stayed in her bed. She was just excited for her big day. I stayed up really really late putting her monkey cake together. It took a lot more work than I had anticipated.(Elsa said she wants one when she turns 5, and I declined.) Ava woke up at 6:45 wanting to see the balloons and "have her party." I made her get back
in bed with me and we slept until 9AM. When she did finally come downstairs, she was amazed. She said, "Look! The animals all came to my birthday." She had requested that we have balloons to fall on her head, but "not her elbows." So, once she came downstairs, I was waiting with a big garbage bag full of balloons. All the work was worth her excitement. She was absolutely sweet and darling throughout the whole day. We opened presents right after breakfast. While the girls played with the new toys, Brian mowed the lawn, and I piped the frosting on the cake. It took two hours! It was overcast all morning and the forecast expected a 60% chance
of rain. Finally, at 2:00, when it was still clear outside, we took the girls swimming. Ava said as we got out of the car, "It is a beautiful sun shiny day for my birthday." It truly was. They loved being in the pool and playing on the bumper boats. Elsa showed off her swimming skills, and Ava liked getting into the water. Each time she would step in, she'd declare, "Oh, it's cold!" She said this each time and then would giggle. Afterwards, we quickly changed the girls out of their wet swimsuits, just in time for some of our friends to arrive for cake and ice cream. Ava had a difficult time blowing the candles out on her cake. I had to help, but only after she singed both sides of her head and her eyelashes. (Ava doesn't do well with hot objects.) Ava got a few more presents, which was even more
exciting. Her friend, Zoe, gave her the little pet shop animals. Ava was in heaven. Every time we go to the store she asks for them. Everytime we go to someones house who has them, she sits and plays with them the whole time. I should have clued in. Now she tells me that she wants to frog and not
one, but two butterflies. She is funny.

Brian managed to sneak off with the older kids and his kayak down to the lake. Elsa came running in the house in her underwear asking for her swimsuit. The older kids had jumped into the lake with their clothes on and were swimming. Elsa wanted to join them. Pretty soon all the little kids were swimming in their underwear. A little of the unexpected! As we were saying good-bye and getting ready to head to our neighborhood BBQ, our neighbor came by with a giant cookie that said "Happy Birthday Ava!" She said that since we hadn't shown up yet, she didn't think we were coming. She had arranged for all the neighborhood kids to sing "Happy Birthday" to
Ava. We quickly put clothes on our naked girls and went over. Ava was so shy with all the attention and starting crying in the middle of the song. (Now Elsa would have basked in all of the attention.) Ava quickly got over it and enjoyed the evening running around with all the kids. I was touched that they went through the effort to remember it was Ava's birthday and then to get her a dessert to celebrate. We live in a great place. There were over thrity kids running around between all the backyards. The girls had so much fun. It was funny to see all the little girls playing with foam swords and toy guns, a novelty compared to the usual dolls and ponies at home. We enjoyed great weather, so much for the expected rain. The girls crashed right after their baths. They were yawning before we even got home. I asked Ava if she had a good birthday and she replied, "Yes, I loved it.
Thank you Mommy!" See how sweet she is. My little angel, but she'll tell you, "No, I am a big girl. I am Ava." That she is. A big three year-old.

Love,
Natalie