4 years

We recently passed our 4th wedding anniversary. This was the first picture we took together and marks the first family Sunday dinner Andrew was invited too at my house. It brings a smile to my face when looking at it. In part because Andrew is wearing a three wise women cooking apron, but mostly because I am just as happy now to be with Andrew as I was then. As Andrew describes it when asked, "It's pretty fun being married."

We decided to celebrate a couple weeks late when Andrew would be done with his dissertation (signed and turned in two weeks ago)! We used my sister's time share and stayed at a place in Windsor where we caught up on cable tv, slept to our hearts content, and ate all the cake we wanted. Can't wait till next year!

A party two year old style

This year Little Bug requested a "pink cake" and "pink lady cookies." Lady is our word for princess. The reality is Little Bug only likes cake and cookies in theory. She gets excited about them, but won't actually try them. Apparently, it is too risky. However, she is a fan of strawberry ice cream. I thought if there was any hope of Little Bug trying her cake this year I should do an ice cream cake.

She was excited all week as she saw me making lots of pink stuff. She even got to pick out a pair of fancy dress shoes and necklace to match her tutu. Come birthday day, she was thrilled. She even came up to me and told me she wanted to wear her tutu. That's where the excitement ended. She was too excited for the upcoming party to nap and only fell asleep for an hour. This girl needs at least a two hour nap to function happily. Unfortunately, she did not feel like participating after that. I guess she really is two.

This is as close as she got to trying the cake. She couldn't even bring herself to touch it.

When the candles were lite the cake became even more threatening. Daddy was needed.

She was too grumpy to wear anything but her lady shoes.

After the presents, she spent the rest of the time hoarding. She tried diligently to get her new baby bed and herself on top of her new chair, with unforeseen spacial problems.

At least she was pleased with her presents, especially her chair. I saw it in the window of a second-hand store. It looked like it had been used as someone's stepping stool in the garage. So we cleaned it up with some steel wool and oil and then reupholstered it. Little Bug picked the fabric, literally. She rejected every fabric I showed her by stating, "No, I don't like it." So I told her to tell me when she saw a fabric she liked. When she found the pink with polka-dots she exclaimed, "I like it. I want it chair. I hold it." And she was very upset when she had to let go of it for the cashier to ring it up.

Eventually, she relaxed enough to play pedicure/manicure with cousin Z.

From now on, all two year olds get a good nap and a surprise birthday party.

Halloween

In anticipation of Halloween this year we practiced Little Bug's "trunk or treat" and talked up all our Toy Story character costumes. She was pretty excited until she found out that meant putting on a cowgirl belt and tucking her shirt in. However, upon arriving at our event and learning quickly you get candy every time you say "trunk or treat" to someone really changed her attitude. She ended up not wanting to leave. It certainly made a mark on her two year old mind because the first thing she said the next day was "where the candy?" For our second trunk or treat she was begging to put on her Jessie costume, except for the shirt being tucked in. That was still a "I don't like it!"

Off to trunk or treat!

Stopping at Papa and Grandma's trunk. Are you recognizing a theme in costumes?

Checking out her loot.

The hat she finally consented to putting on for the last five minutes. She spent the next couple days carrying it around with her as one of her prize possessions.

"To infinity and beyond!" "yeehaw!"

My sister-in-law, with the help of Little Z's "please," convinced everyone in my family minus one to be a Toy Story characters this year.

We definitley had a lot of fun this year. Especially when Andrew realized to be a true Buzz he had to pull out his sweet talking Spanish skills and take his Jessie for a romantic twirl.