Four Year Olds Rule

Ainsley got to celebrate her birthday in class on her actual birthday this year. She was VERY excited since it meant she was the 1st birthday celebration of the school year. Here she is pictured wearing her special birthday hat. Her teacher sets out glitter, stickers, feathers - anything a red-blooded, American girl could want to bling up her birthday hat. Ainsley chose almost entirely a hat decorated with stickers. That's mah girl!


This is Ainsley's class sitting behind the blue line before the celebration. Much of the class activities take place around the blue line. It's practically sacred.

After Ainsley walked around the sun (candle) four times (once for each year she's been on the Earth) she gets to blow out the candle. Thank goodness her teacher is there to make sure she doesn't get a face full of candle wax!


As shy as she can be at times, Ainsley is amazingly ALL ABOUT being the center of attention. She is very much in her element on her birthday day.

After the celebration in class, we headed outside to the picnic tables to have a special snack for her birthday. Mommy was instructed to bring fruit and cookies along with apple juice. I did EXACTLY what I was told.


The average adult would prefer to be waited on for their birthday. But, passing out plates to the other children is 4-year-old heaven...especially for a bossy kid like Ainsley!



Here is Ainsley hangin' with some of her favorite friends. Notice I am showing the fruit picture first to prove that they actually did EAT the fruit.


Ainsley's sweet teacher, Mrs. Hinson, took a picture of us before I had to go back to work. Since I'm usually the one behind the camera I have precious few photos of me with the girls. This one will probably be a favorite of mine for years to come.

Happy birthday, sweetheart.

Every Little Girl Should Have a Tinkerbell Birthday Party

Every little girl should have the opportunity to have a Tinkerbell birthday party. Ainsley had her 4th birthday party today, and she selected the theme of (you guessed it!) - Tinkerbell. There were Tinkerbell invitations, Tinkerbell party favors, Tinkerbell plates and napkins, Tinkerbell party hats, a Tinkerbell birthday cake and even a rather large Tinkerbell table cloth.

She loved it!

She was very concerned with whether or not the cake was going to have Miss Tink on it. When I assured her she could go with me to the baker's home to pick up the cake, she seemed happy but skeptical. When Cathy Young answered her door, the first words out of Ainsley's mouth were "Do you have my Tinkerbell cake?" Thank the good lord mommy ordered the right cake, huh?


The cake in question. And, my, oh, my did it taste good!


Hot dogs taste much better when they're on Tinkerbell plates. Trust me.


The birthday girl and baby sister Addison.

"Staging" the house

So, we've decided to sell our house. We love this house, but it's not the perfect house, and we have an opportunity to build from scratch and get "exactly what we want," so we're considering it. We're working with a real estate agent to set an asking price, moving furniture around, de-cluttering, etc., etc., etc.

Have you ever tried to de-clutter a house where two children live? It's quite an experience. We packed away a bunch of toys that Ainsley hasn't even looked at in months. Until, of course, she cannot see them in plain sight along with the other 10,000 toys she has.

Ainsley: "Daddy, where are my Thomas trains?"
Derek: "They're packed in a box."
Ainsley: "But I want to play with them."
Derek: "I'm sorry, Ainsley, but they're packed in a box. We can't get to them."
Ainsley: "But Daddy, I want to play with them."
Derek: "Ainsley, you will have to find something else to play with."
Ainsley: "But I don't have anything else to play with."

Right.

I hate moving.

It's exciting to pick out carpet, tile, paint and all that. We will both be closer to work - me more so than him, and closer to work is always good with gas prices the way they are. Ainsley and I are in the car about 45 minutes to an hour each direction. She's a real trooper during the trip, but I wouldn't hate cutting 15-20 minutes off the drive each way.

I hate moving.

We're in the process of thinking about maybe considering thinking about starting to plan to pack.

Did I mention that I hate moving?

Anyway...I'll keep you all posted on what happens with the listing/sale of the house. Wish us luck!

Little Angel

We've had three nights in a row of Miss Addison sleeping through without waking up. This is cause for incredible merriment in the Milikien Household since the first few months were a little sketchy. Addison has acid reflux and for the first 4-5 months of her life would only sleep while cradled in mom's arms. While this was probably luxury for her, it has been a killer on mom's sleep - not to mention her back and neck!

So, please celebrate with us and keep your fingers and toes crossed that this trend continues!

Sweet baby girl

Addison is such an effusive and happy baby. She was playing with this duck that Ainsley gave her and thought it was hysterical.

Cheese!

Addison is such a sweet baby. She loves little toys like this teddy bear, and she'll just sit and turn it over again and again in her hands. Ainsley loves finding new little toys to give her.

Let's go to the circus!

Ainsley and daddy before the circus started


Ainsley participating in the circus parade

We took Ainsley to the circus this year. There is a really cool option where you can buy seats that allow you to participate in the circus. So, they take you down on the floor, give you silly hats and then you climb into little cars and drive around the circus floor a few times. Ainsley wasn't too sure what she thought about all this fanfare, but it was really cute.