(On this particular day she’s a Vikings fan, I guess. )

…And I also love that she likes to dress up like a princess and practice twirling…

Getting ready for her tea party…

Riding her new bike with her party clothes on…

Waiting for her tea party…

And what a party it was! SO fun! (I’m allowed to prefer little girl parties over little boy parties, right? ‘Cause they are so much easier.) Here are some highlights…

Handsome servers…

Sipping on some pink lemonade…

Fruit Loop necklaces…

A game of “Pass the Hot Tea Cup”…

And most of all lots of fun with lots of good friends!

P.S. Dave and I celebrated 13 years of marriage yesterday! Wow! Also, here is the link to our photos from last weekend’s family photo shoot. They are so amazing. What a great anniversary gift!

She had been talking about getting a haircut for a while, and about a week ago I actually found a bunch of hair clippings all over the floor in front of a mirror in my bedroom.

Silky, blond, wispy, baby hair clippings. *sniff!*

Now, every last bit of that soft baby hair is gone. The inevitable can’t be stopped…our little baby girl is growing up!

And developing a killer sense of style…

Upon hearing that she could go on a trip with Daddy to the store, I guess she felt her outfit wasn’t complete and added some accessories. Ha! But do you know what’s really funny about this? I had to beg her to wear these striped tights under a jean skirt this past winter. And I think she ended up taking them off 10 minutes later because they “hurt.” Apparently, thick cotton tights are less painful on a 75 degree day.

Super Phoebe!

Well, OK, maybe not a millionaire, but at least we’d have a lot more money in our checking account than we currently do.

So, yesterday, just when my patience had been worn so thin by the utterance of that phrase for the umpteenth time…and just when I thinking that, if it were possible to pick up the phone and summon a schoolbus to come and take my disobedient children away from me, I might just do so…

Then…

One of my children (who shall remain namless, to protect his identity) goes and does this…

He draws angry eyebrows and a moustache in permanent orage marker on Phoebe’s face.

And then I was faced with a choice.  I could either completely loose my temper…

Or laugh.

I laughed.  And it felt really good, too!

It’s funny, isn’t it, how children eschew their myriads of toys and prefer to raid kitchen cupboards, the fridge, bookshelves and what not to have a good ol’ game of make believe?  Or is this just my children?

I caught Phoebe and Ellie playing with many of our condiments the other day and they were just so absorbed and entertained that I said nary a word and simply watched them.  And took pictures, of course. That’s a bit of wisdom that I’ve learned in my 11 years of parenting:  if children are being quiet without the aid of media then you let it be.  Just let it be.

Assuming, of course, that they aren’t endangering a life.

I love that they have each other.  So special!