My baby girl is going to be 4 this month... FOUR! I just can't believe it. For some reason, her turning 4 is hitting me harder than any other age thus far. Maybe because she's no longer a baby or a toddler, but instead will be referred to as a little girl? This is the stage where she starts getting ready for school, dressing herself and imitating her friends. I love each new stage even more than the last, but I think I'm going to miss "3."
Anyway, I decided to take one pictures every day of her birthday month, to really cherish these days and remember how she was at 3 years old. So, we start with today, May 1st, and I'll update this blog everyday with a new picture and description. Should be fun for the grandparents, too :)
May 1st: With a mouth full of whipped cream, Gia is enjoying her Mama/Daughter date at the coffee shop! They remember us there (because Bobby goes with her every Friday) and they fill up an 8oz cup of whipped cream for her!
May 2nd: We watched The Aristocats tonight for our movie night. One of Gia's favorite things to do is make popcorn with Daddy in our popcorn maker (that we got on clearance!) and have movie night. She can only sit through about 30 minutes of a movie before getting bored and going off to play, but it's always a fun 30 minutes!
May 3rd: We had a gift card, so after church on Sunday we went to Zaxby's for lunch. Gia loves going there because she gets chocolate milk. I love going there because after getting up early, getting 2 kids out of the house, teaching children's church and cleaning up afterwards, I don't have to cook!
May 4th: Every Monday we spend a chunk of the day with our good friends. Us Mamas and the kids get along so well, although this week I think the girls needed a nap. Thank goodness for Italian ice and it's calming effect!
May 5th: Today's photo was taken just after lunch. The great thing about Bobby's job is that he gets to eat lunch with us most days. After lunch, Gia wanted to play, so Bobby took a few minutes before going back to work to just sit in the playroom and play with them. One of the kids' favorite games to play with Bobby is to push him down, help him up, push him down, etc... That's is what's happening in this picture.
May 6th: Every Wednesday Gia has Awana, and it's the most wonderful program ever! Her teachers are so amazing. She really loves to go and does so well there. Really, she has a God-given talent for memorizing verses. We can go over a verse with her once, and then we forget to do it again until right before going to Awana, and she remembers it. Good to know that even when we are slackers, she will still learn.
May 7th: I forgot to take a picture today, so here's one from a few days ago. We got Nola back (when we didn't think we would), and the kids were so happy. Gia went around for 2 weeks saying, "Nola, you're alive! I'm so glad you're back!" Such a sweet blessing for us all!
May 8th: Every Thursday we have our community group at another family's house. There are a lot of kids in our group, so Gia pretty much loves it. Here's a picture of the kids hanging out a bit together at the end of the night. We always make sure she gets a good nap on these days because we normally don't get home until 9:30!
May 9th: Today Gia and Trey spent time at our friend Donnell's house so that I could get some packing done. She gets so excited about seeing Donnell and getting to play with her! Donnell was sweet and had Gia make a mother's day present for me (a picture frame). Gia did so much at Donnell's that she was exhausted when we got home and took a 3 hour nap! Thanks, Donnell!
May 10th: For Mother's Day this year, we flew to Nana and Papa's house! Gia had a blast on the plane, watching Doc McStuffins, eating snacks that she got to pick out and drinking our free juice on the plane. She even carried her own bookbag and walked the whole way rather than using a stroller. She's growing up!
May 11th: We did so much on Monday, including going down to the New River and letting the kids play in the sand and water, but I'm putting in the picture of Gia and Nana making cookies together. Gia loves to help in the kitchen, and Nana loves to bake with her. Gia's a good helper!
May 12th: Our big activity today was going to a morning baseball game of the Hickery Crawdads! It's a tradition that my dad does with the kids every year (we always loved going to baseball games when I was a kid) and Gia and he had a blast together as my dad explained the game to her for the 4th year. In this picture, the ballpark was playing "Let it Go" from Frozen, and Gia was pretty excited :)
May 13th: Today we spend the day in my old stomping ground of Boone, NC. We went to our favorite coffee shop, Mom took Gia & I to a bead store to make bracelets, and then we went to Mast General store to get bags of candy from the barrels! Gia & Bobby were in Heaven, and Trey was frustrated because he saw all the candy but couldn't understand why he could eat it.
May 14th: Nana and Papa threw a birthday party for Gia tonight! She got lots of gifts, and her cake was actually my cake that Stick Boy Bread, Co. made for me & Bobby. What I love about Gia is that she appreciates any gift she gets and just finds joy in opening the packages. I don't know if that's a 4 year old thing or just her personality, but I love her heart.
May 15th: Us girls playing the game Nana got Gia for her birthday!
May 16th: Grandmama filled the kiddie pool with water, and the kids loved it! Gia had fun spitting water out of the tub because it drove Faye crazy, and Trey just splashed over and over again! Little water bugs!
May 17th: After going to church with Bobby Sr. and Faye, they went out to lunch at Zaxby's. Gia loves Zaxby's because of the chocolate milk... very little else gets eaten :)
May 18th: Bobby and his dad took Gia & Trey to the park today. I was so impressed to see this picture because Gia climbed up a rope latter all by herself. She has become more confident in trying new things lately, and it's a quality that Bobby and I want to instill in her (determination).
May 22: We went to the beach today and Bobby dug a BIG hole for the kids to fit in. Gia's favorite part of the beach is the sand, so here they are having fun together and starting the hole.
May 23rd: Grandmama and Granddady threw a birthday party for Gia since we were here. There are better pictures of her from the party, but I feel like this one captures how happy she was that night and how much fun she had with her two cousins. They were playing with balloons, and Gia had thrown hers up in the air (you can't see it, but that's what she's looking at).
May 24th: Gia was playing with Grandmama, and decided to play the "booger game." She pretended to put buggers on Grandmama, and Grandmama pretended to be grossed out!
May 25th: We all went to visit my friend Kelly and her husband in NC and had a blast! There were so many pictures to choose from, but this one is of the little party Kelly put together for Gia (and we got each other gifts, too).
May 26th: Gia and Trey were playing together, pretending to "take naps." Trey got on the couch at one point and was belly-flopping on Gia as she "slept," but once I got the camera out, this is what they were doing. I love how they love each other (most of the time).
May 27th: Today Grandmama and Grandaddy took us to the children's museum in Charleston. It was really awesome and the kids had so much fun! There was a water area that they loved, a room with balls and a grocery store for kids! Gia and Trey had so much fun!
May 28th: We flew back to Utah today, and Gia was excited to get a doughnut. She is an awesome traveler!
May 29th: Gia had a great time at her birthday party!
May 30th: This morning, on the last day of Gia being 3, we all spent the morning outside together and I just soaked up that family time (plus Will). We ate breakfast, swung on the swing and watched the kids play. It was awesome and relaxing after the crazy day of flying and birthday party planning. Gia girl, you are blessed by your family.
May 31st: Gia turned 4! Our friend Bonnie hand-made her a beautiful Doc McStuffins dress, and she loves it! This morning I sang her happy birthday before church, and she was tickled about being 4. She keeps saying, "I can do [fill in the blank] because I'm four now and a big girl!"
