The Birthday Girl

Annie had a great fourth birthday today (until we put her to bed for the night, then there's just been sobbing from the previously overjoyed birthday girl . . . guess '4' is not the magical age that would bring about the end of the nighttime battles.) I think her favorite part (besides walking around and telling Ellie, "I'm the birthday girl, I am in charge") was getting phone calls from various relatives. She giggled and exclaimed again and again, "I love having people call to sing to me, it's the funnest and funniest ever!"
All day she talked about it being her birthday, and her turning four. So, I was amused when I put her down for bed tonight and she asked quietly, "Mom, when is my real birthday?" I was kind of surprised, since we'd been celebrating all day, and she'd been proclaiming her birthday-ness from the rooftops, "What do you mean, baby? Today is your real birthday." She nodded sadly and said, "No Mom, when do I really turn four?" Again, surprised, "Annie, you are four years old now . . . "
Her response, looking sadly at her hands and feet, "I don't think so Mom . . . nothing growed any bigger, I think I'm still three." I had to explain that she wasn't going to notice any dramatic size difference in her hands just because she was four, that she grows a little bit every day. I don't know if she believes me . . .

After Daddy got home from work, we opened presents. Ellie got to open a few of hers too. The best present though had to be the new sandbox Daddy built (and is still working on, as there is still about 3/4ths of the sand to be added, but the girls had a blast just playing with the one little sand hill in the middle.) Afterwards, Grandma Karine, Grandpa Robert and Uncle Cody came by (Cody gave Ellie a singing Elmo toy, which meant Ellie was bouncing around singing "Elmo's World", while regularly stopping to point at the toy and exclaim, "Doh-doh, Momo! Doh-doh, Momo!" Which is Ellie speak for, "Look! Cody gave me an Elmo!") And Aunt Andrea came to visit the birthday girls. They definitely loved having all the visitors and phone calls today!

Here is when Ellie gave Annie her gift to unwrap . . .

The birthday girl.

Ellie gave Annie a "Princesses Hair Kit", which came with plastic versions of curling irons, straighteners and a blow dryer that really blows air (a huge hit with the girls) -- this was definitely one of the favorites, and both girls couldn't stop playing with it.

Ellie got her own little cash register (Annie got a Disney Princess version, Ellie's is more a toddler-ish version) -- here she is paying cash for her purchase. Greg and I were a bit concerned when Annie was playing with her Disney one and we heard the phrase, "Thank you! Your total comes to 965 dollars." Seriously!? Not like, "$8.52" or something reasonable; my four year old's pretend purchases rack up near a thousand bucks!?

Out in the sandbox, definitely one of the highlights of the day.

The girls' favorite thing to do was climb on top of the little hill and jump off --

My parents brought back some dresses from their last trip to Mexico --

Ellie using the toy hair straightener . . . in her own way . . .