Dear Earth Mother,

Blessed of All Mothers,

     Please watch over my baby sister and give her strength and peace as she brings forth new life on this day, her Birth Day. 

On Turning Four

Birthdays are a big deal in our house. And our little Miss Soli Mae turned four on "May Pebbin" (May 7, of course.) When I had asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday she said, "Go Chwismas popping, bus you and me." (Go Christmas shopping, just you and me.) Darling fourth child. Gotta love 'em. And, yes, she probably needs speech therapy. So on her birthday, we dressed up in our fancy best, just the two of us, and hit the high road straight to Thinker Toys in Carmel-By-The-Sea, where she spent her birthday money on a car. She loves cars. She sleeps with them. They're metal. And their little doors and hoods open. Those are her favorite. She has quite the collection. Darling fourth child, indeed.

Here are the pics of our day.

I love my birthday!!!

A new big girl bike! (This bike was "hidden" in the back of my car for a week before Soli's birthday. I caught her looking back there once or twice, but it was pretty well disguised in Toys-R-Us bags. One night at dinner we were doing "high-low" and she said, "My high is dat you bought a bite for my birtday. It in yo car." We all cracked up at the table. She's too smart for me.)

The most beautiful four year old in the whole world.

We even put make-up on.

Just you and me, in our fancy best.
 Happy Birthday, Peanut Butter!!
I love you so much! Thanks for taking me Christmas "popping".
Love,
Mommy

Evie's New 'Do

After months of fun in the sun Evie's hair was...well....it needed a trim. She's been asking to cut it short for about a year and, finally, I acquiesced. How adorable is it? Of course, her "best friends" made fun of her at school and told her she looked like a boy. Now she's traumatized. I didn't miss that nonsense.

But, I did miss this darling sense of style. White pedal pushers under a yellow paisley skirt with a Red Mexican tunic, a size too small. Love. It. Truly. And her haircut is so Junie B. Jones.