- Scar's FIRST Haircut! -

Very much unlike her big sister who was SO SURE our tried and true hairdresser was going to cut her eyeballs out with the hair-cutting scissors at the time of her first haircut, Scarlett was ever-so excited to schedule her first haircut!  We loaded up the van after school on February 15 and hit the road to Shear Attitude!

Is it just me, or does this cute girl all the sudden look 6 years old?! :'(  We absolutely love your brand new do, Scarlett!

 

- Time For Your Checkup! -

**********

[ BIRTHDAY VIDEO HERE! ]

Scarlett Clare, today you turn  * F O U R *, and we couldn't love you any more!!!  There were snow/ice storms on your induction/delivery day in 2018 and alsoooo the day we tried to travel to your newborn photos a week or so later, so I suppose it was only fitting that the roads were iced over on your 4th birthday!  However!  Despite those nasty roads on top of a pandemic that always tries to ruin our plans at baseline, a handful of family members were still able to make it to your Doc McStuffins party, and they all arrived juuuust in time for their checkups! ;) :) 

While looking at yourself in the mirror before hopping in bed on your birthday:
"Hmmmmmmm, I still look 'da same!  But I don't fink [think] I look AS wittle [wittle] as I oo-sed [used] to... Wait a second, am I gonna turn free [three] ever again, Mommy?"  

Cue the tears and all the feels! 

Your birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so we were able to celebrate all weekend long!  Between a Mexican fiesta on Friday night [at which the waitress denied our request for you to wear the sombrero d/t COVID...what??!], a day full of alllllll your favorite things + DocMcStuffins party on Saturday, and donuts after Mass on Sunday, you were certainly a very celebrated 4-year-old! 

Happy birthday, Doc Scarlett!  This is gonna be your best year yet!

Her only party request was a Doc McStuffin cake with trick candles... The candles turned out to be extra EXTRA "tricky," and she had a lot of candle-blowing to do!!!

...And one last big hoorah on Sunday after Mass!

 

Cheers to this middle sister who is sugar and spice [heavy on the spice] and everything nice; you have the biggest heart and oldest soul!  The good Lord knows you keep us on our toes!  You are a Daddy's girl through and through, but you love being a big [and little] sister, too!  Hip, hip, HOORAY for your fifth trip around the sun; we hope this year is FULL OF FUN!  

We love you, Scarlett!  Here's to FOUR!

- Out of the mouth of babes: VOL X -

Throwback Tuesday...is that even a thing?  ...Today it is!  

Just found these gems on a note on my phone, and they're too sweet not to share!  Rewind to summer 2019!

**********
 

[Over the summer] while looking at her Tupperware container full of lightening bugs after I accidentally closed the lid over one's head:
"Awwwwwww, that's sad, one of the bugs broke his ears off!"


As Scarlett was holding a lightening bug:
"Scarlett!  You need 'da go outside and let him go so he can fly and doesn't get scared!"

While examining a different lightening bug that she had trapped inside a Ziploc bag for a few days:
Harper:  "I think he stopped lighting up because he's scared..."
Me:  "Hunny, I think he's dead."
Harper:  "No, Mommy, he's just scared. But he said he wants to sleep with me so when I'm scared in the middle of the night in the dark he can light up for me."


Later on, in reference to same said [dead] lightening bug:
"Daddy, I think the lightening but is hungry and we need to put some food in his bag!"

While driving to school:
Me:  "Mannnn, I'm really tired. I need some coffee today!"
Harper:  "Yes, 'else you will be crabby!"
Me:  "Yes....."
Harper:  "Sometimes when I don't drink hot chocolate in the mornings, I get crabby.  Sometimes.  But not that much."


While drawing a very intricate family portrait:
"Does Scarlett have eyebrows yet?"

As Brian was laying hardwood floor at our new house:
Me:  "Let's go, we have to buy Daddy some knee pads and bring them back to the house." 
Harper:  "So if Daddy falls down he won't hurt his knees?"


Randomly:
Harper:  "Mommy, when I was in your tummy did I kick you every day?"
Me:  "Yes, EVERY day!"
Harper:  "Do you know why I did that?  It was because I was hungry and I wanted you to feed me!"
Me:  "Oh, I fed you alright..."
Harper:  "Yeah, and I was always hungry and you had to eat all the healthy food so my brain grew big!"

After letting a grasshopper out of her bug box so he could live outside:
"Well Scar, now we sadly don't have a bug!" 


While rubbing my [stubbly] legs:
"Hairs are growing in you!  Need 'da shave so they're smooth, Mom.  See, feel my legs, they're soft and smooth!"

While pulling in the driveway at Garett's:
Me:  "Actually, let's park on the street tonight so Daddy can have the driveway when he gets home really late."
Harper:  "Yep, that would be a better choice, Mom!"


Randomly:
"Mommy, I was thinking that moles aren't really cute because they're just all brown.  But that's just how God made everyone!  And in the world, we have lots of people because that's the way God made us all different!"

While driving in the car:
Harper:  "Ew! A booger!"
Me:  "Gross! Did you wipe it in the Kleenex you have back there?"
Harper:  "No, I already 'frowed it on your car seat because that seat is already dirty with mud and stuff.  Your car is so junky, Mom... You need 'da clean it!" 


When caught in a daze:
Me:  "You're looking tired..."
Harper:  "No, my eyes were just stuck on something."


Randomly:
"When I grow up, I will marry my boyfriend!"

- Pre-K Christmas Program -

After receiving the fall semester preschool calendar, I had been [very] anxiously awaiting the day that "Christmas program scripts go home..."

...and finally, one mid-November day, they came home!  

Innkeeper #1:  NAILED IT!  The program was on a Tuesday evening, and the kids missed their final two practices [Monday during regular school hours and a *special practice* on Tuesday morning before the big event because snow days x2!], but they threw it down flawlessly!  

We loved watching our little lady's confidence shine while recounting the nativity story with her classmates. Great job, inkeeper #1!  :)

- Disney: Part IV -

Hollaaaa, we're up and at it again! 

After being so excited to review all of our photos and recount all of our memories, I forgot to keep giving credit where credit is due...

...so I just want to shout it from the rooftops again that NONE of this would've been possible without our dear cousin [and best friend!] Laura!!! She is a travel consultant with It's A Small World Adventures, and you don't have to interact with her for very long at all to see how passionate and wonderful she is about her work!  She knows the ins and outs of EVERYTHING Disney, and [aside from booking all of our tickets and FastPasses months before the trip] she offered tons of tips and tricks while we were there to make our trip the very best it could be.  Thank you, Laura!!!  You embody all of 'dat true Disney magic and were exactly what we needed; we love you so much!

So anyway...

...justlikethat, the sun rose on day 4 of 4.  We packed our bags and checked them with the resort's bell services before hopping in an Uber to Disney Springs!

Eating and shopping and people watching were the goals of the day.  All three of us were exhausted [and as Daddy's plans to feed us kept falling through, Momma got progressively more crabby...], but breakfast! Coffee! Relaxing! Retail therapy! All of these things swooped in to save the day!  Harper searched the souvenir stores high and low and settled on some little swaddled baby animals [one for her and one for Scarlett, of course!].

While waiting for our food at the Rainforest Cafe:
Me:  "Are all these animals real or what?"
Harper:  "No, they're just pretend.  See, that parrot isn't moving, those butterflies aren't moving..."
Me:  "Oh.  Well what about those elephants and gorillas?! They're moving!"
Harper:  "Well those are all pretend too, Mom... They're just moving because they have batteries."

After pretending to be "pragnant" with her new baby pegasus and retrieving our bags from the resort, we found ourselves back at the airport!  [Sissy Girl, we're coming for youuuuu!]

Tapping our toes and waiting around for an 11:20pm flight [that got delayed to 11:45, humph] was not the hugest highlight of the trip...

...but soon enough we were on the plane and in the air! 

Moments before passing out [at nearly midnight]:

"Pretty soon are those ladies gonna pass around snacks?"

But she was zzzzzz'ing before the snacks came and woke up the next morning in her very own bed!

#thatsawrap
#disney2019
#familyvacation
#memoriesforalifetime
#thatsallfolks !!!!!

- Disney: Part III -

Magic Kingdom, is that you calling our name??!  

Yes, indeed!  RISE AND SHINE, you pretty little princess!!!

We broke through the gates just minutes after the park opened and quickly knocked out Peter Pan's Flight and It's A Small World.  No lines!  [...If onlyyyy the rest of the day would've followed suit!]

After jumping off Under The Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid, we waited in line to see the REAL Ariel at her grotto!  This was definitely a highlight; Harper was totally starstruck. :)

About 30 minutes after leaving the grotto:
Harper:  "When Ariel was born, was she a mermaid?"
Me:  "Yes!"
Harper:  "Well, did she come out of another mermaid's tummy?"
Me:  "Yep..." ..........

The rest of the morning ticked by fairly quickly as we waited in lines here, there, and everywhere to check off Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster and Dumbo the Flying Elephant [x2!].  Right before lunch, we used a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad/roller coaster; after that, Harper was hooked on "big rides" and was beggggging to go on more!

At 2:00, we took a break to enjoy the parade down Main Street...

...which showed off all our favorite characters and princesses right up close!

Afterwards, we snagged a stroller to save Harper some energy [because why reinvent the wheel on something that worked out perfectly for us at Hollywood Studios?!] and then headed straight for the lines to see Rapunzel and Tiana.  Starstruck again!  These character meet and greets are the best!

I think I forgot to mention at the beginning that we hit up Magic Kingdom on a Saturday, and a Saturday with beautiful weather and EXTENDED hours at that [8am-midnight!]...  Needless to say, the place was absolutely PACKED.  The lines for all the rides ranged from 45-120 minutes, and even the lines to meet princesses were usually 45 minutes long.  We had to park the stroller outside in a designated place before hopping in ANY line, and Harper was just amazing through all of it [she definitely didn't inherit the "patience" gene from her momma!].  I figured she'd be antsy and fidgety and bored through it all -- mostly because she's 4 years old and, honestly, I was antsy! -- but she never complained once and usually ended up striking up a conversation with our neighbors in line.  Brian and I were both sooo pleasantly surprised with her perfect behavior and calm demeanor for the duration of the day.  You're the real deal and a total dream, Harp!!!

12 hours into the park day and we still be goin' strong...

...and even stronger with an adrenaline rush of meeting Cinderella and Elena!!!  Cinderella bun #ONPOINT.

At 8:30pm, there was a Frozen show on the castle steps; Elsa lit the castle with tons of twinkling ice!

Then, fireworks and light show at 9:30pm...

...and as people flooded out of the park following the finale fireworks, we fought the crowd hard and DASHED the opposite direction straight to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Roller Coaster!  We ended up waiting about 60 minutes before we actually stepped foot on the ride, but we'd been eyeing the ride and its horrid line allllll day, so now's the time to #gobigorgohome!  We met some wonderful people standing behind us who came all the way from England to honeymoon with Micky Mouse;  Harper loved chatting with Ashley and "Princess" [never did learn the poor guy's real name, lol!], and they really enjoyed her, too. 

After coming off the Mine Train on a huge high, we had 1.5 hours left to squeeze in every.last.ounce of fun that we could.  Harper caught her third wind and was cartwheeling around the park while she waited for me to use our 11:15pm Space Mountain FastPass.  And when I came out and Brian went in to use his, Harper and I ran to the opposite end of the park for another go at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!  We skipped through a fairly short line and hopped on the ride...

...and then went right back in to the line and rode AGAIN!  Upon riding for the second time, Harper announced that she had to go potty but really wanted to ride ONE.LAST.TIME, so when we got off we sprinted out the gates in hot pursuit of a restroom...

...but none were to be found...

...and the minutes were ticking by...

...11:56 pm...

...11:57 pm...

...and finally I told her we could keep running around looking for a potty OR go on the ride one last time and then find the potty...

...[!!!]...

...to which she replied, "Mommy, PLEASE let's go on the ride!!! I peed in my pants just a little, but I can hold the rest until afterwards!"  Oyyy vey.

So at 11:59:56, we lunged through the gates...

...and at 12:03, WE WERE SEATED ON THE LAST RIDE OF THE DAY! 

Harper girl, I literally can't believe that YOU ARE SO CRAZY.  I love doing life with you and trying to keep up with your adventurous spirit, hahah!  When we exited Big Thunder Mountain [for the third time in the last 30 minutes but the fourth time total!], Brian was waiting for us by the stroller parking and we found a restroom not too far away.  

After an undies change, a monorail ride, and an Uber lift back to the resort...

...we dumped a VERY limp, totally lifeless noodle into the bed...

 ...and quickly followed suit, ourselves!  

WOWWWWZERS, what a day!