Terrific Three

Today, our little girl turned the 3. For her "big day", Norah told me that she wanted to look like a princess. Her first requirement was that her hair "bounce like Sleeping Beauty", so we pulled out the sponge rollers. (And no, Amanda, I didn't make her sleep in them. Get this: her hair curled in about 30 minutes after I rolled it, which meant that all those nights we tossed and turned with those awful, uncomfortable rollers in our hair were completely unnecessary!)


Secondly, she required her own set of crown jewels. (Thankfully, we had received the PERFECT set of bling for Christmas, and I had intentionally saved it for today.)

Princess Norah ordered a short stack for her royal breakfast. In keeping with tradition, I served it with candles. (I think Norah was a little concerned that her crown jewels were in danger of melting).

I had a little bit of pancake batter left over, so I made a tiny mini-pancake for Norah to share with Ellie. She lovingly "fed" it to her (she inherited her open-mouthed feeding technique from her Mimi), then informed me, "Ellie says she wants to share the rest with ME."

(I should also mention that Eli ate 2 pancakes before Norah got her short stack, then ate 2 more while she was eating, and finally finished 1 and a half of her "leftovers"...but they were small pancakes, and he is, after all, a growing boy)


For all the work of the rollers, her hair went straight before she finished breakfast...so we opted for a "bouncy" ponytail. Hmmmm...maybe I should have made her sleep in those sponge rollers, after all? But then again...nah...I could never subject my daughter to that kind of torture.




I still can't believe it's been three years since the doctor handed me the most beautiful newborn baby girl I have ever laid eyes on and told us our long-awaited daughter had arrived. Yet, in other ways, she feels so much older than three. She is an extraordinary conversationalist, and she is finally old enough to watch "grown up" movies (ie--non-cartoon, still G-rated) with Mommy and Daddy on occasion, between Eli's bedtime and her own. (Her birthday flick was "A Little Princess", which, she loved)

Her favorite color is most definitely pink. (And getting her to wear clothes of any other color requires excellent negotiation skills)
She believes she is a princess (and all fancy dresses are referenced as "princess dresses" in our house), and has convinced at least one of her Bible classmates of her royal lineage. She loves books. Especially Olivia (the pig).

This is probably the source to her new-found obsession with striped tights. (Olivia wears them, on occasion) Thankfully, this tights infatuation was perfectly timed, since Norah also decided mid-winter that she prefers shorts to long pants.

Her memory is incredible. She has memorized Proverbs 17:17, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 118:24, and the Lord's Prayer, in addition to a number of books, in their entireity (several of which we don't even own, but she memorized them during the week we had them checked out from the library). Her favorite Bible story is "The Calling of Samuel" (I think she especially likes it because of "Eli", and the fact that Samuel is repeatedly told "Go back to bed", a phrase she, herself has heard on more than one occasion) She loves to sing, and is especially excited when we sing songs that she knows in church so she can sing along (at the top of her lungs, but still in key). Her favorites are "Days of Elijah", "Open they Eyes of my Heart, Lord", and "Step by Step", and it melts my heart every time. She has also begun saying more specific prayers. Most recently her main focus has been for our friend, "Miss Jeanie", who has been hospitalized with severe burns, and Norah prays for daily (literally every time she prays).

Norah has grown into a "little lady", seemingly overnight. She is still just as beautiful as she ever was, even more-so as I see her inner beautiful unfold. She is thoughtful, generous, and loves deeply. She is compassionate to all those around her---whether she knows them personally or not. She is a wonderful big sister to Eli, and is so proud to have him as her brother. And I am proud to have her as my daughter. Happy Birthday, Princess.

Birthday party recap, coming soon!