Paige Turns 4

My sweet little Paigie-Pipes turned 4 this week.

This little girl spends most of her day wishing that she could be as big as her older brother and sister, so being a number higher made her so excited! She's been practicing holding up 4 fingers instead of 3 for a couple of weeks. We decided to go with a Yo Gabba Gabba theme this year. She is crazy for Yo Gabba and will frequently break out in song (I occasionally find myself singing "Party in My Tummy" or "I'm So Sorry" in my dreams). This was her invite: Muno. On the back, it read: "My name is Paige, and I like to bounce." We invited a few friends and a cousin or two and took them all to the Bounce-N-Jump in the middle of a March snowstorm. They had a blast! Paige especially loved going down the steep slide. She would literally fly through the air and crash into the pads at the bottom. She could hardly open her eyes, she was going so fast, but she had a HUGE smile on her face the entire time!

When we got home, I made a scrumptious dinner (fit for any 4-year-old) of chicken nuggets, grapes, and cottage cheese. Afterward, we opened gifts and had our Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes.

Why yes, that is Macy's blurry head as she encroached on her sister's big moment of blowing out the candles. Poor girl really struggled with allowing her little sister to have all of the attention for an entire day. Good thing Paige is such a good sport.

The guests:

Max had a great time (this is about 3 feet into the entry way of the house):

Presents included: Coloring books, princess barbie dolls and dresses, Leapster, clay, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, paint book, bubble gun, zhuzhu pet, Pinkalicious coloring set. When we saw the volume of the loot, Greg and I decided to save the baby doll that we got her for Christmas. I think all that stuff was plenty for a 4-year-old.

Classy:

For all of you aspiring photographers out there, I thought I would share some of my wisdom with you. I find that the best time to take a picture of all of your children together is 10 minutes after bedtime. For maximum results, make sure you load them up with cupcakes (include tons of frosting and additional candy as decorations) and ice cream right before (not to mention hours of chaos, extra people, and presents). Finally, ensure that they wear really annoying hats with tight elastic bands around their chin and hope that they won't notice how uncomfortable they are. Make sure that you put them close together and force them to touch each other, because I have found that siblings love to be in close proximity with one another, especially when they are tired. Put 12 people behind the camera in an attempt to get them to smile. Oh, and don't forget to dress them in completely different colors and make sure everybody has a different, but equally busy pattern to their clothing. Just look at some of the beauties this process produced:

My sweet Paige has a passion for coloring. She always has. Our kitchen table has officially turned into an art studio, thanks to Grandma and Nana and Lisa. She has had a blast with her creative outlet the past few days and enjoyed all of her birthday gifts!

Paige has such an enormous personality that sometimes it seems impossible that she's only been with us for 4 years! This child redefines with word "determined." If there is a will, there's a way, and this child has the biggest "will" of anyone I've ever met. She definitely lives by my creed: "It is better to ask forgiveness than permission." If she wants something, she will simply figure out a way to get it. It's a trait that will serve her beautifully in 20 years; and it's a trait that forces me to keep a constant eye on her and produces a lot of funny situations and independent conversations. Her favorite phrase is still "I can do it."

Paige is the tallest child that I've had. She is long and lean, and at any given moment you can catch just the slightest crack of her cute little bum peeking out of her pants or skirt. She has cut her hair twice, and her favorite color is purple. She speaks with a Queens/Brooklyn accent (with a hint of Jersey in there). She thinks it is hilarious to "fluff."

Paige has the most adorable smile. When she does smile, it radiates from her gorgeous brown eyes and it makes all of your troubles melt away. She isn't gentle or cuddly (no time for such nonsense), but she will tell you she loves you often and she will talk your ear off for hours. She likes to be included and doesn't like to go to bed. She loves to watch "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," take bubble baths, play with "Polly's," and try to tell jokes and rhyme.

I adore her.