She is 3!!

She is 3!! Can you believe it?

Nola loves:

- kitty! That darn cat goes with us EVERYWHERE! No matter how many times I wash it, it looks disgusting...BUT it sure makes her happy :)
- cucumbers and ranch, granola bars and 'big-girl milk' (soy milk).
- the movies 'Rio', 'Finding Nemo', 'Jungle Book' and anything Dora/Diego.
- bedtime stories. This is my favourite. It took a long time for her to have any interest in books, now she can't get enough. She likes to memorize the story and then read it for us. SO cute!
- nursery at church.
- PPP (parent preschool program). Her and Robbie play in a preschool for a couple hours each Thursday morning. She LOVES it!
- painting at stay and play. We try to make it as often as we can.
- her bunk beds! Thats what she got for her birthday from Doug and I. She will play on the top bunk, which she calls 'The Windy Room', for hours...seriously.
- her fruit ninja game and jenga. She will play with these on said bunk beds.
- 'The Windy Store'. It's the space behing the snuggle chair. I am not too sure where these names came from, but they have stuck!

Nola is not so fond of...

- her car seat...still. It makes for LONG drives.
- sharing with her brother. She is in a stage where if she notices Robbie playing with anything she may want, she runs over, snatches it from him and then scolds him. We are trying hard to guide her through this, but some days....
- oatmeal and potatoes.
- naps. They are done, even though she still has 'quiet time' in her room every afternoon. What does she do during her rest? She pulls all her books off her shelf and pee's on her carpet...EVERYTIME! I know I should just quit quiet time in her room, but I am desperatly needing a nap each day too!

What mommy loves:

- reading stories :)
- listening to her sing. This evening in the grocery store, she asked me to listen to her song. She sang this Dora song SO beautifully! Quiet and soft. It melted my heart. We also sing 'I am a child of God' every night before bed.
- scriptures. Last night, I asked Nola what she wanted to read about in the scriptures. She said, 'Alma the Younger!' The story of Alma the Younger is my favourite BOM story :)
- snuggles. With feeling ill, I spend alot of time in bed. Even though it's challenging, I get to spend many hours snuggled under a blanket with my darling daughter :)
- cooking. For Christmas, Grandma Pat and Papa bought Nola a little chef's kit. Best. Gift. EVER! She has an apron, chef's hat, over mitts and utensils. She gets her whole gear on and helps me make pancakes, eggs, whatever! Sometimes, I just give her some flour, a cup of water and some sprinkles, and she makes her own 'cake'.
- her smile. She truely is a beautiful little girl. Growing up, I wasn't very attractive. There were many days that I would come home from school in tears because I was so self-conscious of the way I looked. My mom would always tell me to lead with my smile...that no one will notice the blemishes on my face if I just smile. To this day, I still get completmented on my smile. I hope I can instill that kind of beauty with Nola.

Nola is my dream come true. What a beautiful welcome to Motherhood! Not only do I love her, but I truely enjoy her. She is a blessing to us and I am so glad she's mine!!