Izzy Turns 4

Sunday is one of the greatest days of the week to celebrate a birthday. Izzy woke up at just after 7 this morning and came into our room looking just a little bit older and wiser. She immediately wanted to go downstairs and open presents. ...she's not fool, she knew what awaited her below.

Pete made a quick run to Krispy Kreme for a birthday breakfast of donuts.



I just grabbed a candle for the donut and guess what...it was a trick candle. The kids thought it was hysterical! Every time Izzy blew it out, *poof*, it would come back on. I think she blew it out nearly a dozen times.

After breakfast we moved on to more important things like presents.



She told Drew she wanted a spotting scope and a magnifying glass. Thank goodness for the dollar store! Drew also got a spotting scope for himself. And my mom had bought the kids each a pirate costume that I didn't give them for Christmas so I decided to wrap them up for each of them today.

Here she is with all her loot! ...we went a bit overboard this year.



A last minute grab at Toys R Us yesterday were a couple puzzles. One is a 25 piece Strawberry Shortcake puzzle and the other is a map of the United States. She has gotten so good at doing puzzles and really enjoys doing them on her own. Score for me! She completed the Strawberry Shortcake puzzle in 10 min. ...guess I need to move onto the next level of pieces. The US puzzle is a lot more challenging. The pieces don't fit together very well, rather they sit next to one another matched up by edges. She insists on doing it herself, and with little frustration, is doing a really good job.

Izzy chose our dinner tonight. She requested steak and pizza. We ended up with just steak (tenderloin in fact) since we recently had pizza. With her steak she wanted egg noodles and broccoli. Here she is eating off the special plate.



...with one more bite


The special plate is something my family used growing up and a tradition we will continue with our children. On special occasions the designated plate is used. A journal then has an entry in it regarding the date and the reason the plate was used. I don't know if it was because she chose the meal, or because she got to eat off the special plate that she then became a member of the clean plate club!

After dinner Rylie and Stephanie stopped by to drop off a present and have some cake. It was so nice to have a friend of hers help celebrate her special day.









Rylie brought her some really cool dot art markers and dot art book. Izzy has been eyeing dot art for quite some time and immediately wanted to play with this gift.



Rylie's attention quickly turned to some of Izzy's newest toys.



This Cool School Computer is a hit among all the kids in our house!



Rylie left around 7:30, and then it was off to bed for Izzy! Happy Birthday my sweet Isabelle. We love you~

(added note: all of these pictures were taken on Izzy's actual birthday. For one reason or another Izzy wore many different shirts throughout the day.)