Lyla Birthday Celebration

We have officially celebrated FOUR birthdays with this girl. Then I started thinking about it and we celebrated her actual day of birth the day she was born, so doesn't it count as five? Why doesn't zero count as a number? I guess because we are counting only the years following the big debut, like it's been four years since her entrance into the world. It makes sense but it doesn't. My brain hurts from analyzing this situation. I should probably just delete this entire paragraph now...hmm anyways, moving on. Does anyone have any tips to make these little people stop having birthdays? Seriously, time flies. 

Due to Lyla's birthday falling on a boring ol' Monday, we decided to celebrate a day early. We asked what she wanted to do and her request was a trip to the zoo. Kirk and I giggled upon realization the zoo has become a frequent birthday activity for us and we're not even sure how. It's a tradition that occurred by complete accident, considering the two adults in our family don't particularly love the zoo. Ahhh accidental confession! I guess it's my own fault for planting that seed at an early age. Lol.

We faked some enthusiasm and happily agreed to her zoo idea, of course, and we were accompanied by some of our favorite people. It was so sweet of everyone to dedicate most of their day to celebrating with Lyla. She is very loved. The kids were especially fond of petting the goats, while I found our up close interaction with a snake the most thrilling. We finished our day of entertainment at our house with cake and ice-cream, along with a plethora of gifts. The inventory of Barbies continues to grow and I'm pretty sure she has acquired enough "Occupation Barbies" to start their own village. I know Lyla was appreciative of everyone's participation and generosity, as she kept saying what a great day it was as I tucked her into bed. However, her reaction to opening any gift containing clothing was hilarious. 

I told her about one gift I had saved for her real birthday, tomorrow. She pleaded to open it tonight and I agreed because it's not really that big of deal, as long as she has a clear understanding there will be no gifts to open on her actual birthday. Anyway, she was bursting with excitement upon learning she had one last gift to open from us. She ripped the paper aggressively and when she opened the box to find more clothes her facial expression was absolutely priceless. We had a good laugh. I guess clothes are pretty boring when you're four, but if the girl would stop growing I wouldn't have to keep refreshing her wardrobe. She seemed a little less disappointed when she learned it was a Barbie shirt.

I did feel bad for Max today, as he asked several times about when it would be his birthday. We've all experienced that at some point, so I know he will survive. Regardless, his sad little eyes stabbed my heart. Lyla was very sweet to include him in opening gifts and even let him play with her new toys. She's developed pretty good habits when it comes to sharing and I'm grateful for that. We spent the evening riding bikes outside, followed by watching 'Inside Out' snuggled up on the couch. As I laid there, I thought about how it was my last night squeezing my [technically still] three year old. I'm actually feeling content with her turning four, only because we've been talking about it for so long. It's when I start to think about how she will turn five next year and then start kindergarten that my heart starts swelling. And I don't like shopping in the big kid section for her either! I really can't believe how grown up she is. She has all her own thoughts and ideas, asks grown up questions, and she's pretty easy to reason with these days too. It could very possibly be all in my head, but it seems anytime a birthday passes for either of my kids they suddenly start acting differently. older.

Overall, the past four years have been so good to us. I am excited for more growth & adventures with our little family as we enter another new year. Lyla claims she would like to get her ears pierced tomorrow for her real birthday, but I'm skeptical if she will follow through. l will keep you posted on the final result of that one. Happy Birthday to Lyla!

I couldn't choose my favorite photos so you get basically all of them. There are a few that may leave you scratching your head, but I don't really feel like adding captions. And lastly, I'm wondering how Charli escapes nearly all my forced photo ops!?!