A birthday party for a little princess

Our little girl turns three this coming Saturday. How time flies! She had an early celebration because one of dearest friends is leaving for Germany and we couldn't have a party without her.

The utter delight on her face as she helped me prepare for her pink party was absolutely precious. I was so blessed seeing her thoroughly filled with joy and excitement. I secretly made the cake while she watched TV because I wanted it to be a surprise. All the trouble of sneaking around was absolutely worth it when I saw the look of amazement on her sweet little face. I then brought out her dress that I had made earlier in the week, she put her little hands over her face, whispering "Wooooow" and she ran off screaming, "Daddy, look at my princess dress." It was a delightful little party with special little people. The last surprise for the day was the Queen Elsa dress I had finished making just minutes before people arrived for party. As I took photos of her in it she was singing at the top of her lungs, "Let it go, let it go"!

This mama went to bed completely exhausted and blessed! "Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in my heart."

Lately

1. Oats with blueberries. Best eaten by licking it off the hands!

2. "Have you seen her dummy?" This is THE most frequently asked question in this house, followed by a long investigation and search! We started this year with eight new dummies and we have managed to get all the way down to one.

3. She owns a bookshelf full of soft toys, but has zero interest in them right now. I caught a very short moment where she was being so cute feeding Mr Teddy with her bottle.

4. Can't walk yet, but she goes up and down the stairs like a pro!

5. & 6. Who's the smartest girl in the whole world? :-)

7. Another rare moment...actually paging through the book instead of banging it against the table.

8. & 9. She is the happiest and most eager little eater I've ever seen. Eating is probably number on on her list of favorite activities. (hmmm? she has a list?!)

10. Screams and tantrums are the latest thing. This girl is seriously strong-willed. She sure is teaching us a LOT about patience and perseverance. What a joy it is to watch and nurture this little human being as she grows into her own self. What a beautiful gift.

'Hope you had an awesome weekend! xoxo

52 - A Portrait Every Week

I love taking photos of Olivia. My camera is almost always with me, ready to capture all the special, cute, funny and silly moments. Last year I took hundreds if not thousands of pictures of her and when I browse through them from time to time I am left in awe of how she has changed, grown and blossomed  over the last 8 months. These pictures tell an incredible story of the beauty and miracle of life.

I came across a brilliant idea on an Australian mama's blog, to take a portrait of your child every week in 2013. I love it, I love it, I absolutely love it! Just the idea of deliberately stopping whatever may be on my agenda, taking a moment to record my child's life in such a beautiful way. I'll be joining in on this project and at the end of the year I'll make something special with the collection of weekly portraits.