Happy 3rd Birthday, my love

Dear Hazel,

First of all, I hope you have the best third birthday. I'm sorry that the balloons this morning were not fun like mommy & daddy thought but instead "bonked your head." I think you said "mom! The green balloon bonked my head! SO mean."

Parent fail. But then you enjoyed playing and running through them... I guess surprises aren't your thing?

As I'm writing this you are watching Lion King from your Princess chair, eating your left over Chic-Fil-A icecream, and talking to Winnie the Pooh. 

I am so proud of the little lady you have become. You bring more joy to my life than I ever could have imagined. You can now speak in full and complete sentences and you have the best memory of any 3 year old I know. You love to play with all toys, no matter of the "gender." You love dinosaurs, lions, & tigers and are the best growler around. You love Lego's and blocks and building towers.

I love your little spirit and excitement for life. I learn so much from you. You are quick to say "I'm sorry!!" and you're so incredibly independent. I could not be more proud of you. You rarely pitch fits and when you do I can easily talk to you and you calm down. You are so level headed and understand reason. You are wise beyond your years, little one. You love all animals and think of them as your friends, especially "your sister," Callie. You are a little shy when you first meet someone but quickly warm up. 

I hope you know how much I love and adore you. I am so blessed that God chose me to be your mama and I hope more than anything that I make you and Him proud. The most important job is to teach the next generation and I don't ever want to disappoint you. 

You've grown so much this year it makes me sad. You are no longer in a crib, you're in your "big girl bed" and you are so proud of it that you tell everyone you meet. You also completely feed yourself and clean up your plate by putting it in the sink. You love bath time with daddy and you love to pretend. You just started singing and I just think it's the cutest thing. Hanuka Matata, Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Star, and "We are never getting back together" are your favorites. You will do almost anything to make people laugh and often do so successfully. Everyone you meet comments on how silly and fun you are. You can completely use the potty and wipe all by yourself (although mama still checks). You love to pray for our family and for the "not nice people." You also pray for things that most people take for granted like toilet paper. You love all foods and eat almost anything. Except Spaghetti Squash... you hate "the crunchy." You love to help me cook and you love even more to steal my ingredients and take them to your kitchen to cook by yourself. 

I keep commenting to your daddy how much I love your age right now. You love pretending, singing, and playing dress-up. It's so fun and I enjoy each day with you. You love going on walks and the fact that you don't have to be in a stroller anymore. 

I hope you have the best birthday, little one. I love you more than words can express.