Liesl's 4th Birthday

Then...

...and Now.

My sweet little baby is getting so big!

Liesl's 4th birthday was on December 22nd. We celebrated with a very small party at Chuck E. Cheese--just Liesl's godmother Amy and hubby Drew, as well as friends Emma and Jack and their mom Kelly. Had a great time...no, really, we did. Even the adults got to play and be silly for a while.

It is very hard for me to fathom how quickly Liesl is growing, and how fast she learns (and from the most amusing sources!) I can barely remember what she was like as a baby, my memory is crowded with occasions closer to the present. And yet, I can still recall those very first few moments as a mother when I was finally alone with my newborn baby, just hours old, looking into her sweet, perfect, sleeping face and dreaming of what was to come. My preconceived notions of motherhood flew out the window within 48 hours of her birth and continue to do so--she has far exceeded my expectations of what it is like to have a daughter. These last 4 years have been exhilarating, exhausting, blessed, heartbreaking, eye-opening, and often difficult...but always indescribably wonderful. Happy 4th Birthday, darling Liesl. I am so lucky to be your Mom. Daddy and I thank God for you every chance that we get, and we are so happy with the blessing that He entrusted us with.

A blast from the past--and the furnace.
Yup. This is definitely my kid.
My parents discovered a similar scenario hundreds of times when I was her age.

We began Liesl's birthday with a (real) tea party for 3 in my bedroom. I hadn't been feeling well, so I figured tea was in order. Later, the party widened to 5-7, as various baby dolls and teddy bears crashed the party.

The cake I made...can you see the hippo? Note to self: use darker icing to outline.

Dinner with Jack (3) and Emma (5)

If you look closely, you'll see Ava cuddling up with Tom in the center of this picture.
This was the nearest proximity to Chuckie that she could tolerate.

Liesl loved him. She humored him, really.

Opening presents!

One of the rides with Jack

Daddy rocked out the basketball game with his little ballast

Liesl getting her portrait "drawn" with godmother Amy

One of the "portraits." Classic.

A friend of mine made a rainbow cake her daughter. She said it was a big hit, so I Googled it and found Omnomicon's directions. It was fun to make, but if you're the organic-anti-food-additive type, look in the other direction. (Or lighten up...it's only one day.)

Liesl loved it. Psychedelic, Baby!