Happy {Half} Birthday, Noelle

Three and a half.

I'll take any opportunity to celebrate the lives of my precious children. Half birthday celebrations are a chance to do just that. An extra special day to say "I love you and I'm so thankful that you are here."

Mr. G and I woke Noelle up in the morning with a little gift. She would normally give us the evil eye and pull the comforter over her head if we woke her up any other day but she saw the present and perked right up.

For most of the day we hung out with my nephew at my sister's house, watching Christmas movies, baking cupcakes, and playing dress up. On the way home we stopped by Noelle's favorite park. 

As a few sprinkles occasionally wet our noses Noelle ran around, taking advantage of the deserted park and yelling "Momma watch this!" Noah and I followed behind and Oohh'd and Ahhh'd all of her big girl accomplishments.

I'm so proud of my sweet angel. She's smart, beautiful and has a kind heart.

But I often forget that she's only three and a half. I expect so much from her. She grew up fast when baby brother arrived and until recently I didn't realize how independent I've expected her to be. Brush your teeth, comb your hair, get dressed, wash your hands. We ran into another three year old at the park near our house yesterday and it really opened my eyes to how mature Noelle is for her age. She writes her name, speaks well, loves books, knows the alphabet, counts to 30, and can pretty much do everything on her own. But she's only three and a half. She's been on this earth for three and a half years and lately I've expected her to behave like she has been here far longer.
I'm making an effort to remember that she's just a little girl who still needs her momma's help. One day soon she's going to be tying her shoes and zipping up her jacket without my help and I'm going to wish she still needed me.

I put 3.5 candles on her cake and she exclaimed, "that's the most candles I've ever seen!" After a "Happy Birthday" remix she took a breath and blew out all 9 candles. 

My little girl. I'm so proud to be her mom.
Happy Half Birthday, sweetie.