(I totally overexposed this one and tried to fix it in photoshop but ended up with this. It's a little funky but I like it!) 
Charlie wanted to be in the picture with her. I love this one of them together! 
But by the time Grace came to join in, Olivia was DONE having her picture taken. Too bad, it would have been so sweet!! One of these days I'll get one of the three of them! 
I had a few free minutes today (a rarity!) and decided to use it to get some photos of Olivia at this age. She has changed so much!
And of course Grace wanted to be in the pictures, too! She loves her baby sister!!
Cute little Lily had fun watching the building process and exploring the backyard.
Grace giving Lily a hug...
or maybe she was practicing her wrestling moves!
The guys weren't even finished building yet when the kids started trying out their new toy!
Our big three year old!!
Our little Charlie Bear turned 3 last week! I felt like we had so much to celebrate this year! It was not only the beginning of a new year but also the beginning of what we've been calling the "New Charlie." Just 2 weeks before his birthday, Charlie was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. He has been an incredibly sick boy the past 7 months, and since removing all gluten from his diet, he has become energetic, mischievous, and full of life. It has been an amazing thing watching the change in him, and we are so thankful to have an answer as to why he was so sick.
Olivia just hung out and watched him enjoy his fun morning.
The rest of the day was pretty much a normal day since Jeff had to work and Grace had school. In the evening, Charlie had soccer practice. When he got back we had the birthday dessert he requested...chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting. Such a funny boy!
The next day, Jeff was able to take the day off work, and Grace didn't have school, so we had a family trip to one of our favorite places, Imagine Children's Museum in Everett. Even with Jeff and I both being there, taking care of all three kids there was BUSY, and sadly, we ended up with no pictures. But we had a great time!
Her cousin Parker, Uncle Ryan, and Aunt Lindsay ran in the race, too.
We found Grace's good friend Julia there as well. These two have run hand-in-hand in three races now. So sweet!
And Charlie joined in the racing fun for the first time, too! BIG kuddos to my mom who "ran" along with him in the rain.
Jake and Ryan coming into the finish line
Parker with her medal
Grace and Charlie after the race. I'm so proud of my two little athletes! (This was a HUGE accomplishment for Charlie who just a week earlier wouldn't have had the energy to finish the race. More on that later. :)
We headed back to our house and Grace got straight down to the business of opening presents.
She continued on with her anti-cake mantra and had her candle in a cinnamon roll instead.
Happy Birthday to my spunky, mischievous, tenderhearted, creative, crazy little girl! You bring us so much joy!!
The weekend before Grace's party, my mom was at a woman's retreat and commented on how much her granddaughter would love the decorations for her birthday party. And look at what she came home with! The night before the party, my mom came over, and we hung these up to surprise Grace in the morning. They added so much fun to the house!
Posing in the party room before her friends come.
We had so much fun playing games,
doing crafts,
and eating ice cream sundaes! (Grace was very specific that she wanted NO cake at her party!)
She got so many fun presents and has been very busy playing since her party.
And, of course, there had to be a pinata. Grace's face when she hit the pinata was hilarious. I think she may have some pent up aggression she needed to let out, and whacking away at that pony was just what she needed!
Such a great group of fun, sweet girls! Grace is really blessed to have so many friends that she LOVES!
