the drakes: Ava Turns Three

At each milestone I am in awe of how much my baby girl has grown and changed since the last and this birthday was no exception. Being able to hold up her three years against her brother's three weeks was an especially eye opening, grounding, and gratefulness-inducing celebration. I am so proud of who Ava is becoming and the firey, outgoing, caring, witty and sharp little girl that she already is.

Despite the exhaustion and limitations overtaking our lives these days, we did our best to make Ava's third birthday a very special day. After breakfast we took Ava out to the driveway and with plenty of hurrah we presented her with her very first bike, fit with training wheels. Pink, purple, hearts all over it, and a bike helmet doused in flowers and lady bugs--needless to say she was beside herself! It was everything we had hoped for, watching her light up and jump with excitement, and what a joy to watch her slowly take her first ride and gain confidence with each pedal push.

Blair had to work for most of the day so I told Ava she could pick anything she wanted for her birthday dinner with me. She chose 'Cars' mac & cheese with just about every fruit and vegetable in our fridge and strawberry greek yogurt for dipping. Love her!

At three years old, Ava:

Is insightful well beyond her three years.
Always asking questions and soaking in vocabulary and explanation.
Potty-trained by day (except when she decides to act out in response to a certain little brother's presence) and wearing pull-ups at nap and bedtime.
Weighs 36 1/2 lbs and is about 38 inches tall, still in the upper percentiles for both.
Between sizes 4 and 5T, size 9 shoes
Makes us laugh every day with her ingenuity, creativity and wit. At her 3-year doctor's appointment the doctor asked her to draw a circle. She picked up the pen, drew half of a circle and said, "That's all I can do", then proceeded to add two dots and said, "Hey! It's a smiley face!"
Loves learning about sports and is especially interested in gymnastics and baseball.
Has one favorite activity: rough housing with daddy! Other favorites include playing outside, listening to music and singing along, being read to, caring for her babies and animals, and in general using her toys and household items for uses other than what they are meant for (i.e. one could regularly find her 'skiing' down the hall with wash cloths on her feet and two fly swatters in her hands).
Also loves pretending she is a baby (since Grayson was born), complete with pacifier and whine.
Favorite music: Audrey Assad
Favorite books: Berenstain Bears
Favorite color: Purple
Is by far the most outgoing three-year-old we've ever met! She loves to talk to everyone she sees, including strangers (thankfully she's still young enough to always have us with her). She is a surprisingly good and thoughtful question asker and I love watching her gregarious nature light up every space she sets foot in.
Has fully embraced her duty to test boundaries and drive mommy bonkers.
Still has the sweetest most caring little heart, an amazing awareness of emotion and what's going on around her and an overall personality that we can't get enough of.

Two days later we had her birthday party--a small affair with just a few family members, but Ava couldn't have been more happy to share her big day with her cousin and best friends.

The highlight of the party was definitely playing outside with the tee-ball set and trampoline Ava got from Mimi and Pappy.