Hattie's 4th Birthday Party

We celebrated Hattie's 4th birthday this morning with a dozen or so of her closest friends. Little Hattie maintains her aversion to all things "boy-ish," and so this was most definitely a girl party with a dress up theme. 

Kate and Clara setup the playroom the night before with a clothing rack upon which they hung the many costumes we keep in stock. 

Hattie and Clara were all anticipation all morning before the guests arrived. They helped setup the donuts and set the birthday table. 

Both kept peaking out the window for a full 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. Eager hostesses.

The party came and did not disappoint.

The highlight being, of course, singing happy birthday with Hattie's bday donut.

Matching Christmas Dresses from Ms. Carole

The girls are huge fans of their Christmas dresses, a tailor-made gift from the wonderful Ms. Carole.

Hattie is 4!

Free from three, now Hattie is four! The celebration started the day before as Hattie was special helper at Arts Together. She brought M&M cookies for treat and a little dog in a bag for show and tell.

The morning of her birthday, Hattie came down stairs dressed and ready and for presents. She was beyond pleased with the large unicorn waiting for her (compliments of Ga and Pappaw). She named it Uni, then Hearts Alot, then Toots Alot...as is common with Hattie, there might never be a permanent name for this stuffed animal.

Breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes done up with four candles for the first singing of Happy Birthday.

Hattie picked a Chocolate Chip Cookie Birthday cake for the family celebration that evening and had no problems blowing out the candles.

Hattie in November

Hattie has developed an appreciate for eating Daddy's chili. This time she (and neighbor Fenton) played the roles of sous chefs.

And some more pics from Hattie this month...

Christmas Decorations are Up

 

The tradition is set. The day after Thanksgiving, we head up to North Hills and get our Christmas tree. These girls couldn't be more excited for the holiday, and decorations can't wait.

This year, the right tree will be as tall as the tips of Clara's fingers raised high while she sits on Daddy's shoulders. It will be as wide as Pappaw can stretch his arms left to right. That was game plan before leaving the house.

And we found one that met our specs, and Mama went into the attic and pulled out all Christmas bins of ornaments and decorations. The tree was trimmed in no time.

 Hattie was charged with the ever important task of attaching the angel to the tree top.

 And we finished by hanging the stocking with care.

Thanksgiving 2015

Ah, Thanksgiving is the best. Ga and Pappaw were able to join us again this year, and we did it up right with a full spread. Hattie gave her first dinner blessing, a splendid outpouring of thanks and love for her family, flowers and food.

After the early dinner, we were all eager to get out for some fresh air and to walk off the turkey. The girls brought their binoculars for a spin around the neighborhood, and were quick to climb their favorite tree to scan for wildlife. Clara showed off some of her acrobatics.

Much of the fun of Thanksgiving is the lead up. Clara and Hattie were taking full advantage of Ga and Pappaw being around for the week.

Clara's Piano Recital

 

Clara started piano lessons this spring, and this Sunday was her first recital. She was well-practiced for Ode to Joy and Alouette, but a case of stage fright got the best of her at the last minute. We'll get it next year!

Stone Soup for Hattie at Arts Together

This was our third Stone Soup celebration at Arts Together. Hattie loved her some stone soup!