She had a dream. And it was about Pudding.

Kendall really wanted pudding after dinner tonight.  Mondays are not dessert nights so I said no and stuck to my guns.  After a 15 minute long pout session, she tearfully told me, "But Mommy, I had a dream!  And it was about pudding!"  Did I mention today is Martin Luther King day?  I'm pretty sure the quote was not a conscious choice on her part, but hilarious, nonetheless.

Mockingbird Swim "Show!"

Kendall's final swim lesson (at least for now) at Mockingbird Swim was last week and they had a little "show" of sorts on the last day so parents could come watch in the pool area while the instructors explained what the kids have been learning and how they are progressing.  After 7 looong months of swim lesson battles, Kendall has graduated to Level 3!  I have mixed feelings about stopping her formal lessons, but I'm pretty sure we'll return to Mockingbird Swim when summer gets a bit closer.  We both need a break for a bit.  She'll continuing her weekly lessons through her school so I'm not worried that she'll suffer too much of a set-back (although I think we'll probably see somewhat of a regression because they aren't quite as structured at her school).  I just don't want her to be terrified again but I think that being in the water once a week at school through the winter will be enough to prevent that this summer.  I am now 90% confident that if she were to fall into a pool, she could get herself back up, float on her back and breathe, then get to the edge and get out.  I say "90%" because there is no way anyone can know what effect the "panic factor" will have on a kid who falls into a pool, but I'm not going to sneak up on her and push her in to find out.  Obviously, she is not going swimming unsupervised anytime soon.  When we started this (painful) process seven months ago, I had NO idea it was going to take this long!  I am so proud of how far she has come!!

NOW we can finally say she's FOUR!

The final celebration of Kendall's (seriously over-celebrated) 4th birthday was, pun totally intended, a huge splash!  Complete with 20 some friends (I didn't get a final count) and 2 indoor pools!  I'm not sure what I was thinking about, setting myself up to be in a bathing suit in public in January, my fattest, pastiest, hairiest time of the year, but I did it.  In retrospect, I probably didn't have to because Kendall wound up wearing her puddle jumper (at the request of the life guards) when she was in the deep pool.  There were so many kids that they required a swim test for the deep pool and if they couldn't make it across the pool, they had to wear floatation devices.  She could not and the puddle jumper was a good idea all around.  Here are a few shots of the shallow pool.  I didn't get any of the deep pool since I was in it most of the time.  

After an hour and a half of pool time, about the time some of the natives (read: "parents") were getting restless, it was cake time!  I made Kendall's birthday cake again this year (after taking last year off and after nearly burning my kitchen down the prior year) and maybe by next year will forget how much stress it caused and do it again.  

It's always so funny to me how quiet the kids get when eating!  

I had mixed feelings about a pinata, but seeing the kids beat the you-know-what out of a Disney princess with a stick absolutely made my day!

All in all, it was a fabulous party.   Emler Swim School really did a great job.  They carried stuff in from the car, set stuff up, cut and served the cake, and did all the clean up.  After it was over, Chris and I may or may not have wound up sitting at the bar a few doors down with Kendall sitting in between us having a "thank god the party is over" celebratory drink.  :)  

School Birthday Party

Third 4th birthday celebration.  One more to go!  

Mirror Mirror ...

She may not be "prissy," but she's ALL GIRL!

4th Birthday. Bye Bye Baby. Hello Little Girl!

What in the world was I thinking having a baby 8 days after Christmas???  I ask myself this question every year.  Clearly, there is no appropriate answer.  This year I was determined to adequately celebrate Kendall's birthday and avoid the somewhat guilt-induced copout 1/2 birthday celebration of three and  a half years.  I was equally determined to have ONE party for her this year and brilliantly scheduled it for January twelfth to give myself some time to breathe after Christmas.  Then I discovered that my parents won't be here on the twelfth so rather than celebrating eighteen days after Christmas, we celebrated Kendall's family birthday party four days after Christmas.  She chose to go to the Alligator Cafe, a small cajun restaurant up the street from us.  Odd choice, and driven solely by the fact that they serve Kraft mac and cheese, but no complaints here.   

Obviously, she's tired of having family pictures taken but this one was decent of Chris and me so I'm including it.

Grandmother and Pops met us there and brought Kendall this adorable birthday headband!

Finally, a decent family picture ....

... followed by a reapplication of lipgloss.

A musician was playing right next to our table at the restaurant and my child, clearly recognizing the importance of birthdays, walked right up to him, asked him if he knew the song "Happy Birthday to You," informed him that it was her birthday, then stood there while he (and the entire restaurant) sang happy birthday to her.  If there was ever any doubt that she is my child, it is now eradicated for all.  

When we got home, based on the ensuing destruction of the living room for the second time in less than a week, I may as well have hosted a full blown party here.  

I'm sure I'll be able to embarrass her with this picture later in life.  :)

Due to my crazed end of 2012 work schedule, Kendall (with Nana's help) was required to make her own birthday cupcakes this year.  Pink, of course.  With pink and purple sprinkles and an Ariel candle.

Finally, the BIG DAY ... well, not THE "big day" in her eyes, that will be the day of her friends party at Emler Swim School.  But the "big day" for me!  The day started with a cupcake, with candles of course, for breakfast.  And BOTH Mommy and Daddy decided at the last minute to blow off work and stay home!

Daddy, more because he didn't feel good.  But Mommy definitely due to guilt!  Guess what else guilt causes?  Trips to the Disney Store at the mall.  Where they SANG to her again and put her name up on the big screen!  

Then we sat and waited for Daddy to join us for a La Madeleine lunch (again, Kraft mac and cheese).  The Sophia book was one of several things the Disney staff charmed me into purchasing since they sang to my child.  

Then it was on to our very first Build A Bear experience!  What a racket.  I'll be hard pressed to go again because they were painfully unorganized and getting in and out took nearly two hours of standing in line (ridiculous), but Kendall loved it.  Here she is holding her bear's heart to her heart and making a wish before it was put into the bear.  

Stuffing her bear ....

Washing her bear ....

Introducing "Snowflake," the very oddly dressed bear!

And since two Disney princess outfits aren't enough for a household that had originally banned them, Daddy surprised Kendall with Cinderella's wedding gown after nap.  

And I think one of the absolute cutest things I have ever heard her say was when she walked down the stairs (carrying her slippers) in that dress asking, "Daddy, may I please have this dance?"  *swoon!*

One FINAL (well, "final" actual day of birth celebration) with a La Madeleine lemon tart for dessert ... and more singing.  I sincerely hope she feels adequately celebrated!