THREE.

August 31st is the day that she made me a Mama. She was born at 2:48pm, and we snuggled her, loved her up and marveled in her beauty.

Here she is on her first birthday. We had lunch with Daddy at work, finger painted, and enjoyed an afternoon together at the zoo.

On her second birthday we made star pancakes for breakfast, had a picnic lunch with Daddy, baked banana bread muffins and played at the park.

And today. Well, today she turned three. When she woke this morning I asked her how old she was. She replied '2'. I told her 'Nugget, you are 3 today! Today is your BIRTHDAY!' . She replied with 'No Mama. My birthday is on Wednesday.' Guess what baby girl? Today is Wednesday. You are in fact 3!

I couldn't be prouder of the little lady she is becoming. She is beautiful and sweet and kind and silly and fun and sensitive and sassy. I love her so much. She got to do the choosing today. She chose waffles and fruit for breakfast (easy to please). She wanted to go to Manic Ceramic, a paint your own pottery studio, but only she calls it 'Ceramic Ceramic'. She wanted to have lunch at Subway. And Nick and I decided to take her out for pizza and ice cream this evening. That's a lot of indulging for one day, but hey, it's her birthday.

Days before her special day, Nugget announced she wanted to paint a caterpillar at Manic Ceramic. They have oodles of items to choose from, but I wasn't sure if a caterpillar was one of them. I didn't say anything about it, because I knew she'd be easily swayed into some other fancy trinket if a caterpillar wasn't an option. Maybe she remembered from the last time we were there (Sister has a sharp memory like that) or maybe she just got lucky. But she walked right over to it, picked it up, and wanted to get right to work. I encouraged her to examine all her options before choosing, which she obliged too, but still chose a caterpillar in the end. Girl knows what she wants, and I admire that.

 Brother was very patient while we worked, keeping entertained with a paint tray, sponge, and a paint brush. He also flirted with the ladies and flashed them his adorable, gummy smile.

It didn't take long to complete the caterpillar. We had driven all the way there for a project she finished in a short amount of time, so we set out to make this together. At the time I was thinking we'd get a jump start on Christmas gifts, but I'm a sucker for anything she makes and now want to keep it for myself. I've got a long while til Christmas though, so we'll see.

She capped her night with  'Cake and Ice Cream' ice cream. I told the lady it was Nugget's birthday, then she fancied it up with whip cream and sprinkles. Nugget was tickled pink.

While tucking her into bed tonight, we looked at pictures from the day she was born and each of her birthdays thus far. As I told her special stories, she smiled up at me and snuggled in closer. I told her how happy I am that God chose me to be her Mama, and she my Nugget. I am still amazed at how much she has grown, learned and changed my life for the better in just three short years. I am so excited to see what joys her forth year brings.

Happy birthday little lady! I love you!