Happy 4th, 5th and 7th Birthday

Birthday season is fun each year, but it's also a lot of work!  I recognize my limits, which Danny is glad to hear, so I don't plan on ever attempting to throw each of them an elaborate birthday party all the same year.  While they are still young and share so many of the same friends, 

it works out good to have one big party for all three!

Last year, we had Alexandra's party at the beach and it was a hit.  Since we have most of the beach equipment and party supplies we need  from last year, I thought It would be fun (and a little easier and less expensive to plan) to have their joint party this year at the beach. 

It was, once again, a hit!  The girls love being at the beach with all their friends and for the most part, the parents get to sit back and relax! 

Happy Birthday, Aubrey!

I know I say it every year and I will probably say it at each new age, but I can't believe I have a 7 year old!!!!  A balloon fairy started visiting Aubrey during the night on the eve of her birthday many years ago and she is still going strong!  All of the girls love to wake up to see what shenanigans the fairy has done with balloons on their birthday. 

The traditional birthday breakfast in our house started out as cupcakes!  Who doesn't love cupcakes for breakfast??? However, since I once again attempted to make a birthday cake for the second month in a row, my baking limits have pretty much been reached.  So, we went with birthday pancakes this year!

Time for presents!

I asked Aubrey what kind of birthday cake she wanted this year and she said she wanted a Barbie cake like the one in the book at the Publix bakery.  I didn't really want to pay $50 for the cake and since I was feeling a little confidence coming off of baking Anna's birthday cake in April, I decided I would just make her Barbie cake!  Of course, I took to Pinterest. Can anything be done these days without consulting Pinterest first?  I found several different versions and finally merged a couple of them to create my own. Aubrey loved it, so it was considered a success!

 

Aubrey's First "Restriction"

Not the typical milestone a mom would want to record, but a "first" nonetheless!  Yep, Aubrey had her first restriction.  She was not allowed to watch any television for two days.  I think we are a middle-of-the-road kind of family when it comes to television.  I don't think the girls watch too much of it (most days), but we certainly allow our children to watch television.  How else am I going to get any house work done if not for an occasional Disney movie...and it's also helpful to put a LeapFrog movie on for the younger girls when I really need to concentrate on school with Aubrey.  I don't feel quite so bad about it since they are learning their ABC's and numbers.  The other day Anna was singing, "punc-punc-punc-punctuation" as they sing in one of the Leap Frog movies!

Anyway, back to Aubrey's restriction.  Aubrey was put on restriction for talking, being disruptive and disrespectful during our small group time.  I stayed home with Anna since she had a cough and I didn't want her spreading any of her wonderful germs with the other little kiddos.  Danny was leading the small group.  Before they left (and many times since the last small group) we talked to Aubrey about her behavior during the small group.  She is not to talk because she is there to listen and learn.  When she talks, she is being disruptive and disrespectful to the adult that is talking and she is being distracting to the people trying to listen to the discussion about the word of God.  She has her notebooks that she can write in and she has her bible that she can look through and "read."

Since Danny was leading the group, I knew it would be hard for him to really focus on Aubrey and her behavior.  He had her sit right next to him, but she whispered throughout the discussion and was even passing notes back and forth with her friend.

Once they returned home, Danny and I sat down with Aubrey to discuss how she thought she behaved at the small group.  She agreed that she was talking and being disrespectful to Daddy while he was trying to lead the discussion.  We decided that she should lose a privilege for her disobedience and we decided she would not be able to watch TV for two days.  Of course, she cried and cried, but that really was the reaction I wanted.  I want to take away something from her that she cares about so maybe the next time she's in this situation she may think twice.  Truth be told, I think she cares more about the fact that her sisters will get to do something that she won't, whether it be TV, playing their LeapFrog games, etc. I don't think taking away from her this one time will correct her behavior.  We will have to be consistent and she will have many more things taken away from her before she realizes that her disobedience has consequences.

Danny and I (as I'm sure most parents do) struggle with disciplining our children.  First, Danny and I were raised very differently so that comes into play a lot.  I'm just naturally more of a disciplinarian than Danny is. My prayer is if I stay consistent with my discipline now, her older years may be slightly easier because she (and her sisters) will be able to fall back onto the instruction they received and were taught in their earlier years.  It's also a struggle to focus on their heart change and not just a behavioral change.  I've read a couple of books that discuss this and it makes total sense in my head, but implementing it is much more difficult.

When I focus on the behavioral change, the girls will learn if they behave a certain way, they will receive a reward of some type so that's really the only reason for their behavior change.  With a heart change, they fully recognize their sins when doing something wrong and understand that they are sinning against God.  They also realize when they do something right, it is pleasing and glorifying to God.  There are entire books written on this subject, so this is my extremely abbreviated explanation of the difference between the two.

As I said, disciplining according to the word of God is difficult for me (as I'm sure it is for all parents).  I absolutely want to make sure I do it correctly, but I also realize I'm human and I'm not going to do it perfectly.  Through continued prayer, I know God will show me the way! 

These are a few of the books I've read on behavior vs. heart change.

Aubrey's New Do

I gave Aubrey a haircut a few weeks ago and naturally we had to get some pictures!  I should have measured how much I cut off, but I would guess it was 5-6 inches.

We were at the park earlier in the day having a picnic and she was holding her hair up off her neck.  She then proceeded to tell me how hot her hair was. (This is the child that says it's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter!)  I asked her if she wanted to cut it when her sisters went down for a nap and she didn't hesitate when she said, "Yes!"

We didn't tell Daddy  we decided to cut her hair and when he saw her he did a double take and asked her, "What did Mommy do to my little girl's hair!"  Needless to say he was surprised.

Aubrey loves her haircut and she loved posing for me to take some pictures of her!

She calls this her "Princess Pose."

 And, of course, we had to get some silly faces in!

 Do you think she likes having her picture made?

Let's Make Our Bed!

Aubrey has been doing a great job lately of helping me keep her room clean and making up her bed.  Some days, she feels like all her dolls and animals need to be a part of the bed-making process.  

I'm always fast to give her wonderful praise on taking the initiative to make up her bed, 

so anyway she wants to do it is fine with me!

 

This picture reminds me of "Where's Waldo."
Aubrey thought Alexandra would look cute on the bed with all of her dolls and animals as well!

Aubrey Sings in Big Church!

Aubrey started choir at church this year!  Most every time that Aubrey has been to big church with us it was to watch a children's musical.  When I broke the news to her that she would be in choir this year, she was so-o-o-o excited.  The first thing she wanted to know was if she would be singing in big church!  I told her after practicing her new songs, she would get to sing in big church, which excited her beyond belief!

On the first night of choir, she asked me if she was going to be singing in big church.  I told her not tonight, but after you practice your songs, then you will get to sing in big church.  Later that night when we were on the way home, I asked her about choir and she immediately started this melodramatic cry and told me that her teachers wouldn't let her go sing in big church!  I once again explained to her that she would have to learn and practice her new songs before she would sing in big church.

She loves choir, but I had a friend who was helping out in Aubrey's choir class and she told me that each week, Aubrey wouldn't sing and she just stood there holding her teacher's hand.  I asked Aubrey if she like choir and she told me she did.  I asked her if she wanted to keep going back to choir and she told me she did.  So, I told her that if she wanted to continue with choir she would need to start singing!  It's amazing to me how excited she is about choir each week, but when she gets in there, she doesn't sing. 

I was a littler nervous about how she would do singing in big church for the first time, but she did awesome!!!
October 2010

Aubrey's second performance in Big Church!
November 2010

Love that she gives me her thumbs up!

Aubrey with Peter and Issac!

Aubrey's Christmas Musical!
December 2010

My little angel!  She's just so beautiful!

Anna and Aubrey before the musical

Instead of Where's Waldo, this picture is titled, Where's Aubrey.   I couldn't get very close to get a picture and she was standing more towards the back, so my pictures of her actually singing didn't turn out so great!

Disney Again!

We got to go to Disney again!  Actually, when we bought our original tickets, we purchased three days, but due to weather, we only use two days for Aubrey's birthday in May.  Since the tickets don't expire for six months, we thought we would wait and use the last day in the fall when it was much cooler and much less crowded!

We made it a day trip by leaving Jax around 6:00 a.m. and we made it back home, completely exhausted around 10:00 p.m.  It was a long day, but so much fun!

Aubrey posing in front of Minnie's sewing machine.

Disney was all decorated for Halloween!

Aubrey and I met Chip and Dale while Daddy rode Space Mountain.

Getting ready to ride Thunder Mountain, one of Aubrey's favorites!

Daddy and Aubrey in front of Space Mountain.  We didn't even have to stuff her shoes to make her tall enough to ride this time!

Daddy and Aubrey in the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.

Once of the highlights of the day.  Aubrey got to meet Ariel.  She was super nice and took a lot of time with Aubrey.  They even realized that they had something in common, they and all their sisters have names that start with the letter A!  You can see on Aubrey's face how happy she was to sit in her lap and have her picture taken!

Aubrey getting ready for Splash Mountain!  She says it's her favorite!

Aubrey and I on Splash Mountain.

Daddy and Aubrey riding Dumbo.

Aubrey was very festive in her Halloween Mickey shirt!

Aubrey and I riding Thunder Mountain....again!

Aubrey and I in front of the castle!

Daddy and Aubrey

Aubrey got to see Cinderella again.

And she even got to meet Belle this time!

When Aurora asked Aubrey what she was going to be for Halloween, Aubrey thought for a moment, then responded, "Aurora!"

Aubrey and I on Goofy's Roller Coaster.

Got to do it the right way!