Monday, April 28, 2008

No. 3 for No. 3

Colleen never quite got the hang of "how old are you" while she was 2, sad to say, and it's for lack of us trying. She'll have a whole new number to work on now, as she turned the ripe old age of 3 today.

Her third birthday began with a trip to the doctor with Robert, as a result of his debilitating earache overnight. Thankfully, Robert is fine. I'm sure he stopped screaming for more than a half-hour at some point during the night.

Cate and I were talking on the phone this afternoon, trying to determine what would be best for dinner, and we couldn't come up with anything we knew for sure Colleen liked. She waffles on most foods, like almost anyone under 5, so we instead settled on a venue we knew she would like: Chick Fil A.

We're probably not the first to bring canned baby mandarin oranges and pineapple rings to a Chick Fil A. Uhh, well, maybe we are. But she likes the play area and she eats the chicken. And while the younger two were running around and climbing and sliding, Cate and I and Elizabeth had a nice, normal conversation.

We are cognizant that the days of those are numbered.

Colleen requested things on her cake which Cate was able to provide -- a strawberry cake with blueberries and strawberries on top. Yum. Thankfully she didn't ask for some of her other favorite foods, namely, say, pickles, bread and french fries.

We got her gardening equipment -- anticipating that it might stop raining sometime soon and we can be outside again -- and Dora the Explorer pajamas. She's wearing those now. Nonna and Da got her a nice Dora the Explorer outfit, which she'll be wearing when you read this. Assuming you're a daily reader of the blog, that is.

The magnifying glass, however, was a big hit, with all three kids, in fact.

You might recognize the dress as the one Nonna and Da brought home from Africa for Elizabeth to wear. Never mind that Elizabeth was 7. It is a little big on her, but not much. Should fit for several years.



Colleen got some help -- a lot of it, in fact -- trying on the gloves but needed none in getting the visor on her head.
Colleen loves ketchup. And as we may have mentioned, fries.
OK, sorry, this is just freaky!
Colleen admires the fire before blowing it out. Remind us not to take her to California.

4 comments:

Neil said...

Happy Birthday to wee little Colleen :) Tragically, Uncle Neil and Aunt Alicia have been a little distracted of late. There will be something in the mail... soon-ish.

Anonymous said...

Love the story and the pictures. I thought the dress looked familiar but I am glad you reminded me it was from Africa--Choma Zambia. Colleen will be able to help Da in the yard this summer---it is ever warms up here.

The Coleman Family said...

Colleen spent most of her energy on picking the blueberry 3 out of the icing. When she asked for blueberries I figured it was just a new word she'd learned but it turns out she loves them.

The Coleman Family said...

Robert's disappointed that the photo of Colleen opening his card didn't make the cut (I think it lacked focus). She liked it very much and said "treasures" when she opened it. He drew all the things she likes: an aquarium with fish in it, a campfire (in honor of her favorite Spongebob song), a princess wand and dress, and of course a birthday cake with 3 candles. Home-made cards are the best. Lots of love.