Feeling guilty that I forced her to be a munchkin for Halloween so that she could coordinate with the rest of the family, I made her the costume she requested, "Minnie Mouse Princess" for her birthday. She loved it!
We made a banner, hung up pictures of Elsie Jane, used red and white and black and white polka dot material for the tablecloth, and found darling dishes at target for serving the salad and cake -- check out the Mickey ear bowl and the Mickey glove plates!
For dinner we served spaghetti and 3 meatballs, placed strategically to make what Mia referred to as a "hidden Mickey." We had Mickey shaped garlic cheese bread, salad, and fruit kabobs. All Elsie Jane's favorite.
But, beyond the gifts, which were all Mickey Mouse related (including a four foot tall Minne Mouse that Mia just had to buy for Elsie Jane), the dinner, or fun family activities, Elsie Jane loved her cake!
And, wouldn't you? And, it tasted good too.
I have never seen someone so excited to blow out her candles. Elsie Jane stood up tall on her chair, she spread her arms wide and in her loudest voice, with her arms waving to direct the rest of us, she led the singing, "Happy Birthday to me..." When the song drew to a close she threw her arms high in the air and blew out her candles.
Happiest Birthday Wishes to my sweet, three year old, Elsie Jane.
Here are three things to remember about Elsie Jane at this age:
1- She has a great imagination. She is always pretending things. She believes she has magical hands. If I need something, like a battery or a piece of tape, she will put her hand in her "pocket" pull out thin air and say, "Don't worry mommy, I have it!"
She is regularly worried about dinosaurs coming to get her. I told her the other day that I could not leave her alone in the car while I ran into the store, which is what she wanted me to do. "Why not?" she asked. "Because," I said, "What if someone took you while I was gone?" Elsie put her little hand up to her eyes, looked to the right and the left and then said, "I'm okay mommy. I don't see any dinosaurs or tigers around." Ahh... innocent girl, if only mommy only had to worry about dinosaurs and tigers on the loose.
2- She LOVES Mickey Mouse. She told me the other day, "Mickey Mouse is my best friend." (with her cute little lisp so that "best" came out "Bethest") My goal for Elsie Jane's fourth year of life is to help her to make real friends -- I think only having an animated character as your entire social life is rather sad, but it does explain why she becomes so angry when I turn off the TV and take her friend away. The other day when I said she had had enough and turned off the TV, she put her little hand on her hip, shook her finger at me sternly and said, "You no touch my TV!!!"
It has also gotten to a point that she believes that she has access to Mickey's special tools. The other day when I was working on a project she came up and observed, "It looks like you need some handy helpers!" "Yes," I said, "I could use a few extra, magical hands around the house." Of course, she responded by putting her hand in her pocket, pulling out some "assistance" for me, and handing it over.
She also has started to talk on a regular basis like she is a character in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The other day we were taking a walk when she came upon a rock and proceeded to have the following conversation with herself: "Hey, what's that? It's a rock. What should we do with it? Let's pick it up. Oh, good thinking everybody!"
3- She is developing such a spunky little personality of her own. She loves her sisters and mimics them often, but she takes her own twists on things too. Recently, she learned a new negotiating tactic from them. Now, when she wants to prove that she is really serious about something she says, "Stick a noodle in my eye!" This is her abbreviation for the odd and ever effective childhood saying, "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" Having heard her sister's employ this phrase, Elsie Jane took to the idea that by telling me that I could "stick a noodle in (her) eye" she could get anything she wants. It doesn't work, but it is adorable.
One other spunky moment was the other day at the store when we were buying bandaids, which she really wanted. "Ow!" Elsie Jane exclaimed. "What's wrong?" I asked looking down to ensure she was alright, just to observe her sticking her finger into her mouth and biting down hard. "I hurt my finger. I think I need a bandaid. Ow!!!" she said, giving her finger one more bite for good measure.
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