Opal is 3!

Opal has been making us laugh, ordering us around and giving us snuggles for three years now!  Opal was so excited for her birthday this year, and even understood to ask for the gifts she wanted.  

Opal got her request of more stuffed "meow meows" and chocolate.  She received a few surprises as well.

Her three sisters pooled their money together and got Opal a cute little Duplo Lego set and were a tad hurt when Opal opened up the wrapping paper enough to see what was inside, and then violently tossed it aside.  When she opened up a Lego set from Will and I, it was met with the same force.  She refused to touch the Lego sets for weeks after her birthday.  We still aren't sure if she was just that excited, or if she really didn't want them.  Keep in mind she plays Legos with her sisters every single day.

Friends and family sent gifts and she loves the bug catching kit from her God parents and the game Uno Moo from my parents along with some new mess-free markers.  Will's parents got her a tie dye pink dress that she is wearing in the above right hand photo and it is one of her favorite dresses now.

Opal was old enough this year to plan her birthday menu, and requested pancakes and sausage for her breakfast.  She even had enough mini pancakes made to feed her new kitty cats.  

It was perfect playground weather on her birthday, so we spent the afternoon at one of Opal's favorite playgrounds.  We brought the Hershey kisses she got for her birthday, and chocolate combined with the six of us together made for a lovely afternoon.  There was one point where Will was going down the twisty slide with this look on his face that had the girls and I laughing so hard our sides hurt. 

When we came home from the park it was time to frost Opal's cupcakes and make her requested hot dog dinner.  She had requested strawberry cupcakes for her birthday dessert.   I couldn't find a food dye free strawberry cupcake mix, and so had to make them from scratch that morning along with her made from scratch pancakes.  Coming home to frost them and make dinner made me feel like I had spent way too much time in the kitchen while the rest of the family enjoyed the day and this made me cranky.  I regret to say that I threw a tantrum and the other three sisters vowed to only eat prepackaged foods for their birthday.  I feel badly about this as I want to make them healthy and delicious foods, especially on their special days.  Next year I will make complicated desserts a day or two prior so that I can enjoy more birthday festivities along side them.  And remind myself that it is okay to ask for help because otherwise no one knows that I am overwhelmed.  Thank goodness for the safe space of my family to learn how to grow and communicate better!

And, in true three year old form, Opal only ate the frosting off of the cupcakes.  But she had fun decorating them with sprinkles, so in her mind, her dessert was a win.

Opal is still our foodie.  She uses words like "delicious" to describe flavorful food, and she requests "green stuff", also known as garlic pesto, on her sandwiches and pizza.

Below is a photo with Opal next to the kind of flowers that were in bloom on the day she was born - purple crocus.

Opal loves when we build her forts, and loves when we play with her too.  She is not picky on playmates, as long as someone will play with her.  She does not play very long on her own.

At three years old, most kids have a full head of hair.  Opal's hair is just starting to come in enough to do something with it.  She now requests every morning to have "girl" hair and her most requested style is a little side braid.  She longingly talks about wanting hair like her sisters and mama.  At the rate it is starting to finally grow, I'd say by four years old she will!

Opal loves playing with her play kitchen and making us and her stuffed animals yummy treats and picnics.  She also loves playing in the water in the shower or the bathtub.

We've had some struggles with obsessive hand washing this past month, plus some challenges with different smells.  She doesn't mind dirty hands as long as they don't smell.  But as soon she even thinks something that she has to touch might scent her hands, she refuses to touch it.  After speaking with her pediatrician, we are setting the timer to spread out hand washing and to let her hands heal from washing them so much.  We are also upping her sensory play and talking to her about the times when it is okay to wash her hands so that she knows she can eventually which gives her the freedom to play.  As I type this, she is doing so much better, but when we were in the thick of it we didn't know if this was a permanent reality or a passing phase.  I don't think that we are dealing with a passing phase, but I also think that given the right tools, we can help Opal manage her sensory challenges.  She has always been sensitive to loud sounds, seems to have heightened taste, and now scent has come in to play.  I'm choosing to see her sensitivity as a gift, and who knows how this will help her future dreams.  In the below photos in clockwise order from top left: Opal taking her meow meows for a ride, Opal showing me the map she made to get to our vacation house that we rent, Opal giving some toy mermaids a bath with a toothbrush and a tub of water at the table, and Opal drawing with markers.

Opal brings us so much joy and I can't believe she is three years old already.

Opal, I wish I could stop time and keep you this little forever, but I will remind myself that each new phase brings new delights.  If I could freeze moments in a bottle to savor for later, they would be the smell of your hair after you've played in the sunshine, your hugs and kisses, the feel of your sweet cheeks as I cover you in kisses, the weight of you in my lap as we snuggle with a storybook and the sound of your little voice.

Happy birthday Opal!  We love you!