lucy's fourth.

Miss smiley, curly-top turned four, and we got to throw another party while we were in town! Lucy loves donuts, and sprinkles, so Desi and I got to have a lot of fun with this one. 

The night we party-prepped was the funniest. We put all the girls to bed in one room, and listened to them chatter and play until all hours of the night... and then slowly start to cry and whine when they got so, so tired. It was so sad and pathetic, but pretty darn funny, too. Samantha would cry, and you would hear the saddest, "Sammie, stop crying... Sammie be quiet!" After awhile, we had to move the baby to another room- and that's when Eliza got freaked out by the big girl bed and needed to be put in the crib, after crying on the bottom bunk for an hour. So, Eliza fell asleep in the crib, Sammie in another room, and Lucy was officially going crazy from exhaustion. She would suddenly yell out that Eliza was being creepy and moving in her sleep. But, when when we went in to the room Eliza was totally asleep. I think you had to be there to get it, but it was so ridiculous and funny, and also made me really nervous about having both of my girls in the same room pretty soon! 

So, while the girls were experiencing cabin fever, Desi and I were up all night with a movie marathon and junk food- painting banners and party prepping. We used this board to pull together some ideas, and went crazy- "Life is better with sprinkles!" We drew naked donuts on the back porch for the kids to decorate, hung lanterns from the trees, and filled a donut piñata. Instead of a cake, Desi filled three tiers with donuts that Lucy got to go pick up with her Dad the morning of the party, in her pink sprinkle dress. We also set up a donut decorating station, with colored glaze, all kinds of toppings, and plenty of milk to go around. 

The kids had so much fun! It was such a fun and pretty theme, that didn't take a lot of effort or money. I mean, every one loves donuts. I think I ate five. For real. Eliza ate a ton, while holding onto the hem of my dress most of the time- she was a little shy around Lucy's friends. But, not too shy to grab her fair share of the piñata loot.

Happy (late) Birthday, Lucy! I still can't believe she is four. Lucy was my first love- there's nothing like a niece to make you realize how beautiful a baby is. She was the one who got my clock ticking, and pretty shortly after Lucy was born, was when I suddenly felt a very real urge to have a baby of my own. And, that's why Eliza was born a year later! I love that they are close in age, and good friends.

Lucy got a real, big-girl bike for her birthday, and after the party all the kids played out on the driveway and street in front of the house. Desi lives in the house that we grew up in, so it's always so crazy to see this new generation of kids playing in my yard and my driveway. It also makes me a little jealous of suburban life, and the ease of neighborhood play- so much fun.

We had a lot of fun in Texas. The first half of the trip was all party fun, while the second half was filled with good family times. I got to stay up late chatting with my sister several nights, and we went to the best Selena sing-along at Alamo Drafthouse- complete with maracas, drunk women cursing in Spanish at Yolanda, and a real candlelit vigil during the final scene. Eliza got to spend a lot of time with her cousins, playing in the yard, splashing in the neighbors kiddie pool, and running around McDonald's clutching a chicken nugget. She spent much of the time at Grandma and Grandpa's chattering away as she played with my old dollhouse, and watching new shows on the big screen. She very intently cared for the cats that live in the backyard, always being the first to put their food out in the morning. And, she even helped Grandma make a little pink, sparkle skirt in the sewing room. Grandad took us to Fredricksburg for a day trip, one of our favorite places. And, Eliza made herself a little secret play area upstairs in the closet with a curtain, where she sat and read herself books. 

We won't be traveling for awhile, obviously. We traveled a lot this past year, and I have loved it. From March of last year we went out of the country once, to Texas three times, and to Utah four times.  It's time to step back and take care of this growing family at home for a bit. I can't see us going too far until Christmas, when baby sister will be five months and ready to make the trip. As much as I love our opportunities to travel and see family, I think I am looking forward to the remainder of 2016 to be a little less scheduled, and a little more relaxed. Isn't it funny that I can say that, knowing that I am about to have a baby? But, we Grays are a crazy, overly ambitious bunch. And, I think this baby might actually slow us down a bit and force us to focus on what's right in front of us. And, that will be Rox and Sam, Eliza, and baby sister. I can't wait.