Think You Can Hold Up?: It's her BIRTHDAY.

Well, would you look at this? SOMEBODY wiped the dust off her home computer and remembered that she had a BLOG! I actually have "update the blog" written in my schedule every single day. It's there..... in the TWENTY-FIFTH hour of my day..... "update the blog".... written in black and white. But somehow, I never seem to make it to that 25th hour of the day. Weird.

BUT.

There's some specialness going on around here.

I mean, we've had an exciting few months...... The boys went back to school and Mary started going to HER school, too. She totally LOVES it. Mama is back at work teaching 5th grade for the first time ever and NOW remembers what it's like to teach all day and then come home to a toddler in the evening (with the added bonus of two teenagers who have PLACES TO BE.) Then, we moved into our NEW HOUSE. That was totally stressful and completely exciting. Max has been playing football with the middle school and practicing A LOT. Jack plays both the violin AND the guitar in three different orchestras, one quartet, one praise band, and his weekly lessons. Dad continues with the great commute once he's dropped Little Bit off for the day. And Mary continues to grow and learn.....she recently graduated from her Early Intervention stuff with the AIDB and has moved on to getting her very own IEP with the Tuscaloosa City Schools..... speech/language - articulation, we're gonna get AWESOME at you.

So, there's been STUFF. But, in trying to find some manner of BALANCE between home and work, I often find that there aren't enough minutes, you know?

There aren't enough minutes.

Mary Powell turned THREE today. Where have my minutes gone? I, of course, have gotten totally nostalgic and sentimental, as I often do when one of my children celebrates a birthday. I've looked back at pictures, watched videos of our early days together, and thought about her China people. How is it even possible that baby girl is THREE? My GOODNESS how interesting her minutes have been. What a life she's already led.

Three.

Y'all, she is precious. She mimics EVERYTHING you say, loves puzzles and play-dough more than anything, can eat a WHOLE BAG of powdered donuts by herself, and can't go five minutes without a wardrobe change. She LOVES shoes and grapes and building stuff with giant legos. She calls her brothers Jacker and Maxiepoo and will tell us she "wuvs" us before she goes to bed. She is ALL ABOUT some jewelry, is completely and totally potty trained, and helps her dad pick out HIS clothes every morning. She loves to jump off stuff and makes the BEST tea with her little teapot. Saying she is smart is the biggest understatement in the WORLD, but some of her articulation issues totally make us laugh. She'll be quick to tell you that apple juice makes her "tummy hurt" and her bow MUST MATCH her clothes or she will NOT wear it. Playgrounds make her SQUEAL out LOUD as does the sight of our giant blow up Big Al that we put in the yard on gamedays. She truly believes that EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD belongs to her, including her family - which is a good thing. She'll go around the table at suppertime and point to each person, saying who they are..... Max Powell, Jack Powell, Dada Powell, Mama Powell.... and then she points to herself and says, "Me Powell." She can identify ALL the parts of the Nativity (except she won't say Mary.... she calls the mother of Jesus "ME", too)..... She keeps a collection of toys in her bed and sleeps with her shoes ON.

We adore her.

We. Adore. Her.

And as I spend my minutes this week celebrating her birthday, I am SO, so thankful. Thankful that her birth parents BRAVELY chose LIFE. Thankful that they made painful decisions that SAVED her life. Thankful that as they sought to "give her a better life", our lives were changed. I will never, ever cease to be grateful to those two souls on the other side of the world. It is an HONOR to raise this child - my child - our child. We share Mary's life story. And what a story it is!

Happy #3 birthday, Mary Jewel Powell.
You've got a LOT of people thinking about you today - from all over the world, I imagine.
Thanks for making our minutes so blessed.

Now. Get ready for some preciousness. She's changed so much. And I guess we have, too. All our cups done runneth over onto the FLOOR, I tell you!

There is no way on earth that I could possibly be more thankful for these three human beings.

Maxiepoo and Me Powell

Jacker and the babe

Look, Mudger! I can hold up THREE fingers!

She wasn't even scared of NightNight's bandage on his nose after the whole skin cancer removal situation. I'm convinced she's gonna be a nurse someday. She loves a good bandage.

Big and Little.

Mary, do NOT touch the mums. They're already dead on the backside.... please don't pluck off the blooms that have actually survived.

Mary, what did I JUST say?

7th graders are funny.

Not funny HA HA.

Funny strange.

Going for our Ninja look here.

Ninja in flip-flips.

Or, sip-sops as this one calls them.

Articulation - you hard.

Getting this group together for a decent picture is quite difficult. You'll see many attempts below.

She is laughing.

We don't know why.

See Mudger playing peekaboo in the window.

Whatever it takes, people.

Are these ALL for ME?

Well, let's get started!

Help me, Max. I NEED that play dough that Mudger and NN got me.

By the way, here, we've added a pink tutu to the Ninja look. This will be wardrobe change number 1.

Wardrobe change #2.

(Thanks Mudger and NN!)

Wardrobe change #3.

Are you anticipating another wardrobe change?

Yep. Wardrobe change #4. And THIS one lights up and SINGS. (Thanks a LOT, Aunt Paige.) She now goes around the house singing, "Let it go....."

Must add some bling to the dress.

Aunt Paige, I can't get my earrings on. Can you help?

That's better.

This box is full of clothes from PawPaw and Mimi.

Guess what's about to happen.....

Ah, yes. Wardrobe change #5.

And a play-dough party.

PawPaw and Mimi getting in on the play-dough action.

AND NOW FOR THE ACTUAL BIRTHDAY PICTURES:

Good morning, little THREE YEAR OLD.

This is her first thing in the morning.

Love. Big.

Notice her nightgown TUCKED IN. She MUST have her stuff TUCKED IN just like her Dad. And looks like he also let her borrow a belt. She practices her valet skills every morning and helps Dad pick out his clothes from his closet. Then, she sometimes accessorizes herself.

I'm THREE! And I can do the fingers, too!

That third finger is hard to get up....

Maybe if I just HOLD it up......

Is this right?

I can do THREE with BOTH HANDS!

It really is hard, you know.....

Checking out the new BABY she got. She named her BABY.

I thought that was brilliant.

Some kid in her class at school is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear, so she has figured out who he is. So, we decided it was time to watch the movie. Can you believe we didn't even have it on DVD? Had to fix that problem right away!

Okay, Baby.... out of the box.... cause I've got to put you in your new STROLLER!

Pushing Baby. Mary is BIG on following us around. She's either two inches behind Joe or me at ALL times..... follows us ALL OVER the house. Now, we have the pleasure of getting bumped in the ankles by this stroller. Starting to rethink that birthday present.