Four...

My baby girl is four... how can that be?!? Has it really been four years since she entered this world?!? Time seems to pass so quickly.

She had a GREAT fourth birthday. The celebration lasted for more than a week! She is such a popular little girl... she was actually invited to three other birthday parties on her actual birth day. So, for lunch I asked where she wanted to go. I gave her absolute control... chuck-e-cheese, red robin, chick-fil-a... and she chose Mundens. Mundens is a small restaurant in downtown Pungo. Not what I was expecting. However, it is a special place that she and her Daddy visit together for lunch on most Saturdays. So, we went to Mundens.

After Mundens, Jemma and her Daddy went to birthday party #1 and James went for a nap. I had to get ready for a spouses' meeting/dinner at our house that evening. (I had 20 wives... I served salad, spinach-lentil soup, pork roast with baby carrots, and chickpea-spinach casserole for dinner with chocolate fondue for dessert... what a fun evening for me!) When party #1 was done, Jim came home to get James and they headed out to party #2. (They had to skip the third party because the second and third party were scheduled for almost the same time.)

This was Jemma's first 4th birthday present. It arrived the day before her birthday. It is a beautiful hand-made quilt from Aunt Dorothy, and it is perfectly Jemma... fairies with pink and purple!

We gave her a baby doll hair chair, which matched the crib she already has. And she helped Daddy put it together! :)

Sunday evening we took Jemma and James to Chuck-e-Cheese. Jemma had requested that her party be there, but I just don't enjoy parties at CEC. I find it difficult to converse with the fellow parents and the kids just want to play individual games. So, I promised Jemma that we would take just her for a family celebration. Both she and her brother had a blast! :)

Monday night reading with Daddy before bed. It is so, so, so nice to have Jim home!!!! :)

On Wednesday, GrandMary arrived for a visit. It was an absolutely wonderful visit! The kids helped Grandmary make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was Thursday. I bought a 19 pound turkey... I sure do love leftovers! :) GrandMary makes the best stuffing... yummy!!! :)

We went to Hunt Club Farm's Winter Wonderland on Friday evening. It is a wonderful place to take the kids. There is an indoor section full of stuffed/animated animals and winter scenes... very cute! And there are lights all around the animal petting outdoor section (yes, Jemma caught a chicken and James petted it), including a tractor outlined in lights. Then, there are several fire pits where you can roast marshmallows. (Yes, you have to buy the marshmallows... and they sell graham crackers and chocolate and hot chocolate... it can really add up quickly!) Plus, Santa is there! :)

On Saturday, we had Jemma's birthday party at MyGym. I cringe when I think about spending the money for the party, but I must admit that it is worth it! The staff keeps the kids busy and HAPPY. There is no cleanup for the parents and we got to relax and chat while the kids played. Jemma was very excited to open her gifts. One of her favorites was the dress-up outfit from Aunt Nicole. She immediately put it on!

She is such a lucky little girl. There were so many wonderful toys and clothes from family and friends. But the best part was definitely having Daddy home!!! :)