Lucielle turns THREE

Our little Lulu Bean has been three for a month now and good golly we love her! She has loved whales for a while... her beloved blankey has whales all over it. And recently, she has developed a love of sharks as well. She requested a whale and shark birthday party, so we had an under the sea themed birthday party for friends and family. She was in heaven! I decorated with green streamers as sea weed, clear balloons as bubbles, and I tried my hand at watermelon carving in the shape of a shark haha. It was actually really fun! We played pin the tail on the whale and made aquarium graham crackers with frosting, sprinkles and Swedish fish. We tossed stuffed whale bean bags into a basket and played ships across the ocean.

Oh sweet Lulu. You are so dearly loved! You have a contagious giggle, a bit of a wild side, and you are fiercely loyal. You are our peacemaker and you love unity. You are the perfect mix and sweet and spice. You look up to your big sister and are a little mama to your little sister- the perfect middle child. You are our brown baby- brown skin, eyes, and hair. You love purple, playing dress-up, and snuggling Foxie. You can hold your breath crazy long and LOVE jumping in recklessly off the edge of the pool. You climb fearlessly to the top of anything, yet you don't like slides haha. You pray sweetly and earnestly every night for the people you love and say you can't wait to fly to heaven someday so you can play with Jesus *cue Mama tears*. We love you so much, sweet beany! You are very very precious!

Jonas Paul Eyewear

Viv failed her vision test at her 4 year check-up. So we were referred to a pediatric optometrist. We went in to the appointment thinking there must have been a mistake. Surely she was just mixing up her shapes or saying she couldn't see them just because they were small not because she couldn't see them. But apparently, my baby needed glasses!

It's a strange thing to think that your kiddo was going through life thinking what she saw was normal! I felt guilty that I didn't notice that she has poor vision. I felt like I should have known. Like there should have been obvious signs. Her poor little brain was working overtime to compensate. One eye is weaker than the other but both need corrective lenses. At the optometrist, Viv picked out a pair of "Elsa blue" glasses with a pin neck strap. They are cute. Dorky cute haha. But I knew that if my sweet girl was going to need to wear glasses 24/7 it was going to be her "new face" and dorky cute blue glasses weren't going to cut it. So I did some research. Cute, trendy, and affordable kids glasses aren't easy to come by! Then a friend recommended Jonas Paul Eyewear. Jackpot!

We ordered the free home try on kit. When it came it was like Christmas! Viv has always loved sunglasses and fake glasses so it was fun to try on all 6 pairs. We landed on the Paige. They are SO CUTE! When they arrived, Viv was so proud to show them off to all her friends.

Having glasses wasn't the easiest of transitions for Vivi at first. Every time we asked if it was more clear to look through the glasses or without them, she said through them. And yet she would get frustrated while watching TV that she couldn't see or she would try to look over them when she was reading. I spend the first few days constantly evaluating her every move to see if she really needed glasses, if it was the right prescription, if it was helping. When she had a meltdown that she was "the only kid in the world who needed glasses", I totally psyched myself out about the whole process. As it turns out, she needed more than 2 days to adjust haha. Who knew?!

Now, she LOVES her glasses. She knows to put them on right away in the morning, she is suddenly really into coloring and reading books, she is careful and cautious and completely adorable! We are so thankful we found Jonas Paul Eyewear. Not only do they make fashion forward kiddos glasses, but they also help kids in need! "For every pair of Jonas Paul Eyewear kids glasses purchased, we make donations to our partners to provide corrective children's eyeglasses, mectizan treatments to prevent river blindness, and Vitamin A supplements to children and families in need!" Their mission is "To help children feel beautiful and confident in their glasses. To provide blindness prevention and sight to children in need. Eliminate children being bullied by providing fashionable glasses that children want to wear."

Horsin' Around

All summer, we have been talking about going to meet Rebel, our friend's horse. Finally, we found a date that worked for us all to go! The girls were so excited! They picked out their prettiest dresses to show the horsey and tall boots "so they won't step in poop!" haha. They loved to pet Rebel's nose and watch Papa feed him an apple. Even Edith was enamored by the beautiful horse and couldn't take her eyes off him. Our friend Bekah was so gracious to not only let the girls pet the horse, but to take the time to teach them about every thing she was doing. On the way home, I had to be the "bad guy" to the girls AND Papa and tell them that we can't get a horse at our little house haha. It was so fun though, so maybe someday!

The Patchery

A couple weeks ago, the girls had the opportunity to design dresses through the Patchery and be the kid of the week. No surprises, but Vivi chose a floral and pastel pink dress while Lulu chose a bold purple dress. Both of their favorite colors. Both suit them quite well! I also interviewed them. Interviewing a 2 and 4 yr old is pretty much hilarious haha. Each day, the Patchery posted a photo on their social media (instagram and facebook). It was really fun!

For the girls' photos, we simply played in the front yard. I set up a little tea party with their favorite pink teacups, their pretty new dresses, fancy necklaces and even Foxie and Roxie got a little dapper with a bowtie. The newest members of the Johnson household, Oscar and Murphy Bunny also made an appearance. It was really fun to see the girls pretend. They played for so long and really enjoyed playing make believe with a tea pot filled with water haha. It was a really fun afternoon!

 Lucielle - Age 2

What makes you happy? Mommy, Daddy and Friends like Ella. And Foxie!

What's your favorite thing to do alone? Play dress-up

What's your favorite thing to do with friends? Painting

What can you do that no one else can do? Apples (She means getting herself an apple from the fridge haha)

What makes you laugh the hardest? When Daddy tickles me

What do you want to be when you grow up? Belle (Beauty and the Beast) and work with whales.

Vivienne - Age 4

What makes you happy? Playing and being silly

What's your favorite thing to do alone? To be free and brave (Like Princess Meridah) and to swing on the swing in my front yard in peace

What's your favorite thing to do with friends? Play dress up and have tea parties

What can you do that no one else can do? Open the bunny cages to pet my bunnies.

What makes you laugh the hardest? When Mommy and Daddy hold me down to tickle me

What do you want to be when you grow up? Princess, Mermaid, Mommy and a Astronaut