Happy 4th Birthday Shelby

On Saturday 09/29 we celebrated Shelby's 4th Birthday.

Shelby had insisted for some time that she wanted to have a birthday party. If she was mad or upset for any reason, her first comment to you would be "...then you're not coming to my birthday party....".

When I asked Shelby what kind of birthday she wanted, her response was a "Cars" birthday.

Cary and I got quite a lot of entertainment out of discussing Shelby's birthday plans with her. At one time she wanted no adults (except her family) and no girls. Trying to get her own sister on the list from day to day was a challenge :)

In the end we had her three little boy buddies over (and yes she relented to letting their baby sisters come) and a bouncer and a cake and she was a very happy camper.

Shelby is my tomboy who loves anything the color blue, is proud to have a best friend named Jack and while she can dig in the dirt, be covered in paint or play with her cars until she falls asleep, she also loves each and every doll and stuffed animal equally. Our house typically looks like a day care as Shelby manages to have dolls covered with tea towels (blankets) from one end of our flat to the other.

I look at Shelby in amazement, she is tough and rough and ready to rumble and has no idea how breathtakingly gorgeous she is. Her big eyes and black eyelashes have a way of always stopping me in my tracks, sometimes forgetting what I'm going to say next. She is funny and sensitive and her strong willed personality always reminds me that she has her own set of rules, that there is a "different" way of doing things. She rarely asks for forgiveness or permission and I love the way she always marches to the beat of her own drum regardless of what anyone else is doing. Shelby makes motherhood an adventure and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of our journey holds...