Princess Lightning McQueen

Dear Princess Sara Catherine/Lightning McQueen/Ripslinger/Super Dog/Twinkle Toes (or whatever character you're currently in at the moment),

Every day with you is an adventure. I never know from one moment to the next what's going on in that little head of yours or what to expect next. It makes life exciting, hilarious, and sometimes a bit terrifying. I wouldn't change it for the world.

You love singing, especially songs with actions. Current favorite is "Princess Pat", which you call "The Spider Song" for reasons unknown. You were also on a big "Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) kick around Christmas. You made me sing it over and over (and over and over...) until I finally looked down at you and you burst into tears. Still can't figure that one out. It is kind of a sad song, I guess...

You've also decided recently that you are a ballerina and will give us impromptu performances whenever the mood strikes you. And you actually have some moves (you can thank your daddy because they sure didn't come from me). 

We should have known from the moment we put you in the Jumperoo that you were destined to be a jumper. You are constantly bouncing, climbing, jumping, etc. I can't wait for you to start your gymnastics class in a couple of weeks--you're going to be in heaven!

You've started recognizing "ABCs", as you call them. You know "C" for Catherine, "S" for Seth, "B" for Bubba, "M" (or "W") for Mommy, "U" for no apparent reason, and "P" for poop (of course). But your favorite letter is "X". Daddy taught you how to make an X using your arms and legs. You're pretty sure it's the best thing ever. You're also pretty good at counting and will proudly display your three fingers to anyone who asks how old you are. 

Your hair is an amazing, gorgeous mess. It can't decide if it wants to curl up in ringlets or grow completely straight. Most days it's a mix of both. It did finally get long enough to (mostly) go up in a ponytail! 

I don't do it often--you look too much older with your hair up.

Curls underneath, straight on top.

You love to help me with whatever I'm currently doing: changing Aaron's diaper, cooking dinner, wrapping presents...if I'm doing it, you're doing it too. And it's not a momentary "help" like Seth's--you're there next to me until the job is done. I love it.

Helping wrap Christmas presents

Hanging out on your favorite perch on the island while I cook.

(You've since been banished after knocking over several glasses of water.

Now you have to sit on the counter and not flop around).

In some ways you are such a little girl. You love your Sunday dresses and insist on wearing your "boofull" Sunday shoes every time we leave the house. You love to pretend to be a ballerina and pirouette gracefully around the kitchen. And you love my makeup:

(Not black eyes: self-applied eyeshadow)

But in so many ways you are NOT a girly girl. You don't like getting dressed in cute clothes (Sunday dresses excepted). Lightning McQueen is your favorite thing in the whole world. You would rather die than let me do your hair. And you have basically no interest in babies or dolls. I finally gave away your doll crib, but kept the stroller. How else would Lightning McQueen get some fresh air?

The only other thing you've ever pushed in this stroller is a dinosaur.

There has been a recent and notable exception to your "no doll" policy. I was pulling things out of my cedar chest one evening and you were, of course, helping. I pulled out the doll Aunt Lori brought me back from Israel decades ago and you were immediately drawn to it. It's been a couple of months now and the doll is still sleeping next to you at night.

Not sure why this doll gained your favor, but you adore it!

(photo by Catherine--already documenting her baby's life!)

You prefer to spend your days in whatever stage of undress we'll let you get away with. Apparently you're impervious to the cold.

Riding on the "boat" (Seth's booster seat)

After more than a year of potty-training (you started it, not me!), I think we're FINALLY really potty-trained. You have this lovely habit of waiting too long to get to the bathroom and then being unable to get your pants off in time. Hoping summer and sundresses will help with this.

You are a very clever little girl. I keep telling your dad that he has to raise you because you're already smarter than me. For example: at Christmas some friends came caroling and left brownies. I put them in the kitchen while we said our goodbyes. By the time we made it back in you had pulled over a chair, found a fork, unwrapped the brownies and were helping yourself, all within minutes. 

You missed the cutoff for Sunbeams by less than two months and you couldn't be more pleased with the situation. Another year in Nursery with snacks and Lightning McQueen to play with every week? Deal. You're also the oldest kid in there (definitely not the biggest, though), which means you rule as Queen of the Nursery.

And what an adorable Queen you are!

Sweet and benevolent (as long as you get the Lightning McQueen toy).

You're in the middle of another language explosion. There's nothing so fun as hearing all these grown-up phrases coming out of a little tiny person. Especially when you're still cutely mispronouncing so many words. 

Some of our favorite Catherine words:

• "woodles" = noodles
• "trampatrine" = trampoline
• "Cinawehwah" = Cinderella/any Princess-like girl (Barbies included)
• "backpacks" or "buckets" = pockets (great for storing cars in!)
• you're slightly obsessed with pockets and always comment whenever one of us has pockets. "Mommy, you have buckets?"
• "gymnaskicks" = gymnastics
• "muskick" = music
• "mushmellow" = marshmallow (you can blame Seth for this, you just copied him)
• "mahn" = more "I want some mahn" is a frequently heard phrase around here.
• "the Zone-ah" = Arizona

You have a strange obsession with tiny things. Any time you find something you deem tiny, you'll bring it to us for comment. "Mom, you see the teeny (insert object here)?" This also applies to other things, like drawing hundreds of tiny circles on your papers or making teeny tiny balls out of dough:

You adore your big brother and will generally follow him around and do his bidding quite happily. The two of you spend most of the day shifting from character to character. Right now you favorite combos are Skipper & Ripslinger, Blue (from Blue's Clues) and The Super Dog, The Magic Prince and The Magic Daughter, and Lightning McQueen and whatever car you decide Seth gets to be.

You're a bit of a TV junkie when you get the chance. You ask daily to watch "Cars Airplanes" (Planes), Signing Time, Blue's Clues, or Cars 2. Other favorites are Pocoyo and My Little Ponies (Pinky Pie is your favorite, of course--the most obnoxious pony in Ponyville. You love when we sing the theme song: "My little pony, my little pony..." at which point you "sing": "AH AH AH AAHHH!"). You're also clever enough to ask for Strong Bad when Daddy is home since you know that's the only thing he'll actually put on the laptop for you.

You also adore your daddy. When he was in Dugway for work you asked for him frequently. As soon as he walks in the door you're there shadowing him.  Your favorite Daddy time is Sunday afternoons when the two of you do puzzles together (you've gotten very good). And you can get him to do basically whatever you want by staring up at him with those big blue eyes.

Ah, my Baby Boo, we love you so. You constantly amaze me--I wonder every day who you're going to end up being. I am so excited to see you grow & take on the world. Happy third birthday, Princess Meow-Meow ("No! I Lining McKeen"!)

Catherineisms:

Me: "Catherine, what do you want to be in the Nativity play tonight? An angel? A shepherd?"

Catherine: "Uhh...no. I be Lightning McQueen."

(And there was NO convincing her otherwise)

One morning I heard Catherine in the tub singing a song I didn't recognize. Then I heard "Da nanana Da nanana Da nanana Da nanana BAT MAN! BAT MAN!" Then, while shopping later that afternoon, she asked me for "the Dalek song." I was a bit confused, so she sang it for me: "Oh, my Dalek, Oh, my Dalek, Oh my Dalek, Clementine!" It was a proud parenting day.

("Pretties" added by Seth.

And removed very quickly after this picture).