Pearl is 3!

Last weekend we celebrated three years of Pearl. Three years of fun and laughter and tears and growth.

Pearl chose “raccoons” as the theme for her birthday party.

Those are her raccoon friends, Douglas and Bandit. (And her baby sister.)

We had a nice, simple party with family and friends and cupcakes.

Pearl is not always the most social kid, preferring small groups and staying at home. But she is beginning to blossom in this area and especially enjoys interacting with “big kids”. A visit for her birthday from her big cousins was a definite highlight for Pearl. We also have some wonderful friends locally who have older kids who are kind and gracious when it comes to playing with Pearl.

It’s amazing how much Pearl has grown and developed this year. She is a real little person now, speaking in full sentences, learning to describe her feelings and asking questions about the world around her. We are entering into the “why” stage which, while  occasionally frustrating, also offers a wonderful opportunity to teach Pearl about the world and to see how she views things. Pearl loves to be outside, loves to run and climb and ride her balance bike.

Pearl has definite opinions now and no shyness in expressing them. She loves to wear pyjamas all day and would live off cheesy noodles if we let her. She loves to play with her stuffed animal friends, loves Duplo and building blocks and has a great imagination. She is often eager to help and especially loves to bake together. She enjoys books and is starting to enjoy longer stories – chapters from Winnie the Pooh and the Brambly Hedge stories are some favourites right now. It is so amazing to watch her develop and to see her mind form.

My sister-in-law made a scrapbook for Pearl with 20 questions for her to answer each year so I thought I’d share Pearl’s answers, to give a small flavour of our girl. Pearl insisted that I ask her the questions two days in a row so I’ve done a little picking and choosing in order to best represent who she is.

1. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? “Butter toast when my tummy hurts.”
2. What is your favourite animal? “Bill. Owls. And Percy and Sarah and them Owl Mother.” (If you’re familiar with the book Owl Babies you might know where she got this answer from.)
3. What is your favourite toy? “Roly-Poly”
4. Who is your best friend? “Roly-Poly, Douglas, and Bandit”
5. What is your favourite holiday? Halloween (first answer), Chinese New Year (second answer)
6. What is your favourite drink? Chinese New Year drink (AKA chocolate-flavoured Vita Soy)
7. What is your favourite book? Elephant & Piggie (first answer); Cock-a-Doodle Dudley (second answer)
8. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Bike
9. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? Cheesy noodles
10. What do you want to be when you grow up? “I want to be an animal. I want to be a lady pig.”
11. What is your favourite plant or flower? “My plant’s name purple. And green.”
12. What do you want to eat for dessert on your birthday? “Sprinkle cake”
13. What is your favourite colour? Purple
14. What is your favourite song? “Come on Fountain” (AKA Come Thou Fount)
15. What clothes do you like to wear? “These clothes”
16. What is your favourite thing to eat for dinner? Pizza (first answer); cheesy noodles (second answer)
17. What is your favourite place to visit? Beach
18. What is your favourite fruit? Apples and oranges
19. What is your favourite weather? “Hot weather”