How does a 4-year old want to celebrate her birthday?

If her name is Catalina Jacquelle Case ...
she cannot answer that question!

The "smudge" on her nose
was from when she bit it
on our back porch steps.
The "pose" was HER IDEA!
She's only 4 !



Karen and I spent no less than an hour each yesterday trying to figure out what that little girl wanted to do.  Eventually we realized that the better course would have been to generate our own list of acceptable options and allow her to pick from that list (which is basically what we ended up doing without realizing it).

So her birthday included the following
"we did do it" list:
 - go swimming
 - watch a curious george movie
 - have chicken spaghetti for lunch
 - play dollys
 - pick on her 11-month old sister and not be yelled at
 - go swimming again
 - eat hot dogs and pasta salad for dinner
 - watch a train movie
 - sleep in the movie room
 - eat watermelon ... and marshmallows (lots!)

And the following "I don't think so" list:
 - go to Casa Bonita
 - *go shopping ... apparently this was THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE
 - go to the zoo ("after it is dark ... like around midnight")
 - take a bath (this one would have happened but we were at the pool too long)
 - eat Chick-Fil-A for lunch
 - eat ice cream
 - fly in a helicopter

*Karen and I made it up to her this evening by taking Catalina out shopping for a few things we needed.  Afterward when we got in the car, she complained that we lied (we did NOT!) when we told her we were going to "six stores!"  Then she went on to say that "yesserday I haffa watch two moovies but I din-n't get to go to any stowers and dat not fay-er cuz I said I wanna go shopping ... humph!"

Anyone wanna bet that she will NOT want to "just go shopping" next year?!  :)

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