the wirtz family: Oofta!!!

OOFTA!!! That's how I feel about not posting since April. OOFTA!!!

Well, I will try to be better and I will try to catch up.... 1 Old Post and 1 New Post for awhile :)

In April, our sweet Victoria turned 3 years old!!! I can't believe that she's already 3 and yet I can't really remember life before her. She entered this world on April 30th, 2008 and has made it a better place. Her Daddy and I couldn't be more proud of the little girl that she has become and how incredibly smart, kind, loving and funny she is. Here are some fun facts about our sweet Victoria Ann Marie:

Victoria loves stories. She asks us to tell her stories ALL the time. Before bed, in the car, during dinner, while on a walk...EVERYWHERE. And she doesn't just want you to read from a book, or tell her a story that she knows...you have to make it up, a new one every time. Lately, we've been trying to get her to tell us some stories of her own. She does pretty well, but then she gives up and tells us "the stories not finished yet" and she wants us to finish telling the story.
She's getting better at sharing with her sister but she will sometimes hide toys so that Marlee can't play with them. I.e. Put them in her room and shut the door, put them on top of a high dresser, put them in her closet...anything so that Marlee can't reach them. She would rather not play with it then share it with Marlee. But that last few weeks she's gotten much better!! Now she will share...at least a little more :)
Victoria always wants to help. Whether it's cooking, cleaning, watering plants...you name it, she wants to help and she's pretty good at it too.
Victoria has my genes all the way and is becoming a little OCD. She too likes everything to go back in its proper place and will be frustrated if it's not. I really don't mind it, unless lets say...we are trying to rush out the door and she has to ensure that every last toy is put back in its proper place.
On May 23rd, Victoria was finally POTTY TRAINED!! She literally wouldn't do it, wouldn't do it and wouldn't do it. Then that morning she woke up and has been trained since. No accidents, nothing...having 1 in diapers...is FANTASTIC!!!!!
One of our tricks to getting her to use the potty was bribery (side note: I truly think the only thing that worked to potty training was waiting until she was ready). So, sweet little girl got a brand new princess bike with matching helmet. She is slowly getting the hang of it, but doesn't really have all that much interest in it. I think she's just too much of a perfectionist...one day she willl get on and just ride like a pro, she doesn't like to mess with this practice stuff.
Victoria loves to pretend play, i.e.: "I'll be the Mommy and you be the honey (baby)".
Victoria LOVES her high heels. She has to wear them every night. She also accessorizes with her crown, purse and wand.
Victoria loves to sing along to songs. We have to listen to our Toddler Songs CD every day in the car.
She has known her letters, numbers, colors and shapes for quite some time now. But as of recents she has become a master of the letter sounds. So, I am constantly working with her on putting those sounds together to create words.
Our princess will only wear dresses. Day and Night the only thing the girl will wear is a dress. I beg and plead for cute skirts, shorts, capris...something other then a dress, but she refuses. Even at night she refuses to put on PJ's. Thank goodness we can pass down all these adorable outfits to little sister or Momma would have wasted a lot of money on other summer clothes this year.
Victoria is learning about manners. She knows your basics: Please, Thank You... But we are really working on chewing with our mouth closed and not talking with our mouth full of food. She is quick to point out if Ted or I are NOT following those rules.

One of the best things about our girls getting older is watching the two of them interact more and more. Victoria is constantly aware of where Marlee is and doesn't want to go anywhere without her. She can make Marlee laugh like no other. When Marlee starts getting fussy on a car ride Victoria is the first one to try and get her to stop. She will walk into Marlee's room after a nap or in the morning and mother her with "How was your night honey?", "Did you have a good sleepy?".

Things can be tough with a determined and opinionated 3 year old, but I wouldnt' change anything about her. Victoria is the sweetest little girl and we are so lucky to have her as our daughter. I am so proud to be her Momma!!!

To celebrate this milestone we had a weekend full of parties - 1 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. The theme: DORA. This girl loves herself some Dora. You can't tell from the pictures, but her and Marlee wore matching outfits that look like Dora's standard pink shirt and orange shorts.

Dora Cake