Spinning Up a Photo Essay...the Cheater Way

Is it just me, or is this week screaming by at the speed of light?  I suppose being buried in creating wine and chocolate this week has something to do with that.  My house smells yummy, though, a combination of wine and chocolate.  Almost makes me giddy.  Almost. 

This week the lovely Jen over at Sprite's Keeper has given us a Spin Assignment for a Photo Essay.  Since I've been away from my computer and elbow deep in wine, candy dough and chocolate, with the wine sugar buzz I've been sporting this week I haven't had a chance to dig through my photo archives - of which there are a bazillion - to put together something relatively entertaining and intelligent.

So I'm going to cheat.

And recycle Princess Nagger's Birthday Post from last year.  It is, after all, pretty much a Photo Essay.

I hope you don't mind.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted November 15, 2008:
edited to shorten some of the content

Wow, 6 years has sped by so fast!! It seems like only yesterday that you made your miraculous appearance in our lives...we could not have 'special ordered' a more perfect and wonderful daughter, and I thank God daily that He sent you to us. As I reflect back over the last 6 years, I'm still astounded at how you are constantly growing and changing - all for the good, mind you, but still way too fast for my liking!

You arrived at 6:42 p.m. in the midst of the 2 nurses being distracted by Jerry Springer on the television, and let us know you already had a great set of lungs when I heard your very first cry... I couldn't take my eyes off you when I got to hold you for the very first time.

8 months sped by and you were already showing your intelligence behind those beautiful blue eyes of yours:

And when it was time to celebrate your very first birthday, of course the party was really a social gathering of Mama and Dada's friends, but you didn't' seem to mind, as you enjoyed all the attention the whole crowd was giving you.

Where you sending me a message of things to come by trying to color your hair pink with the frosting? One might wonder...

You really amazed us with your continuously developing intelligence level - I caught you trying to be helpful after you watched Mama using her electric screw driver...bet you figured everyone would think you had put up those walls for our powder room during our remodeling process, didn't you? That's OK, we know that you're 'help' during that time was what ultimately got us to finish our project in a timely manner!

All that hard work wore you out, though, as you zonked out and were oblivious to all the hammering and general noise we were making as we tore apart the upstairs bathroom to update it, too...

Then suddenly you were turning 2 - it seemed to happen in the blink of an eye! You were walking and talking and wanting to do things on your own...just like a big girl!
And of course you still had your uber silly moments, like when we had a dog crate in our kitchen as we were house training our new puppy...you decided it looked awfully fun to play in, and you had a blast pretending you were the puppy!

And then you were three...already reading and writing and keeping me on my toes...you overheard Dada and me talking about when school would be starting and making note of what time the buses would be stopping in front of our house to pick up the neighbor kids. You made an announcement at the dinner table that evening, "Next week I will be going to school."

After I successfully swallowed my mouthful of wine water rather than involuntarily spitting it out, I asked you "Oh, you're going to school next week, hmmm? How are you going to get there?" To which you replied without missing a beat: "I will be going on the bus." You seemed extremely disappointed that you would not be allowed to go to school this year or next year, since your birthday happens to be 'late', and you would have to wait a whole 9 months after turning 5 before you would be allowed to start school. I had to promise to 'play' school with you so you wouldn't feel left out!

But wait! Four years have gone by? Say it isn't so! You are growing so fast! Can you please stop, just for a little while? No? Well, it was worth asking...  This year you asked for a Dora themed birthday party, which was a lot of fun to put together for you. But I thought it would be damaging to your psyche to have a Dora Pinata to whack with a stick...so I made that huge paper mache sunshine pinata instead...
...that was so strong it broke 2 sturdy sticks and finally had to be forcefully opened by Papa Eddie in order for it to release all the candy goodness from inside!
Then whoosh! Another year fled by, so fast it seems my head is spinning! You asked again for another Dora Adventure Birthday party, which secretly made me happy, because then I didn't have to buy a whole slew of party supplies in a different theme - I could just use the same items from the year before and change it up a bit with a different adventure.

You were a born leader, fearlessly leading your friends on the adventure. You led them through Bubble Tunnel, then warned them just in time about the crocodile in Crocodile Lake, and led in the repair of Rainbow Bridge. You hurried them to help save the baby duckies before going off to the jungle to catch stars. You made sure no one was left behind and everyone had fun. I was so proud of you!
Since my previous attempt at a pinata was a little overdone, we decided this year we'd go ahead and get a Dora Pinata, but one where you simply pull the ribbons until someone finds the 'magic' one that releases the hidden candy...that turned out to be a bit boring, as evidenced by the look on your face taking the first pull!
Today you turned 6...I have truly enjoyed having you around these 6 years, I wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world! Yes, even the rough times - like when you decided right before Christmas in 2006 that it would be really cool to use Mama's deer scissors to cut your hair...for a 4 year old, you did a great job, but when I exclaimed "What did you do to your beautiful hair?!" you matter-of-factly replied "Don't worry, Mama, it will grow back!" You said you looked like Jake Spankenheimer from 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer', the cartoon you saw the week before. You didn't like it so much when I said you looked more like Prince Valiant...I think you must have gotten the hint, as you haven't dared put scissors to your hair since!
You've had your good times and bad - mostly good, so you'll definitely make it on Santa's 'Good List' this year...well, as long as you don't misbehave between now and then! And no, I don't think Santa is planning on leaving coal in Dada's stocking, he really has been trying to be a good boy this year.

As I reflect back on these last 6 years, I marvel at how much you've grown, developed and learned, and how specific your unique personality is. I still don't think I deserve the wonderful child you are, but I will certainly relish the ever-changing moments. You are my genuine angel, and I feel so blessed!Happy Birthday, Little Princess - I'm looking forward to all the birthdays to celebrate in the future, as well as all the fun days and precious moments in-between! Mama loves you very much!

To see more original Photo Essays, head on over to Sprite's Keeper - she's the queen of Photo Essays and I have much to learn from her.