A five-star birthday

Wednesday Noel turned the big *3*. I am taking the liberty to rate her birthday for her, and I believe it was a 5/5 star time. Here's the proof....

As with any wonderful experience, it should last a long time and there should be chocolate involved. In keeping with that, her birthday has been an ongoing event, beginning with the $12 dessert that she consumed in Boston on Saturday. (Which had the 1st set of birthday candles that she extinguished...there were 3 more sets on more cakes and ice cream in the days following, and likely, there will be one last round still to come...) In fact, the birthday week will continue at least into the beginning of next week (Yay, for those late people who get behind in their mailings and cause holidays to be extended!) As it was, Noel started opening presents Wednesday morning and didn't finish until today, thanks to the excessively generous next door neighbors in particular. She has a very calculated, lovely way of opening presents. The first present that she chose was NOT the one at or near the top, and actually it wasn't the biggest either. But she specifically chose it, not knowing what was inside. (oooh, if I only could know the criteria that a 3 yr-old uses to determine "the best present"...) And when she opens a present, she carefully unwraps the gift, often preserving the bow and wrap. Once it's open she refuses to move on to the next one until she has played with it, if it's a toy, or read it, in the case of a book, or held it up in front of her little body, for clothes. She says "oooooo" as she opens each one, and has never thrown a present aside upon opening it. She has very good manners...

To be certain there needs to be some photography included here, but due to limitations on my flickr account...you must wait a couple days. But 'til then...