birthdays are fun

Ava's birthday is coming up. I'm pretty excited. I really love birthdays. She'll be 3 this year and I like 3 year olds. At church on sunday several people asked Ava what she wanted for her birthday (one of the advantages of being the pastors kid at a small church is that lots of really sweet people like to give you christmas and birthday gifts. also easter and valentines) and she answered all of them with "birthday cake." I'm glad she's got her priorities in order. When pressed for what else she would like she answered "a dinosaur net." You know, so she can catch dinosaurs.
She gives a variety of answers when people ask how old she is going to be- sometimes she does say 3 but usually she says 5 and then tells them how old silas and micah and anabelle are. One of my least favorite things that the girls do right now is tell me how old they are. Usually once sometimes twice a day Anabelle will say "Mama, I'm this many (showing me 4 fingers)" and I say "Yeah, I know it." And then she'll say "but on my birthday I'll be this many (5 fingers)." And then the worst part happens. Ava starts in with all kinds of bizarre things that make Anabelle crazy. She says "I'm 5 too" or "I'm not having a birthday" or "Anabelles this many (showing 2 fingers)." Poor Anabelle just can't let it go. If Ava says something not true she tells me right away even though I was sitting right there hearing the whole thing. So then Anabelle has to tell Ava how old she is and how old she'll be on her birthday and when every ones birthday is. And Ava always argues. It doesn't matter what Anabelle says Ava always says the opposite. If Anabelle said "candy is so yummy and snow cones are delicious" Ava would say "NO. They're not". I know this doesn't sound that difficult but it happens almost EVERY DAY. And no one knows better then me how old they are. Alright. I was there. If you feel like having this conversation with the girls I know they would be happy to tell you how old they are and Ava will be happy to tell you many bizarre things about every one.