Our Three Year Old!

Just a little glimpse at a THREE year old!

There is an indoor play place with inflatables and a small ball pit where we went to play with a couple friends.  Other than the obligatory 1/2hr adjustment to new experiences (ball pit) and one fairly fun-ending collision with another excited running toddler that effectively sent us back to our place for cupcakes and ice cream a little early, well, you can see that she had a blast!

So excited that her birthday was blood free and the guest list actually was able to make it!  2012 was a good birthday year!  (For those who noticed and were wondering, there was an outfit change due to a lunch spill....Ah the life of toddler clothes...)

Birthday Recaps and Wishes

Birthday Party Track Record

2010:  Blizzard--No one could make it.

2011:  Running, falling, massive split lip just after guests arrive (even cake and gifts were not fixing this one!)

2012:  Well, we shall see....

No matter what happens with today's party, our first baby has turned THREE and I am so grateful to have her in our lives.  She acts like a preteen with just a tiny bit less attitude issue most days and Papa and Momma are only scared of rather than dreading the decade worth of preteen-ness.  The only thing missing are crushes and those can happily wait that decade!

Having Papa home this year makes this exciting for Momma because there won't be a rush to upload pictures or attempt to arrange a perfect skype call.  There won't be the heavily mixed emotions of sadness and joy and trying to mask half of it to keep the day upbeat and happy for a birthday girl.  Mostly though, it is exciting for that little girl and her Papa.  They get to share the day together this time!  Real hugs, real kisses, and real playtime with toys being handed back and forth rather than trying to shove them through the laptop screen!

So to our daughter:  Happy Third Birthday!  Momma and Papa couldn't be more amazed, proud, or awed by you and we definitely couldn't love you any more than we already do!  You are cherished.

Big Week!

With Christmas pretty much done (we do have one more group rolling in this weekend for a mini holiday) we have to cruise right along into BIRTHDAY season!

This year Alyssa turns 3 and she is ready to eat her body weight in cake if we let her!

This year is going to be a small little party but we are used to that.  Our family parties have been all but cancelled for her in the past.  Born into the snowy winter, turned one during a blizzard where we made it to my grandparents' house just barely where the party was going to be (obviously no one else made it there), turned two and the blizzard held off until that night and was only slippery roads and light snow during the day (we called that a success because everyone made it to that party!).  This year we aren't even asking family to come down.  Between Christmas trips and shortly to be followed with at least a good chunk of them coming in January to meet the little boy...well, it seems pretty tough to pull off.  Instead we are having a little friends party!  Alyssa is SO EXCITED when you talk about parties but she has no idea what is in store for her this weekend.

There is a place near us that has those inflatable jumping things, you can take your kids (ten and under) to jump for a small fee and let them at it.  We invited a couple other toddlers to join us there for a couple hours of jumping and then we will come back home to eat cupcakes and ice cream before the day is over.  It should be a great time even with such a small group!

In the meantime we have plenty to keep us busy until Sunday.  Monday we had our little Christmas Eve, Tuesday was the Santa Christmas and we went to Wreck It Ralph that night (big hit!), Wednesday some family came down for a playdate at Chuck E Cheese's, Thursday brings a growth ultrasound and doctor appointment, Friday we close on the house followed by buying paint and probably getting the first coat up in Alyssa's new room to prep for Saturday's painting too.  We also have more family down Friday night to celebrate a mini holiday on Saturday and hopefully some extra hands painting too!  That is plenty for one week, right??