Decorations crafted.
Party favors prepared.
Birthday clothes sewn.
Out of town guests arrived (minus Nana & Grandaddy who couldn't come last minute because of sickness. We were so disappointed and pray they get well very soon!)
Micah & Uncle Matt having a stare contest.
Ivory excited to wake up next to Aunt Mel as soon as the sun rose.
Desserts baked.
Awning hung (no small feat--thanks Jason & Uncle Matt!) & balloons inflated (we were going to leave them all over the gym floor for the kids to play with, that is until they began popping at random all around us. Lesson learned, no last minute balloon purchases from Dollar General).
Cupcones & cake iced. Can I just say I've always been amazed by Aunt Mel's cake decorating skills, but was doubly impressed this weekend. I have to admit, when she told me she planned to ice them with Ivory I was a little disappointed thinking they might not look as beautiful but immediately realized the fun Ivory would have and how much that would mean to her. That obviously means so much more then perfectly iced cupcones. Well, not only did they have fun icing & decorating together--they came out looking as adorable as ever. Aunt Mel, you are truly a cake decorating marvel and a very patient, fun aunt. Oh, and the cake was just leftover batter that she last minute iced and decorated. This girl's got skills.
Tables set.
We had an *amazing* set-up/prep crew.
Popcorn popped & homemade ice cream churned (thanks MikeMike & Jason!).
Stephen stopped by Saturday so we snagged him for set-up help and invited him to join our little party. So glad he could make it last minute--he truly is a joyful servant.
The boys managed to stop for some pre-party fun...
Kids dressed and ready for the party...a feat in and of itself as they were woken from naps to go to the party. Ivory, excited about going to her party until Mom begins dressing her, "I don't WANT to wear this dress! It hurts! I don't want to wear those socks. They hurt! Don't want to eat nothing! Don't want NOTHING!" I knew the balloons, sugar, guests, presents, etc. would quickly distract so we pressed on. Needless to say, our getting dressed pictures didn't turn out super pleasant...
Time for the big entrance of the birthday girl down the hallway of balloons (great job Uncle Matt, Daddy & Aunt Mel!).
She entered her party with all the excitement, awe and wonder this Momma had hoped for.
So excited to *finally* be able to eat the candy she's been eyeing in jars on Mommy's dresser for weeks.
Micah found the whole affair nearly as exciting as his big sister did. Please disregard the crooked front haircut--have you ever tried cutting a 15 month old's hair? 15-months: seventh hair cut. 3-year-old Ivory? She's had two.
Ivory was extremely excited to be surrounded by so many of her favorite people. This girl has a lot of people she adores and we could have filled the gym with them, but for her sanity (she's not a big crowd person--like her mom) and ours we try to keep the parties small.
The ice cream was delish!
The kids were on such sugar highs they kept running into furniture and each other.
There were some salty food options such as salty blue popcorn, blue corn chips & pink queso dip, and then the slightly healthy chocolate covered strawberries.
Thanks Daddy & Uncle Matt for taking lots of pictures! Oh, and Debi, look closely at the white tablecloths--remember them? Discovered leftover tablecloths from my sister's wedding (nearly 6 years ago) and decided to put them to good use.
Once the party actually began I nearly crashed, in spite of the coffee & sugar! I know, perfect pregnancy diet. Don't worry it's not something habitual. =) Thanks to all the people who kept the party running smoothly and my children happy while I took a break and rested.
Daddy is so much fun!
We never can convince our guests that their presence is present enough. Ivory doesn't seem to mind, though...
She was THRILLED with every single gift. These people know what this 3-year-old girly girl likes. Melissa *made* her an adorable bag with her name & an ice cream cone on it. Ivory loves reading her name and she loves bags--winning combo.
These people know my girls loves coloring & crafting.
The birthday girl gave sweet hugs & thank yous for each gift. I was proud of the gratefulness she demonstrated. Boy is she growing up!
Funny story: Grandma takes Ivory shopping for her birthday. They're at our tiny Dollar General for an hour. When they arrive home Ivory runs in the door yelling, "I got CHAPSTICK!!!" This is no fancy sparkly princess chapstick, just an ordinary blue label tube of chapstick. Cracks me up. An HOUR and the chapstick is what she showed off first. Of course, she had other goodies like a rubber snake (which she sleeps with now, only a few months ago we battled snake nightmares. Guess she's emulating Batman and embracing her fears), princess ball cap, light up ball, juice boxes, and hair things. Grandma said pick three things. I guess that's three items in Grandma math. She had such a good time and apparently made friends with everyone in the store in the process, even striking up an argument with a man about the correct way to sign three. Brings back memories of going to lunch & shopping with my grandma for my birthday. Those were special times. It's fun watching my mom continue the tradition.
A big thank you to Melissa for keeping Micah & Addie entertained across the gym during present time. I loved glancing over periodically to see them so happily playing. Micah loves Addie & Melissa!
Not only are these people sweet enough to come out for our little girl's party, invest so much in her, and bring presents, they all stayed to help clean up, too. We were amazed and relieved by how quickly the clean-up went.
When we got home I had just enough energy to throw together some potato soup before crashing. The kids had short naps, a late bedtime, and exciting day. I sure was counting on a late morning rising...or at least one on time? Micah decided to wake up at 5AM. His screaming brought us to his room 30 minutes later. Woke up his sister. So much for sleeping in, attending church, joint naps for the kids, etc. Normal schedule completely crashed. Oh well, plans change. The weekend was fun and we managed to rest when we could. Overall, it was very fun and I'm feeling so blessed to have had three very special years with our joyful, precocius three-year-old Ivory Rae. Thank you, to the many people who've invested in our family over the year.s Most of all, thank you Lord for the good times and the bad times. Your presence & salvation is what we value more then any earthly blessing. I pray that very soon our little girl will come to realize how precious a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is. There's no better gift she could receive.
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