Bren's 3rd birthday party was last weekend, so I'm officially a week late in posting these. Darn photoshop, it distracted me.
The party was held at a local pool and was Mermaid themed. Now, you're probably thinking that Bren must love The Little Mermaid. At least, that was my first thought. The truth is that Bren has never even seen The Little Mermaid. What she has seen, though, is the Dora mermaid book and if there's one thing that Bren loves, it's Dora. And that's how the mermaid theme came about.
The only problem? All mermaid decorations have Ariel on them. But they're all just mermaids to Bren, right? So Ariel got invited to the party.
Ariel even showed up on some balloons. At first, the arrangement of balloons was looking a little...let's see, how should I say this...a little mature for a three-year-old party.
They quickly got rearranged. Phew! Close call!
Bren was so excited for her birthday party that she didn't sleep at all the night before. She also invited everyone she saw at church that morning to the party. The highlight was probably when she told not just Mimi, but Mr. Tony also, to be sure they wore their bikinis.
Because she was so hippity, hoppity, bouncing-off-the-walls excited about the party, her dad had to take her for a little ride while her mom decorated the patio at the pool. When her dad finally brought her back, a few guests had already arrived and wouldn't you know, little Miss Excited got a little shy.
At one point during the party prep, Bren told her mom that she hoped she had a crown at her party so she could be a princess. Her mom came through for her.
Bren may need a lesson or two from Kate Middleton because when the crown was placed on her head, she could no longer move. I suppose it's tricky keeping it balanced just right.
Parker arrived around this time and it was a relief to see that yes, the Royal Princess was indeed accepting hugs from her people.
Thank goodness, because I don't think this little guy would've taken no for an answer.
Parker convinced Brennie to ditch the crown so they could go swim. This summer, Parker has turned into quite the swimming fool. He refuses to wear floaties and loves it when his daddy throws him up in the air - the higher, the better.
My mom, bless her, has a teeny tiny heart attack every time she sees Parker go flying through the air, but then his little head pops up out of the water with a grin from ear to ear. "Do it again!"
Hopefully she missed seeing him climb up on his daddy's shoulders and jump all the way down to his uncle. It might've been enough to send her over the edge.
I wandered over to the kiddie pool to see how Miss Brennie was doing. She was having fun playing with all of her buddies.
It didn't take her long to figure out how to work this water gun, making it no longer safe for me and my camera. I had to get out of there fast!
Bren did eventually join us out at the big pool to watch Parker jump off the diving board. I asked if she wanted to do it too and, after thinking it over, she decided that was not really in her plans for the day.
The rest of the party played out like you expect - lots of swimming, splashing, and cannon balls. We had a dinner of hot dogs and chicken strips and then finally, it was time to for dessert.
The birthday girl had her own special plate.
She chose a strawberry cupcake.
Like most kids at their birthday party, she never took her eyes off the candle.
She did, however, sing Happy Birthday to herself while watching that candle.
Hooray! She blew out all the candles! I hope whatever she wished for comes true!
I wonder if she wished she could eat all that pink icing, because if she did, that wish already came true.
Parker had a funfetti cupcake and by the time I turned around after taking this picture of him and his mommy, Bren had herself a funfetti cupcake too. Birthday Princesses get all the cupcakes they want!
While most of the kids ran out and jumped back in the pool, Bren stayed inside to open her gifts. Who can swim when there are so many presents?
In addition to the Card Table Tent, my family and I got Bren this mermaid barbie.
Yes, those are belly and arm tattoos you see on Mermaid Barbie. As if they aren't awesome enough like that, when you take Mermaid Barbie for a swim in the bathtub, she looks like this.
Her tattoos grow and her pink highlights show up! Every mom's dream gift for their sweet little three-year-old girl, right? Beth, I'm sorry. It was the only Mermaid Barbie. Please forget all about this gift when/if I ever have a little girl...
Oh, and that's not all. Mermaid Barbie's tail can also be converted into a mini-skirt / hoodie combo. You know, for when she'd rather walk instead of swim. Don't worry, you can still see her arm tat.
The good news is that Mermaid Barbie, skankalicious as she may be, is the birthday gift ranking near the top of Bren's list. Beth texted me last night to say that Mermaid Barbie sleeps with Bren every night and has even made a trip to the zoo and out to eat with the family. Here she is with Bren (in her new mermaid pajamas) ready for a good night of sleep.
I guess I put my camera away during the present opening because that's where my photos end. Sadly, I don't have any of Uncle Doc painting her nails with her new purple and green polish, nor do I have any of all the dads that had somewhat of a contest jumping off the diving board at the end of the party. Oh well, there's always next year.
Happy 3rd birthday, Bren!
