For MONTHS, Katie Wynn asked us if it was her birthday yet. I think it started in March around my birthday. And then after we had Thomas's birthday in June she really ramped it up. So we had to list off everyone we knew that would have a birthday before it was time for hers. And after every birthday party we went to, she'd asked again if it was her birthday yet and we'd remind her of who all was ahead of her.
So when the day FINALLY got here, Matt and Thomas and I snuck into her room while she was still in bed and sang happy birthday to her. And, with her face still buried in the pillows and covers, she mumbled, "It's not my birfday yet."
And then boy did she get really excited when we told her that YES! It WAS her birthday! We gave her three balloons to prove it. :)
She loved her balloons so much we may have to make this a birthday tradition! Note to self: always have an almost-empty helium tank stashed in the garage.
Here she is holding up three fingers for her new age! :)
We took more pictures before leaving for school.
It was fun taking her to school that morning. We took the gooiest, messiest-looking chocolate cupcakes for her classmates to enjoy and she was so proud to carry them in. And her teacher had hung a big Happy Birthday sign on her door that she'd made with ORANGE marker - Katie Wynn's favorite color! She was so excited to see it and gave her teacher a big hug. She told everyone she saw, "It's my birfday today." :)
Lala and Poppa (Matt's parents) arrived at our house just in time to see the kids get home from school. They had promised Katie Wynn they would see her on her birthday and they made good on their word! She was very glad to see them.
We didn't have our real family celebration until the next night when my parents could also join all of us for dinner. Katie Wynn received a "big" gift from each of us (me and Matt, his parents, and my parents) that we wanted her to get to have before her birthday party the upcoming weekend. Not one time on her actual birthday did she mention anything about presents. It never occurred to her that she would be getting some! So when I asked her if she wanted to go outside and see what Daddy and I had gotten for her, she grinned from ear to ear!
We gave her this roller coaster and had it set up in the driveway for her to see. She wasted no time climbing up on it.
We set it up so that she would roll into the grass and stop. Our driveway is slanted towards the street so we definitely can't point it in that direction!
She gave Thomas a turn but he wasn't feeling it. Which is funny now because by the end of the week, he was going down it more often than her!
After she'd played on the roller coaster for a little while, we asked her if she'd like her gift from Mimi and Poppy. Another big ol' grin. :) We helped her close her eyes while Poppy unloaded their car and set up her new picnic table! (This is the best full shot of it I got. Oops.)
The table is so cute. I love that it's not plastic and primary colors so that it will look nice sitting out in our yard, and I love that it's little enough for the kids but not too little that Matt and I can't sit at it with them.
Daddy helped her cover her eyes again so Poppa could carry out her big gift from him and Lala.
When we told her she could look, she was excited to see a new bike!
And not just any bike, an ORANGE one! Complete with a bell.
She and Thomas sat at the picnic table to open the rest of the smaller gifts. Lala and Poppa brought her the cutest orange dress and both she and Thomas got a new pair of puppy dog pj's! From my parents she opened the Tickle Monster book and tickle gloves. I gave her a pair of green pajamas (at her request) and a new shirt that I told her was to wear when we went to see Elsa and Anna that weekend!
While she finished with her gifts, Thomas was a gentleman and filled her bike up with gas. :)
I think Katie Wynn really liked the present part of her birthday!
We enjoyed a delicious dinner together that night and afterwards, Katie Wynn finally got to blow out her birthday candles. She just giggled while we sung to her.
After bath, she put on her new pair of green jammies and had one last gift to open from her Daddy. He gave her a big hardback book of all the classic nursery rhymes. We read poems from it several nights a week!
I definitely think this was my favorite birthday with Katie Wynn so far. She was the perfect age - old enough to understand that it was her day but not to old to demand or expect anything. It was fun to watch how excited she got about things and just giggle and grin.
We had her third birthday party the weekend after her birthday and it might be my favorite party to date too! I am still waiting on the party pics from the photographer we had there, but here is a sneak peek from my phone. We invited all of her friends over for a car wash!
More official party pictures to come!