Birthday Fun

Vienna has talked about her birthday since the snow started falling, which was very fun because she understood the concept and was super excited about it. I remember my third birthday...I wonder if she will remember hers. :) It sure was a fun day!

We didn't have a party this year, we decided to celebrate as a family. It was so nice, we got to completely focus on our birthday girl, make her feel totally special, and remember that monumental day three years ago when she came into our lives. I think she preferred 100% of our attention anyway, she loves people but gets a little overwhelmed in large crowds. 

A couple days before her birthday I took her to the store and let her pick out some party cups, napkins, plates and a birthday hat. She chose princesses (Cinderella) and picked the crown herself, (how that trumped Dora, I'm not sure...but she didn't even hesitate in choosing.) On the eve of her birthday we decorated the kitchen in streamers and balloons and put all her presents on the kitchen table for her to find in the morning. She knew exactly what day it was when she got up and came marching into my room saying, "Mom, it's my happy birthday!" And that was before she even saw the kitchen in the light and noticed the purple/pink explosion topped with presents.

The birthday girl :)

After all, turning 3 is kind of a big deal...

Especially for little princesses. 

She felt totally special all day long, which is exactly how a birthday should be. :) She had so much fun, playing with mommy and daddy and Finley. She loved her presents and spent the whole day rotating between them. She wore her princess crown the entire day (in fact, it's been glued to her head pretty much ever since.) She was especially excited about her happy birthday cake...which I sneakily fashioned a GAPS version out of squash, eggs, honey and butter. However, she didn't know any different, thought it was the greatest thing ever and savored every bite. 

These pictures are my favorite kind of birthday pictures. Haha :)

We asked Vienna some questions at the breakfast table to look back on in later years and remember how her answers change from year to year:

What is your favorite...

COLOR: Red & Blue

FOOD: Pancakes & Squash
FRUIT: Orange

TOY: Minnie Mouse (doll)

THING TO DO: Play pretend

MOVIE: Tinkerbell

GAME: new birthday game (princess dominos)

SONG: Twinkle, Twinkle

BOOK: One Duck Stuck
THING TO WEAR: Dance Dress
ANIMAL: Bear
DRINK: Kefir

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP: a princess

After all...turning 3 is a pretty big deal. :)

3-Years-Old

Dear Vienna,

You are 3!!! Wow! You're growing into such a beautiful little girl. I feel so blessed to have seen you change, learn, and develop into the little person you are over these last three years. It is such an honor to be your mom. You bring so much joy to my life, everyday you make my heart melt, I love you and I feel so lucky to have the privilege of being your mother.

You are so beautiful, your spirit is full of love for life. You are so smart, you amaze me at how much you understand and how quickly you learn. One of my favorite things about you is your connection to the people around you. You feel, you relate, and you care. Sometimes I wonder if you get things way beyond your years. You're compassionate, loving, thoughtful and entirely joyful. You like to make people laugh and feed off of the energy in the room. I love to hear you talk and laugh. You are very independent, you love to do things by yourself and are always wanting to help in whatever is happening. I am so proud of you and the little girl you've developed into, and I am so excited to see what awaits you this next year.

Happy Birthday sweetheart. I love you so very much.
-Mommy

Birth day (two hours old)

 1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

Some of your favorite things to do are: play with your babies--you spend so much of the day putting them to sleep, rocking them, and playing with them. You love to do crafts, coloring, playdoh, stamps...you also love puzzles and games--we play a lot of of hide-and-seek, candy land, and the memory game. You love to snuggle with mommy and daddy, and of course your "B", and now your bear and spider monkey. You love to help mommy in the kitchen. You love to play pretend, you are always making up some sort of adventure you are on and pretending to have tea parties. You like to talk and you like to be silly. One of your favorite things is to dance, sing and listen to music, you like to make up songs and sing to the ones you know. You ask to wear a "dance dress" almost everyday. And you love to hide on your daddy when he comes home from work just because you love the thrill of him finding you. :)