Happy Birthday Peanut

Today my baby girl turns three.  It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since I held my 4 lb. 13 oz. little preemie.  Yet, here she is acting like a “big girl.”

Peanut posing for her 3 year old pics and singing Happy Birthday to herself of course.

Hello Kitty party decor complete with pink balloons hanging from the chandelier.

Her most exciting part–the cupcakes.  All morning long she’d walk in and ask “can we eat yet?” only to hear the reply “no.”  With a sad face and slumped shoulders she’d walk back out of the room.  It was so sad and cute.  She had told me from the first time we talked about her party, “I want Hello Kitty cupcakes for my birthday.”  So, it should have come as no surprise when she prayed at lunch “Dear Jesus, thank you for my cupcakes.  Amen.”  That’s it.  That’s all she prayed.  Ha!  I can only imagine Jesus smiling at her sincere heart right at that moment.  Too cute.

Peanut “helping” me make her cupcakes.  When I told her she could lick the bowl she took me literally.  The result–the bowl ended up on top of her head, we had chocolate hair, chocolate face, chocolate hands, chocolate shirt and a really messy chocolate bath!  LOL

Peanut’s Hello Kitty cupcakes made from stickers placed back-to-back on a toothpick.

My first attempt at making marshmallow cream filled cupcakes.  Success!  I used the filling recipe from  Evil Shenanigans and a homemade white chocolate frosting for the icing.  Yum!

For those that didn’t want chocolate cupcakes we also had dipped strawberries.  I am so going to do that again!

Homemade fries using the recipe from Annie’s Eats.

Homemade hot dog rolls…I’m still waiting on this recipe.  They were really really good though.

Homemade “Sonic” cherry limeades = Cherry 7-up +  Fresh Squeezed Limes +  Maraschino Cherries (<-Tweet This)

For presents, we set up one a tent outside for everyone to put their gifts in.  She could hardly wait to go outside all morning to get inside her tent.

Peanut running to check out her tent.

Peanut opening up presents inside the tent–too excited to even come back out to show everyone.  Her cousin was also trying to help.

Her prized present–a new bike she has been hoping for everyday for at least a month.  Now to learn how to ride it….

As our special activity Peanut completed a Montessori-inspired birthday walk.  Using a headband with an earth on it (thank you VBS) and Teacup’s stacking cups to resemble a sun, Peanut traveled around the sun three times in celebration of her age.  Everyone sat in a circle around the sun so that each time Peanut traveled around the sun she showed her guests a picture of what she looked like during that year.  She loved getting to show herself off at zero, one, two and three years of age.  It was so fun to watch.

Peanut getting her first picture for her Montessori-inspired birthday  walk.

Once her birthday walk was complete it was time to sing  Happy Birthday.  She gladly joined in to sing Happy Birthday to herself.

With all the excitement, we finished just as the rains started to come in.  Thank goodness.

Peanut showing off her new Hello Kitty umbrella…just as the rain begins to fall.

We had so much fun on Saturday and it wasn’t even her birthday yet.  So now what is today going to hold?  We’ll just have to wait and see.  All I can say is that it is definitely going to be memories in the making (I’m sure I’ll be sharing more on this soon).

Happy Birthday Peanut!  I am so thankful God placed you in our lives.  You are true blessing from above.

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.  Psalm 127:3