Happy 3rd Birthday, Claire!

Claire and Lilly have been looking forward to Claire's 3rd birthday for quite some time. We planned on having the party at the local bounce place- Claire's request. But, one week before Claire's party the bounce place called to tell me they were going out of business- HUGE bummer! So, on to plan B- rent a bounce house for the backyard. I found a great pink and purple castle bouncy online for a great price- one that was available on such short notice. Hooray! But... all week Rob monitored the forecast- rain was looming. On Friday night, the forecast called for an 80% chance for rain. Who would have figured! So, on to plan C- Have an old-fashioned birthday party in the basement complete with classic birthday games. And so, this morning, that is just what we did. Rob and I were up late last night running to the store and decorating the house. But, all in all, Claire seemed to have enjoyed her birthday party, and all her little friends did too.

This morning I rang the doorbell just to capture Claire opening the door with her new birthday sign. Rob was confused, and Belle was too.

 Here's the basement all decked out for Claire's Tinkerbell party...

Claire requested a Tinkerbell cake, so I ordered this cake which are actually cupcakes made to look like a big cake; this makes it super easy when serving little party goers.

We played pin-the-tail on the donkey, duck duck goose, pinata and also had a craft table where the kiddos decorated birthday hats and other things. Here we are playing pin-the-tail on the donkey.

Rob has become a pro at facilitating the pinata time; he's done this at almost every birthday party. It's amazing how much the little ones go ape crazy over candy falling from the sky. Claire chose a Dora pull-string pinata from the party store and didn't seem upset at all when Dora's head came off.

Claire received some super nice gifts. As Lilly learned, even if the birthday party isn't your own, it still means fun toys to play with at home. Lilly helped me shop and wrap all of Claire's gifts this year. And, yes, Lilly was able to keep a secret! WOW! She was very eager to see Claire open her gifts. Claire was excited to receive them.

Thank you for the Dora dress-up, Meg. I think Claire likes it. 

Our friend Mariah (Shawn and Amy's oldest) helped too... and is probably plotting her next play date to play with Claire's new toys. :)

Special thank you to Nana for Claire's new storage shelf/bench under Claire's window. Doesn't it look cute with the pink toy bins? And, it fits just perfectly in Claire's super cute room.

Happy Birthday, darling Claire.

We love you to the moon and back.