And Then She Was 3

Today is the day...I fall in love with a 3-year-old. Okay, so Ellia's birthday is not for another three days, but we did get to celebrate it yesterday. I love planning birthday parties! I get to make lots of lists (lists and I have a close relationship), and I get to put my design skills to work (probably more work than actually necessary.) The theme of the event: Puppies! And no, she did not receive a real puppy as a gift. One German Shepherd around here is more than enough dog for us. Here are some photos from her party.

The Invites

(minus our home address and phone number,

just in case any creeps happen upon this)

Puppy Cake

(idea courtesy of Martha Stewart)

My sister-in-law, Lili, gets the credit for making

these totally adorable puppy cake pops.

Party Favors

Bean Bag Toss

Grandma Rexene

(Way to be photogenic, Ellie)

Grandma Lupe

Currently her favorite book. We love children's books,

so our kids receive them as gifts from us for

just about every gift-giving occasion.

Despite having no time to fix my hair before

the party, I knew I'd regret not getting

a picture with my second-born.

The birthday girl has already clued me in on what I can be expecting this year:

· Fits of rage when she can't accomplish a task, followed by cries for help, followed by more fits of rage that she "can do it [her]self!"

· An increase in my milk budget--This girl can drink more milk than any kid I know!

· "I told you so" proclaimed (by her) throughout the day

· Repeated reminders to not suck her thumb

· Smiles upon smiles--She never fails to amuse me

· Hours of entertainment as she dances (sometimes literally) to the beat of her own drum

As Kai lan would say, she makes my heart feel super happy!

The day after the party we were blessed with another gorgeous afternoon, so I snapped a couple of photos of Ellia in one of her new outfits. Of course, the camera couldn't resist my other stunningly beautiful daughters. (Pardon my bragging.)

We are already seeing signs of a future shoe fetish,

not unlike her Grandma Lupe