Yippee! She's 3!

Our precious Katie turned three years old on January 21st! It seems like for the past 6 months she's been talking nonstop about her birthday and the Belle party she was going to have. Also, everything was going to happen when she turned 3, "When I'm three I can go to dance class. When I'm three I can go to Primary. When I'm three I'll be a big girl." etc, etc.

As it turns out, when she turned three she got breakfast in bed (well, Mom's bed, actually) thanks to an idea by her big brother.
She also got flowers from her daddy--pink gerber daisies.
We decorated cupcakes with princess sprinkles.
On the night of her birthday we also went to Mr. Gatti's for dinner. Her first request was Golden Corrall, but then she realized that they didn't have any games there. Jonah was a big influence in the change to Gatti's. It ended up being a fun time and the kids walked out with a few Tootsie Rolls and a couple of big smiles.

Saturday was the day of the big party. It was, of course, a princess party--a "Belle party" according to Kate. The guests were invited to wear princess attire and attend the party at "Kate's palace." I made my first doll cake, which actually ended up being a lot easier than I thought. Kate called Belle "beautiful" and that made it all worth it.

Kate dressed up as Belle--still the princess of choice (will it ever change?)

We had a tea party complete with little sandwiches and snacks. Other games included musical tiaras, pass the slipper, and Don't Eat the Princess. We also read a princess story and had yummy cake and ice cream.

The boys were not required to cross-dress for the occasion, but a couple did dress up. Cousin Andrew was an engineer, and Jonah was a knight. After the party, Kate changed out of the Belle dress and into this beautiful pink "Glinda" dress from her cousins. She didn't take it off for the rest of the day. Here she is showing that princesses don't have to be dainty all of the time.

Kate at birth

My sweet Katie is a blessing every day. I was so excited to have a baby girl to dress up and snuggle with (who knew buying pink could be so much fun!) And I did get a girly-girl, that's for sure. Even when she was a baby, she never crawled...she just scooted on her bum, as if to say that princesses should be carried and not do their own moving about!
She's always loved Jonah, even though he wasn't so sure about her once she started playing with his stuff. Now they are great playmates and friends. Kate is also a wonderful big sister, forever giving loves to baby Lincoln (as well as to each of her many dolls).

Kate's blessing day

Bald and chubby--that's a Shirts baby for you

There's nothing like a smile from Kate to brighten any day. I love that she's so girly and sweet (not that she doesn't have her diva moments). And her voice reminds us of a little chipmunk. She loves to sing and spin and dance all around the house. Right now she likes to make up names for everything--from her dolls to stuffed animals to characters on the tv. She is quite imaginative and can tell some pretty creative stories--sometimes I'm not sure she's living in the same reality as the rest of us.

The love of princesses started early (birthday, age 1)


She was obsessed with babies at age 2, hence the baby stroller cake.

Another funny thing is the baby in her tummy--it appeared when I was pregnant with Lincoln. However, Kate's hasn't come out yet (she often tells us of how she will go to the hospital when she gets big and the baby will come out then). Usually it's a girl baby, but occaisionally it will switch to twins--one boy, one girl.

A Conversation with a 3 year old:

What's your favorite color? PINK and purple

What's your favorite princess? Belle--and all of the princesses

What's your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms

What's your favorite snack? Crackers

What's your favorite treat? Candy

What's your favorite show? Dora and Belle

What's your favorite thing to play inside? With my dollies

What's your favorite thing to do outside? On the trampoline

What was your favorite thing about your birthday? Eating the cake

What's your favorite scripture story? Adam and Eve

What makes you happy? Playing with Jonah

What do you like to do every day? Watch tv and eat and PLAY!

What's the best thing about being 3? Seeing daddy

All grown up and ready for life as a 3 year old!

I feel so blessed to be Kate's mom. She is a joy to have in our home and she reminds me daily of what it means to be truly happy.