Birthday Girl!

So Evie June is 3.

Her big day was kind of a big week. It started with MeeMee and PopPop's arrival, followed shortly after by a small birthday party with half a dozen friends who have become family to us out here. We did it on Sunday morning right after church, so we had EJ's favorite food: waffles complete with tons of yummy toppings. We even put candles in hers. But the real fun for her that morning was running wild with the Wright and Vellegas kids. Here they are playing the perrenial birthday party favorite: Pin the tail on the giraffe.


Untitled from Jennifer Bradbury on Vimeo.

Between her Sunday shindig, Evie bided her time hanging out with her grandparents. There was a lot of this going on.



On her actual birthday, she woke up from her nap to find three flowers from Daddy.



And then after a dinner of chips at her favorite mexican restaurant, we returned home to enjoy Evie's requested birthday dessert. A few weeks ago I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, chocolate or yellow (what flavor is that, anyway?). Her answer: "Peanut Butter." In next breath she told me she didn't want cake, she wanted pie, Peanut Butter pie.

We've never had Peanut Butter Pie. I've never made it. And unless she's been sneaking off to the cheesecake factory while I've been distracted, I'm pretty sure she hasn't had it either. Luckily, MeeMee had a recipe that worked out well. After blowing out her candles, she remembered the fun of licking them from her Sunday party. And if licking the candles once is fun, why not several times?

She shunned the fork completely, eating most of her piece of pie by dipping her candles (sometimes the wick ends) into the dessert.



And then there were wonderful gifts to open from family. Like this hula hoop from MeeMee.

birthday chat from Jennifer Bradbury on Vimeo.

Jimmy and I thought we were doing ourselves a favor with our gift to her--her very own sleeping bag. On our camping trips the last couple of years, we've just slipped her into the space between us. Which means that she ends up with her head on my belly and feet on his. So we thought zipping her up on her own was long past due.

Apparently, she agreed.



She was so delighted that she insisted on sleeping in it that night. I tried to put it in her bed and her in it, but she shook her head, tossed it on the floor, grabbed her pillow and a few buddies and slept there on the floor of her bedroom. And she made it until four am before she woke up (possibly from a cool whip/candle wax induced nightmare) and had to be calmed down and placed in her own bed, bag and all.

Her third birthday was fun. Lots of fun. But we're sure this year is going to be even more so.

Jen and Jimmy

PS: Here's a little bonus video of EJ playing on the new swingset we found on Craigslist. We spent all week cleaning and repairing it, but it was worth it!


Untitled from Jennifer Bradbury on Vimeo.