{Song clip. Disclaimer: I don't really know who Taylor Swift is but I heard this song through a friend earlier this week and it seemed right for this post. Not sure if it was the song or the video but it definitely made me teary eyed...}
I was looking through photos of Tower of London and Westminster Abbey and I came across these. A few photos of a quiet day squished in between a busy week of trips to London, Windsor, Blenheim and Oxford. Photos of my little girl's third birthday. To tell the truth, when I came across them, I was a little sad at first. Her birthday came right smack in the middle of my mom's visit - so it was crammed in between long car rides, visiting historic sights, riding on city bus tours, staying in hotels and visiting museums. I didn't have a "real" party for her, with a crowd of little friends and a mountain of presents and a fun theme. It was just a simple day. Full of all the small things she loves, from morning until night. And as I looked through the pictures, I saw what I already knew about her. That there was nothing to be sad about - this was a perfect birthday for her. Making a cake and licking the bowl clean. Opening a few thoughtful gifts and playing her favorite games. Painting, snuggling and reading with Mama and Dada. It wasn't a big bash. But for her, it was the definition of "the best day".
So, I decided to give my little one the spotlight today. My girl - perfectly, simply, beautifully happy - on her birthday.
We woke up and made this chocolate cake recipe. It was incredible!
We had a picnic lunch while the cake cooled.
We brought all of her stuffed animals along and they shared some tea.
I crashed the tea party - but she didn't mind.
Then a few brave animals went for a ride in the "bouncing pad".
This is one of her very favorite games.
Then we played another favorite game - hide and seek. {Shhhh...I'm hiding.}
After the games, she opened the sweet presents that were sent to her. She is hands down the best person - well, aside from my mother in law - to give a present to. She is SO genuinely pleased with even the smallest gift and always says thank you and how "cute" or "nice" the gift is. It's wonderful to watch...
The weather turned chilly, so we came inside to set up decorations, frost the cake and put on the special cake topper we had made for her. Maren asked to have "Thomas and Me Bear (a CareBear)" on her cake and lucky for us The Cake Shop in downtown Oxford's Covered Market was up for the challenge. I just love that she chose a pink bear and a steam engine for her cake.
Look at how pleased she is when she sees the topper for the first time!
She must have said, "awwww!" a zillion times.
Then she cut the cake...
and dug right in!
Look at this guy by the way. He gave up his 8th wedding anniversary to take a bus tour all day and then babysit in a hotel while his wife and mother in law went to see Phantom. Then, he got up the next day to babysit again while I took Mom to see TOL and Westminster. Did he complain? Nope. Not once. Handsome, smart and kind. Sure, he does leave his socks on the floor and turns the TV volume up too loud and he can't drive worth a darn - but I'm keeping him.
Yep. Totally keeping him.
The day ends, as it always does. Right here. Reading a book. In a big pile.
My sweet child is three. Brave, kind, bright and strong. Full of spirit and opinions and laughter. She has her Daddy's big heart, curious mind and sense of adventure. Her mama's iron will, watchful eyes and love for words. She is simple in her wants and generous with her gratitude. We couldn't be prouder. We couldn't be more thankful. And just when we think we couldn't love her more...we do. Looking forward to helping her have the best day for many years to come, in many different ways.
Jake's family is arriving tomorrow to stay for a week. We are SO excited! We'll have photo Friday tomorrow and then I'll post the last bit of Mom's English Travels and then I'll be on a little hiatus until the middle of next week.
Oh! Before I go, I wanted to remind you to take a self portrait! Remember - there are very few "rules" for our link up club. All you need is:
-You doing something meaningful to you (no family required)
-A picture taking device of any kind (no fancy camera required)
-Whatever time you can spare (consistent posts not required)
Don't stress about the photo but please do participate! It'll just be a little test run for linking up your photos tomorrow - to make sure I have it all worked out right. And, speaking of test runs, here's my test run on designing a "badge" for our club. What do you think of the name? Other than the name of my child and the blog, I typically hate the names I come up with for things, so please feel free to make suggestions! Names aside, you should be able to grab this button and put it on your blog (if you have one). Try it and let me know if it works..
Don't stress about the photo but please do participate! It'll just be a little test run for linking up your photos tomorrow - to make sure I have it all worked out right. And, speaking of test runs, here's my test run on designing a "badge" for our club. What do you think of the name? Other than the name of my child and the blog, I typically hate the names I come up with for things, so please feel free to make suggestions! Names aside, you should be able to grab this button and put it on your blog (if you have one). Try it and let me know if it works..
