Happy Birthday Taylor (Post #300)

We’ve hit blog post #300, just in time for Taylor’s 3rd birthday party pictures. Hold on to your hats, this one’ll be a big post.

We held the party at the Gardendale Chick-Fil-A. It’s a great place to have a party, and as Kenny noticed, a very wise place to have a party.

Her parents have the right idea. Host this at Chick-fil-a. No straightening up for guests, no cleaning up after guests. 

Busted! Oh well.

The party went off very well. Mimi and Papa drove up Friday for the weekend, godparents Ja and Christy zipped over from Atlanta for part of the weekend, and Cousin Ariel got to come down Saturday morning to spend the day and night with us.

Beautiful birthday cake. Elizabeth will have to share those details. Forget the megastores – we have a favorite cake bakery person here now. Elizabeth’s details: I was lamenting to a coworker about how lame the Strawberry Shortcake design was at the local grocery store bakeries and had decided to go with a modified Tweety Bird – as in, paint it like this but leave off the Tweety Bird stuff and add a couple more butterflies, I’ll buy a Strawberry Shortcake candle! She told me about the lady she uses and even called her for me – on the Thursday afternoon before the party. “Yes, I can do that” and she named a surprisingly low price. The reason I wasn’t completely worried about it is that this coworker is notoriously, perfectionisticly picky (used to be a photographer… at a fund raiser shoot of her children, she was telling the photographer what to do so much that he finally said, “Would you like to do it?” To which she said she would and she did!) The cake lady did a great job and we’ll definitely use her again!

Final touches for the party

A very patient crowd.

Eating their lunches; Ariel eyes the ice cream

Make a wish!

Ja gets Taylor ready for …

.. the playyard structure thing. A very popular item.

It’s just not a party without beads

Jordan’s little brother, Carson, was a popular one with the grownups. Especially the childless ones.

Everyone loved the Chick-Fil-A cow. Except Taylor. When the cow left, she said “Good, the cow is going home.”

Even Carson. He thinks.

It’s a pair of Jordans! And these are cuter than any pair His Airness ever endorsed.

Geeks and their toys. If you ever wondered what my camera looks like, just check out Kenny’s. We just got lucky that way.

You’re better off not asking about this picture.

Remember what I said about Carson being popular with the childless ones? Lauren, in particular, likes this lil kid.

The presents. Ohhh, the presents.Little girl did well for herself.

She loves this music box.

Love-a-lot Bear was a huge hit.

I’ve lost count of the hours I’ve spent sitting at the dining room table trying madly to keep the Play-Doh colors separate.

Trying to get Taylor to show off her presents for the camera, and all she does is hide behind them.

These rubber duckies, from Ariel and her family, are a popular addition to the nightly bathtime ritual.

Candyland is a fun game for kids, but Taylor keeps asking when she gets to eat the candy.

Back home, Taylor sees another of her presents from Mimi and Papa – new bed coverings

Kenny had his camera as well, and thankfully had his trigger finger working overtime. Amazing how good your pictures can be when you’re not worried about keeping the party running smoothly as well …