Addiston's 3

This week was Addiston's Birthday! I really wanted to be able to catch up and post on her birthday but life's not perfect and that doesn't matter! 

I still remember vividly walking out of that sketch Chinese buffet with labor pains wondering if this was it. If the real thing was happening. After weeks of Braxton hicks and being 6 days past my due date I had lost some sense of hope that she was ever going to come out (even though I knew better) If you don't know the story it's here!

Well 28 hours later I was a mama! I thought I knew what I was getting myself into but as any parent will tell you, We had no idea! I still can't even grasp how I am able to love some else so much and I truly count myself blessed by her.

My first glimpse

She amazes me with ability to figure things out and her logical side-both of which she totally gets from Jared. However she has also begun to embrace the "it's my birthday and we're gonna do whatever I want: all-week-long, which I'm pretty sure she gets from me! So we did!

Tuesday morning began bright and early with a room stuffed with pink balloons! Jared and I stayed up till midnight blowing them up & putting together her table and chair set we got her from Ikea (where bella caught a cold!) I tried to get pictures but I was to tired to set up a tri-pod and to shakey to get a good night vision shot! She was so excited. We could hear her in her room, saying "ooo, where did all these pink princess balloons come from?"

We had donuts for breakfast! As one always should on their birthday! And then promptly put on our party dress to ride the train.

Notice the princess crown that my dad gave her at birth!

Around this time last year, Jared was still taking the train to work daily and Addiston was intrigued by the unknown and one day asked if she could ride it with him. In an attempt to not squash her sensitive little feelings he said that she may be too little but that once she was three she would be big enough to ride the train. Been keen, she said, "so on my birthday next time I'll be three, can I ride the train then?" He agreed in some way, because we both thought she'd surely forget such a promise. But at that precise moment her growing up skills kicked in and at least 5 days a week since then she reminded us that on her birthday she is allowed to ride the train with her dad. She has told, her MDO teacher, our parents, her sunday school teacher, & complete strangers in the grocery store. So a promise is a promise and our fear of scaring our child with trust issues for not allowing her to ride the train on her birthday gave way to a train ride on her birthday!

The rest of her Birthday Day was spent, playing, face-timing grandparents, and shopping. We went to dinner with just her (some friends of ours watched Bella) at the Aquarium restaurant. She got to pick all her own food: cheese sticks, corn dogs, and chips. All deep fried goodness, which as a mother makes me cringe because up until this point we have heavily limited the amount of junk she has had, (I know we need to loosen the reigns) but the girl takes after her mama in the fact that if something can be slathered in beautiful golden brown breading and deep fried well then by golly it should be! 

And one should always top off deep fried madness with Chocolate!

After dinner we rode the carousel which apparently is going to become a traditional Birthday activity! 

The night lasted past bedtime which led to a slightly unhappy bedtime but sleep came quickly to all members of the family! The rest of the week was spent in preparations for her Tea Party Birthday Party which was yesterday. I spent months scouring thrift stores for unwanted china tea cups and decorative tea pots, and after hoarding antiques in my garage we got to wipe off the dust and let go of the pack rat that I was becoming.

Eight of her closest little friends accompanied their mom's who were all adorned in their party dresses to enjoy, petit fors, cannolis, macaroons, tartlets, and tea sandwiches comprised of PB&J or ham & cheese (because we aim to please the 3 year old!) There were floppy hats, gloves, and of course pearls-because we live in the south and every little southern lady rocks some pearls! 

Present time was pure chaos-as it probably should be-she received her first pair of dress up heels which she has already practiced walking it. And her favorite gift was a doctor set (from a friend of mine who she claimed as her friend) each member of the family has been blessed by half a dozen check ups and at least twice as many "really quick, this won't hurt a bit" shots since we broke the seal on that one. 

Papaw was face-timed to assist in serenading the birthday girl to blow out her candles, and then we ate even more sugar! 

And of course what tea party isn't complete without pinterest inspired ice cream cups?

 We wrapped up the fun with some play time in the den, complete with dress up, jumping on the trampoline, and swinging. And because girls will be girls, she discovered that if one stands on an air vent in a fancy dress it gets even bigger-an important life lesson that we all must learn!

Friends slowly left and the house resembled something from the movie twister. The dog is confused as to why there is a table he can easily access and bits of cardboard box from barbies, and mini-mouse toys are being transported room to room by our littlest. We chose to ignore the mess, relax and pick at leftover treats for now, but I'm sure monday morning my OCD will kick in and there will be a box of treasured tea cups with good will marked on the side piled in the garage somewhere.  But it was worth it! The revamping of furniture, the sawing sugar cones ever so slowly as to not crack them, the scraping of sticky good will price tags off of the bottom of porcelain cups! Because she had fun, she got to sit at a little table, with her friends, and eat endless amounts of treats. She smiled when she "cheers-ed" with a real tea cup and had a real life tea party! 

Happy Birthday sweet girl!