Everyone managed to get healthy enough to have Isabel's birthday party on Sunday night, yay! We also lucked out with the weather, it was raining that morning, but it cleared up by noon and by the time everyone showed up at 5:30pm it was nice enough to eat out on the deck. Jason grilled up lots of hot dogs and hamburgers and we had some wonderful fresh corn on the cob and plenty of other food. Isabel helped me make the birthday cupcakes that morning and was in agony all day waiting to have one. We had about a dozen people here, including us, not a huge party, but definitely enough people for our rather small place. Isabel had a blast and got lots of great presents. This first pic is from earlier on in the day. A customer upon finding out that Jason had an almost 3 year old gave him this for her:
A giraffe costume! We had hidden it in our closet, waiting to give it to her, and she found it that morning. Of course she wanted to put it on immediately. I think she makes a very cute little giraffe, don't you? :)
Almost as soon as Rowan arrived Isabel stole his army hat and became Cowboy Isabel. Her Pooh train became her horse and she rode around saying "yeehaw" for the next hour.
Isabel turned into an excited little whirlwind when it was present time. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the loot. She ripped through the bags, tossing clothes and toys in every direction. Here she was mesmerized, for a minute, by a cute new pair of shoes. My kid absolutely loves shoes!
Rowan and Isabel were both quite excited by this Play-Doh ice cream maker. Isabel had a bit of a meltdown later that night when she was told she'd have to wait till the next day to try it out.
Here she is in the midst of the mess she created. In the background is my friend Shelah, and on the floor are Rowan, Sophia, and of course Jason. :) When Shelah showed up and I hugged her Isabel yelled at me, telling me "Mommy, I told you Shelah is my friend now, not yours!" :)
Blowing out the candles on her pink cupcake, she requested the pink frosting.
I think this was her favorite present of all, a Cinderella dress from Auntie Sarah. She even wanted to wear it to bed and she insisted that I call her Cinderella for the rest of the evening.
Rowan plopped himself down on the couch next to our friend Josh and said to him, "Give her to me", asking to hold baby Aliyah. He did a pretty good job, and all the kids decided to cuddle up together, although never looking at the camera at the same time, of course.
Isabel and Rowan were both big fans of the pretty baby girl and she was a pretty good sport about it too. :)
The next day Isabel got all decked out in her new apron and chef's hat and made her daddy and I some wonderful ice cream cones with her new
Play-Doh set. She has played with it every day since. She also got lots of new clothes, which we requested as she didn't have much for Fall, and some new books. Have I mentioned before how much Isabel loves books? I'm so happy that she takes after me in that area. She usually has about 10-15 books in bed with her and she lies there and "reads" them to herself and her animal friends before and after naptime and bedtime. She usually remembers most of the story after only one reading of it by Jason or I. I love to turn on the monitor and listen to her "reading" stories alone in her bed, so cute!!
I still can't believe my baby is a big (okay not so big, she's still a tiny tyke) 3 year old. Now I just have to find time for all those thank you notes!
A giraffe costume! We had hidden it in our closet, waiting to give it to her, and she found it that morning. Of course she wanted to put it on immediately. I think she makes a very cute little giraffe, don't you? :)
Almost as soon as Rowan arrived Isabel stole his army hat and became Cowboy Isabel. Her Pooh train became her horse and she rode around saying "yeehaw" for the next hour.
Isabel turned into an excited little whirlwind when it was present time. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the loot. She ripped through the bags, tossing clothes and toys in every direction. Here she was mesmerized, for a minute, by a cute new pair of shoes. My kid absolutely loves shoes!
Rowan and Isabel were both quite excited by this Play-Doh ice cream maker. Isabel had a bit of a meltdown later that night when she was told she'd have to wait till the next day to try it out.
Here she is in the midst of the mess she created. In the background is my friend Shelah, and on the floor are Rowan, Sophia, and of course Jason. :) When Shelah showed up and I hugged her Isabel yelled at me, telling me "Mommy, I told you Shelah is my friend now, not yours!" :)
Blowing out the candles on her pink cupcake, she requested the pink frosting.
I think this was her favorite present of all, a Cinderella dress from Auntie Sarah. She even wanted to wear it to bed and she insisted that I call her Cinderella for the rest of the evening.
Rowan plopped himself down on the couch next to our friend Josh and said to him, "Give her to me", asking to hold baby Aliyah. He did a pretty good job, and all the kids decided to cuddle up together, although never looking at the camera at the same time, of course.
Isabel and Rowan were both big fans of the pretty baby girl and she was a pretty good sport about it too. :)
The next day Isabel got all decked out in her new apron and chef's hat and made her daddy and I some wonderful ice cream cones with her newPlay-Doh set. She has played with it every day since. She also got lots of new clothes, which we requested as she didn't have much for Fall, and some new books. Have I mentioned before how much Isabel loves books? I'm so happy that she takes after me in that area. She usually has about 10-15 books in bed with her and she lies there and "reads" them to herself and her animal friends before and after naptime and bedtime. She usually remembers most of the story after only one reading of it by Jason or I. I love to turn on the monitor and listen to her "reading" stories alone in her bed, so cute!!
I still can't believe my baby is a big (okay not so big, she's still a tiny tyke) 3 year old. Now I just have to find time for all those thank you notes!
